Laid off in the recession and thinking of starting a business? Or just tired of working for someone else?

It’s hard to start a business alone. Aspiring entrepreneurs must tackle an onslaught of questions like what and where to sell, how to effectively market their product or service, how to structure their business — even whether going solo is the best option for them.

There’s no shortage of advice and resources for fledgling entrepreneurs. In fact, the biggest problem is figuring out whom to trust and what resources will be most useful. That involves scouting out what’s available and judging what is worth pursuing. Yes, it’s time-consuming. But one good piece of advice or personal connection can make or break your chance at success.

Here’s a look at some possible places for new entrepreneurs to turn.

Development Centers

Partially funded by the federal government, Small Business Development Centers provide free counseling and help on a full range of issues such as business planning, financing and site location. There are about 900 SBDCs, spread across all 50 states.

The centers employ full-time business counselors, typically former entrepreneurs or M.B.A. graduates, who are well-networked and meet one-on-one with entrepreneurs or direct them to other services and professionals that can help, says Don Wilson of the Association of Small Business Development Centers in Burke, Va.

“Sometimes the most valuable service we offer is telling someone their idea isn’t going to work,” he says.

Many SBDCs host courses, such as FastTrac, an entrepreneurship exploration and planning program developed by the Kauffman Foundation, an entrepreneurship research and advocacy organization. Some SBDCs partner with local business incubators that offer free and low-cost office space and resources.

To find the nearest SBDC, go to asbdc-us.org on the Web.

Score

Need a business mentor with very specific experience or expertise? You might try Score, a nonprofit group of volunteer business executives who counsel entrepreneurs; it’s loosely affiliated with the Small Business Administration.

There are about 11,000 Score volunteers nationwide and 389 offices. The volunteers mentor entrepreneurs long-term or just help with a specific question or need. People who don’t live near a Score chapter can pose questions to a counselor via email at Score.org.

A search tool on the homepage lets users find counselors in their geographic area or with a specific area of expertise. You can read detailed descriptions of the counselors’ professional backgrounds to pick one that suits your needs.

Campus Help

Universities are eager to give students real-world experience in a host of entrepreneurial exercises, including feasibility analysis, business planning and market research. They do so by providing free and low-cost help to local entrepreneurs.

For instance, law students at the University of San Diego advise local businesses pro bono on legal matters such as business incorporation and getting licenses and permits. For $500 to $1,500, student teams at St. Louis University will conduct a feasibility analysis or help write a business plan. Local entrepreneurs also can get their product or service ideas evaluated in the school’s Idea to Product Competition.

Call your local universities’ entrepreneurship programs or business schools, or check their Web sites, to see what services they offer local businesses.

Other Entrepreneurs

An often-overlooked resource for new entrepreneurs is other successful business owners in their fields. Someone looking to start a business should compile a list of the five “smartest” minds in the industry and try to meet with those people face-to-face, says Bo Fishback, vice president of entrepreneurship for the Kauffman Foundation.

“If you think you’ve figured out a place where you can leverage some great value, go to talk to people in the space,” he says. These entrepreneurs — assuming they’re willing to meet with you — can answer questions about the industry and what it’s like running such a business. “The best things that come out of this meeting are introductions to other people who might be interested in helping you,” Mr. Fishback adds. “It’s a very self-directed kind of school.”

Networking Groups

Starting a business can be a lonely experience — if you do it alone. Meeting other entrepreneurs who are in your town, or have similar experiences and problems, can be both therapeutic and educational.

Pretty much any city or small town in the U.S. has a Chamber of Commerce or other business group that hosts networking events, seminars and other resources for entrepreneurs. You also can find groups of business owners in your area on Web sites like MeetUp.com.

More and more business networking is actually taking place online. Though you might not form as close a relationship that way, you are more likely to find people in your industry to share experiences with.

Social-networking sites for start-ups include Sta.rtup.biz, StartupNation.com and Biznik.com. Other sites, such as MicroMentor.org, IdeaCrossing.org, PartnerUp.com and GoBigNetwork.com, can help match entrepreneurs with a business mentor, or even a potential investor.

[via WSJ Small Business] by Kelly Spors

The U.S. Small Business Administration is offering Web chats to help small businesses across the country weather the recession.

I’ve been fascinated by the analysis of the Obama campaign. In many ways, Obama’s campaign and its success is a big, bright, “LCD sign” of the times. New media has come of age in a very public way.

Most people seem to agree that the campaign used a number of techniques to capture an audience and even inspire the traditionally unenthusiastic. Some of my favorite attributions are:

Audacity – the fact that Obama wasn’t afraid to “redefine his target audience” and go after states like Indiana who this November voted for a Democrat for the first time in 44 years.

Mobilizing Large Numbers and doing it “Grass Roots” – unprecedented fundraising success by generating large numbers of small donations rather than small numbers of large donations to raise more than an estimated $600 million (McCain raised an estimated $250 million).

The Message Consistency – the message never waivered from the idea of being an “antidote” to the status quo.

But perhaps the most obvious and (to a techie like me) inspiring elements of witnessing this campaign was its focus on social technology to support and propel all of the other techniques.

