Must-Have Info for Starting Your Own Business

If you’ve decided to start your own business in 2008, these are must-reads to help you along your way:

• New Business Idea Database – Springwise scans the globe for the most promising business ventures, ideas and concepts ready for regional or international adaptation, expansion, partnering, investments or cooperation. Ferociously tracking more than 400 global offline and online business resources, as well as taking to the streets of world cities, digital cameras at hand. (via Jim) Read more >>>
• When Is The Perfect Time To Change Jobs? – I’m in a job where I’m not satisfied, and I want to find a new job where I will feel more fulfilled and I will be more fulfilling. BUT, fear is always there. It never feels like the right time to put in my two weeks (one month) notice. I realize there will always things going on at this job, and there will really never be a “perfect” time to leave the job. So, I guess the real question is how do you go from feeling selfless to selfish about your employment needs? Read more >>>
• Quitting Your Job – Sometimes, you need a fresh start. Whether you’re seeking greener pastures or you feel suffocated in the workplace, you’re bound to consider leaving your current job at least once in your career. Here are some tips on what to think about and how to quit gracefully. Read more >>>
• The 5 Most Common Mistakes Made By Startups – Entrepreneurs are no strangers to mistakes. Mistakes will happen – with considerable frequency – and the value in making those mistakes is learning from them and avoiding them in the future. You can also study the mistakes of others that came before. Plenty of successful entrepreneurs are quite open about mistakes they’ve made, why they made them and what they learned. We don’t need to keep repeating each other’s mistakes over and over. Read more >>>
• Standard Business Plan Format – As a follow up to the Top Ten Tips for Writing Your Business Plan, here are excerpts explaining a Standard Business Plan Format from Business Week “Business Tools and Advice.” Certainly worth the click-through for a full and complete explanation. Read more >>>
• How to Launch a Business Without Spending a Dime – The biggest mistake I see first time entrepreneurs make is that they spend too much money. They rent an office or retail location, pay big incorporation fees, hire employees, and build an expensive website (just to name a few). And all before they’ve earned their first dollar! Each month their cash reserves get lower and lower while they struggle to make sales to cover their expenses. Eventually the fledgling business dies with no cash flow, leaving the owner hurt emotionally and financially. Luckily, it is possible (and actually quite simple) to start up a business without spending a dime. (via Kris) Read more >>>
• Being a Productive Home Worker Requires Stability – Committing yourself to a pattern at the beginning of each workday will bring stability to your freelance career. And you don’t have to give up the benefits of working at home, like the two-minute commute. Read more >>>
• Advance Traffic-Generating Tips for Your Website – It’s 2008 and what better way to start the year than learn or simply implement bigger ways (since none of ‘em is new) to generate traffic to your site. Read more >>>
• Entrepreneurs Are Risk Takers – There are many characteristics that define an entrepreneur. Ambition would be at the top of my list, with perseverance running a close second. But the one common denominator shared by entrepreneurs is the capacity to take risk. In fact, dictionary.com defines an entrepreneur as: “a person who organizes and manages any enterprise, esp. a business, usually with considerable initiative and risk.” Read more >>>
• Avoiding the Temptations of Home: Being Your Own Boss – Yes, as a contract worker or freelancer, you decide when to work. But with great freedom comes great responsibility. You have to be your own manager, HR director, accountant, and marketer. No one will be breathing over your shoulder, but if you’re not careful, you may end up spending the whole day goofing off. Read more >>>

There are so many more great resources out there. What’s your favorite must-read business advice?

Contents © Copyright 2008 Kristen King

(photo via SXC.hu)

Tags: women and business, woman, business, startup, entrepreneurship, business advice, starting your own business