When I start a new project, the first thing I do is dig into research- business blogs, webinars, small business resources. There is a daunting amount of information online about growing a business. When you hear the term ‘growing business’ what do you think about first?
Some will say a brand new business, someone just starting out. Others will say it’s expanding an existing business. But again, growing a business from one person to 100 are very different things. And growing a 50-person operation to a 100-person force is a different kind of challenge.
No matter the scale of your investment, the fundamentals are the same. These resources are a wide and deep base of knowledge that can help anyone in small business.
Get ready to add some bookmarks.
90 Business Blogs and Small Business Resources
Small Business Resources
1. The US Small Business Administration has a wealth of smart information to share with small businesses.
2. If your business is making a big change, it can help to get advice from someone who has already done it. SCORE can connect you with a small business mentor.
3. Business operations are complex, and Manta offers loads of specific information for individual niches.
4. Mixergy is full of interviews and case studies from businesses around the world.
5. If you are looking for training and insights, Growth Global can help with growth strategy.
6. One of the best ways to connect with other business leaders is by attending a conference. This retail conference, Shop Talk, is one you’ll want to look into this year.
7. Looking for more conferences? Check out the lists from Ecommerce Training Academy.
8. Fizzle is one of the best small business resources, especially for businesses that are just starting their journey.
9. Looking for a quick sales tip? Check out this resource, The Amazing Seller podcast might answer your question on the air.
10. Sometimes it’s easier to get the day-to-day work done than to sit back and look at the big picture. The business blog from Storyminers can help your small business.
11. This small business resource from Shopping Signals is effective because it’s simple and straightforward.
12. It can be difficult to know which training and tools are worth the time, effort and expense. The JA Directives blog is full of practical insights that can help with these challenges.
13. Someone who is good at creating his own rules (Maneesh Sethi) writes the Hack the System blog. If you sometimes feel held back by your own boundaries, this blog is a chance for a fresh perspective.
14. Sometimes you need a break from reading online. A podcast like this one from Amy Porterfield is a great way to get updates in a new format.
Ecommerce Resources
15. B2B commerce is enormous and challenging. Get Elastic offers up to date and detailed info to keep your team informed.
16. This site has a comprehensive listing of different tools. It’s also full of updates in the ecomm landscape.
17. As your business grows, it’s helpful to have a source to compare new tools and offers like Ecommerce Platforms.
18. This blog has a heavy Amazon focus, which can be especially helpful if you’re selling both on the Amazon marketplace and from your own online store.
19. If you’re looking for smart ecommerce advice, Ecommerce CEO is one of our favorites.
20. Ecommerce is full of consultants who speak to businesses and offer sound advice. It is easy to forget how important each branch of your business plan connects to the whole. Resources like the Tim Peter blog are a consistent and friendly reminder.
21. While individuals can offer a personal look, larger small business blogs like Econsultancy offer an army of data and research to inform your decisions.
22. If you want details on dropshipping, this resource will cover all the different ways to approach it.
23. A/B tests are something everyone does, but we don’t always know how to compare the effectiveness of the results. Give CXL’s calculator a try.
24. Hiring is another challenge in ecommerce, it requires a specific toolkit. The FreeeUp community has articles both for freelancers and businesses who need them.
25. Technology moves fast, so keeping up on ecommerce news is essential. This and this are some of our favorite ecommerce news blogs.
Ecommerce Tools
There are many tools that can help you grow your business in ecommerce. These are some favorites from our community. If you’re looking for:
26. A referral marketing platform
27. Dropshipping
28. A marketing and analytics platform
29. Analytics tools
30. Customer service
31. Media buying for ecommerce
32. Loyalty programs for retail
33. An inventory management platform
35. CRM
36. HR help
Legal Blogs
When you run a company it’s important to be up on legal requirements. The law is a complex and intense industry. These small business blogs will help keep you up to date on legal changes that may affect your small business.
38. Strictly Business Law Blog
Finance Tools
41. Finance is another important and difficult area of small business focus. Articles from Investopedia will keep your business up to date on what’s new and what is urgent.
42. Marketwatch offers a different spin on finance news. It adds more focus on the stock market and personal finance to blogs about business finance news.
43. This popular accounting software has a blog that will help keep you informed. Quickbooks also offers tips on which of their products is the best fit for the scale and structure of your small business.
44. Small business finances often overlap with personal finances. Pennyhoarder’s tips cover the murky in-between.
45. Whether you’re starting out or need a refresher, this IRS site has exactly what you need to know about business finance for your operation.
46. Keep up with accounting news and trends while learning more about the Xero platform.
47. Business loans are important. They can also get confusing. This small business resource for finance will show you the ins and outs of small biz loans.
48. Passive income isn’t just about how you make your money, it’s about how you spend what you make. This resource, Mr. Money Mustache, can help you think about spending and investing in a new way.
49. Two CPAs write this small business blog. They care about small business tax accounting, financial planning and more.
Business Blogs
These five blogs make it to the top of most business blog lists. If you haven’t bookmarked them already, go ahead and do it now.
50. Harvard Business Review
51. Mashable Business
52. Fast Company
53. Forbes – Entrepreneurs
54. Tech Crunch
Small Business Blogs
55. The Balance Small Business
If you’re looking for small business resources, this one has a bit of everything you need to run a brick and mortar or sell online.
56. Smart Passive Income
Whether you’re growing as an affiliate or are adding a podcast to your blog, this site is full of articles that can help your business grow.
57. Small Business Trends
This blog is full of interactive and inventive content for small businesses.
58. Open Forum
This small business blog has a range of posts for every important area of business infrastructure.
59. Foundr
From the personal to the profound, this is one of the top small business blogs because they speak for small business owners.
60. Insights by Stanford Business
Much like the Harvard Business Review, this site opens a window to strategic thinking. They cover big ideas in economics and entrepreneurship and show how those concepts can affect your everyday business operations.
61. Sales Hacker
We don’t all speak the language of sales right away, and it is a gift to hear from these smart sellers.
62. FounderU
There are many ways to go about growing a business. FounderU picks up each article from a different moment in the small business journey. If you’re looking for ways to expand your business, head to this site.
63. Kabbage
This small business blog is full of practical actionable advice for your small biz.
64. Small Biz Survival
Small towns and rural businesses don’t always appreciate big business advice. This blog is full of local perspectives and ideas.
Ecommerce Blogs
You might be looking for ecommerce training or general advice. Most of you will just do a quick online search, but these business blogs will give you insights you aren’t looking for (yet).
65. Ecommerce Fuel
68. Shopify’s blog
69. Smart Marketer
Entrepreneur Blogs
If you’re just starting out, entrepreneur blogs can provide essential motivation and wisdom that can help get you through the tough spots. These are a handful of the blogs we respect.
77. I Will Teach You to Be Rich
78. Marie Forleo
79. Grant Cardone
Marketing blogs
We wrote an article not too long ago with over 100 resources for digital marketing. We missed some of the links below, and want to make sure you get a chance to check them out.
81. Neil Patel
82. Nerd Marketing
83. QuickSprout
84. Beeketing
85. Tinuiti
86. Ometria
87. Sale Cycle
Send Great Emails
88. Litmus
89. iContact
More into videos? You can check out our playlist for how to sell online here:
Did we forget your favorite business blog or small business resource? Share your favorites with us here.