The use of “new media” from friend building on Friendster to the seemingly simple text message proved to be a powerhouse for the campaign, as it extended the concept of “Team Obama” far beyond campaign headquarters literally into the hands of millions of Americans who voted and vocalized with their typing fingers.

For all the small business owners who couldn’t help wondering, wow – can I do that? My answer is Yes you can! (Sorry couldn’t help myself).

In taking a closer look, the technologies used form a rather familiar list:

• Official Web site: http://www.barakobama.com and http://my.barakobama.com
• Text messaging strategy – enabled via collecting phone numbers on a mass scale
• LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/barackobama
• Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/barackobamadotcom/
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/barackobama
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/BarackObama
• YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/BarackObamadotcom
• Meetup.com: http://barackobama.meetup.com/

The list reads like a “who’s who” of social media marketing.

But the real power in these technologies is understanding that the goal is not just to “set up” one tool or another, but to understand each tool’s potential. That potential in the Obama campaign was brought to fruition by:

• having a consistent message
• providing free and open access to “making a connection”
• *always* keeping the tool up to date
• providing pertinent digestible bytes of information that could be read, downloaded, passed on
• leveraging the sheer quantity of enthusiasts and supporters on each tool to disperse messages almost instantly across an unbelievably wide, new network of venues and communities that hasn’t been seen since the invention of television.

Think about the leverage that a database of 948,000 people on MySpace and 3.1 million people on Facebook provides when you have a message to communicate (and consider that vs. McCain’s 221,000 on MySpace and 600,000 on Facebook).

As you think about your business and consider the challenge to build brand, generate buzz and stay on the radar as a small business owner with limited time and a limited budget, there are some very simple lessons to learn here:

1. everybody needs a team. Whether you’re trying to build a team of millions of voters or a few thousand supporters of your business, build a team by building a venue for them to get involved. Even the simplest involvement can be powerful.

2. email, the Web, and cellular technology have created an unprecedented venue for that involvement. Know who should be on your team and know the different ways they like to be involved.

3. Use wisely. Learn how these technologies work and learn by example how they can be leveraged to build a community of supporters for you.

This is an advantage that won’t last forever. As businesses gain competency in these techniques and learn to invest wisely, these techniques will slowly become standards rather than competitive advantages.

But it is possible for a growing small business to build a strategic, cost-effective and impactful social media campaign. As “Team Obama” has shown – yes you can.

Another great article about Obama’s Viral Marketing in TIME MAGAZINE.

[via Inc Magazine] by Maisha Walker

When you read about the stories of successful entrepreneurs you always come across similar advice: “Surround yourself with successful people”

How do you actually go about doing that? Here are 7 strategies to help you get started.

1) Join A Peer / Mastermind Group

Join a group of people who are committed to running their businesses and taking it to the next level. It can be lonely being an entrepreneur and most business owners don’t have a support network to turn to for help for their companies. Sure your friends and family listen but can they really help? Amazing things happen when you can connect with other people who are really doing things with their businesses. You will get inspired and you will also inspire them to work harder as well.

I run a series of Mastermind Groups in Toronto and we always look for people who are beyond the startup stage. Make sure that whatever group you join that you a) can go for a trial first, b) are with other members who have different skill sets, and c) are in a structured atmosphere where people take the group seriously. Also make sure that you are not the most knowledgeable person in the room. You learn more when you are with people who have accomplished more than you.

Most of the large cities have various Mastermind groups that you can join. If you don’t have one locally, you can also seek out ones that meet online instead of in person.

2) Go To Related Business Events

Depending on how big a city you live in, you’ll have a bigger selection of different business events to check out. Look for ones that inspire you and you will learn from. Quite often they are free. For example, one of my favorite events was when Ted Rogers, founder of Rogers Communications, one of the largest companies in Canada, came to speak at a local bookstore as a part of an entrepreneur promotional series the store was doing. The popular business author Tom Peters also did a great event there that was very inspiring.  Total cost to me: $0.

By going to these events you’ll not only get motivated from the speaker but you’ll also meet other people who are interested in the speaker. Chances are those people are also going to be motivated to succeed as well and you can make some great connections to help your business if you keep an open mind. Usually authors with business books do a series of appearances at stores to promote their new books and it can be a great (and free) opportunity to get a few new ideas.

3) Surround Yourself With Famous Entrepreneurs

I love reading the stories of famous entrepreneurs and how they got started. That’s why I write a regular series in this blog. Every time I read a success story it motivates me to do better and reach farther. Even though you may not know Richard Branson personally, you can get a lot of benefits from his teachings by reading his books (”Losing My Virginity” is fantastic!) and listening to his interviews. You can even look up your favorite entrepreneurs on YouTube to get an added boost of motivation.

When you’re faced with an important business decision, or if you’re just procrastinating and putting off doing work, ask yourself “What would Richard Branson (or your favorite entrepreneur) do?” Would Richard Branson be down on himself and browing the web wasting time or would he be out selling and making things happen??

4) Check Out Industry Conferences, Connect With The Experts

Whatever industry you’re in there will always be industry related conferences. Go check them out, do your research as to who the keynote speakers will be and have a few questions in mind for them. Make sure to connect with them before they come on and begin their presentation because they will be bombarded with questions afterward.

When I went to my last Search Engine Strategies conference in Toronto, I connected with the two presenters at the Site Clinic before they started talking. They were just sitting up on the stage alone and nobody was talking with them (they actually looked pretty bored waiting to get started!). After they finished, however, they were suddenly bombarded with people trying to get their questions in before they closed the room to set up for the next event. I was able to make a personal connection with them and get 20 minutes of one on one time all on my own because I went in before the rush. Do your research beforehand, have your questions ready, and connect with the experts before their presentations!

5) Get Online!

Forums like Young Entrepreneur are great places to meet people and have people hold you accountable for doing what you say you are going to do. The downside is that anybody can respond and you don’t really know how successful people are so you have to do some weeding through to figure out who you want to listen to.

Join Young Entrepreneur and post your business idea. You’ll definitely get some comments and advice from the members. Then you can go on to discuss some of your goals and what your timeline for succsess is. Come back regularly and update the community as to how you’re doing. Did you accomplish your goals? Did you fall short? Why? What happened? Doing this on an ongoing basis will keep you accountanble for doing what you say you’re going to do as well as introduce you to a wide network of entrepreneurs who will support you and your ideas.

6) Find Ways To Help People You Admire

Want to make a connection with someone you look up to and potentially get their advice? Find a way to help them first! Do your research on them and subscribe to Google News Alerts about them as well as the industries they are in. Think about a service you might be able to provide to help them out or introduce them to a new opportunity. If you can find a way to genuinely help them, they will remember you and will usually be more than happy to return the favor – if not out of gratitude, out of curiosity (who is this person who came out of nowhere to help me out??).

As an example, there was a successful businessman that I looked up to in Toronto who was not very technology savvy. I met himm briefly at an event and later went home and subscribed to Google News Alerts to stay on top of news in his industry and would fax him (he didn’t use email) regularly on new trends that were occuring. I did this for a couple weeks then called in to ask him if he found them useful. He didn’t remember meeting me at the event but he sure did appreciate the faxes! He was curious as to who was sending him this information and invited me over for dinner. I got a lot of free advice from him (and a free meal!) as well as made a new contact that I can use in the future for my different business ventures. Find a way to help them first and they will help you later.

7) Look Around You, Keep An Open Mind!

Chances are there are already people in your life who can be a great help to you if you just open your mind and ask for help. Do you ever notice that when you buy a new car or a new pair of shoes you suddenly see everyone else with the same car of same shoes? Did everyone else go out and buy what you just bought? No. Because you’re focusing on it, you start to see it in your environment more often.

Your brain can only process a certain number of inputs at once – most of the information it receives gets tossed out but if you set your mind to thinking about something, you’ll begin to find ways to get your goal accomplished. This is why The Secret and The Law of Attraction have been so popular in recent years. Look for successful people and keep an open mind – you will find them. As the famous saying goes, “The teacher will appear when the student is ready.”

[via YoungEntrepreneur.com] by Evan Carmichael

Once again – the media of social networking prevails, now in a business setting. With the immeasurable success of MySpace and Facebook, it was only a matter of time before it was converted into a business concept as well.

Social-networking sites like [1] Facebook and [2] MySpace are so massive that it’s often hard to effectively connect with like-minded people with similar interests and backgrounds. It’s not surprising then that some entrepreneurs are deciding they need their own online meet-ups.

There’s a fast-growing number of social-networking sites geared specifically to entrepreneurs, including [3] Sta.rtup.Biz, [4] StartUpNation.com, and [5] YouNoodle.com.

Small-business vendors and credit-card companies are also hoping to get into the game (of course, with the hope that these business owners will also be more committed to their products). Some include [6] Visa Business Network on Facebook, [7] American Express’s Open Forum and [8] Dell Business Community. (Before you delve in, you might want to read my [9] previous post about common social-networking mistakes business owners make.)

Each network is different and caters to a different audience, so you have to check them out to see which one feels most appropriate to you. For instance, some are geared toward seeking [10] business relationships and [11] funding from other entrepreneurs, while others focus on [12] swapping business ideas.

[via WSJ Small Business] posted by Kelly Spors

THE CIRCLE – Miami’s Premier Professional Networking Community invites you to our 2nd Friday Happy Hour Event.

Date: Friday, July 25th

Time: 6pm – 11pm

Location: TEMPLO LOUNGE – 619 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach

OPEN BAR: 6pm – 9pm

Featuring the music of Matthew Owen Reininger

Hosted by: Ivan Mladenovic (The M Companies) and Mark Lefcourt (The Criminal Defense Center)

About THE CIRCLE: Formed as a joint venture between two friends who enjoy social and professional networking, THE CIRCLE is geared to providing career professionals in South Florida an opportunity to meet new faces, exchanging information, and create opportunities through social interaction. THE CIRCLE provides the atmosphere and community – it’s the responsibility of the attendees to explore the event and introduce themselves to others.