12 Most Inspiring Blogs for New Entrepreneurs

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So you’ve decided to spread your entrepreneurial wings. Good choice. Hard choice. Get ready for an adrenaline rush – and the need for a ton of inspiration.

Sometimes that inspiration will come from obvious sources: you, your team or your sphere of influence. Other times it may come from less obvious places like customers, your children or a schlocky sports movie.

Occasionally, however… on those days where your conversion to a morning person just isn’t working out, or when Angry Birds just isn’t getting the creative juices flowing… where do you go to deliberately find inspiration? No, not the “life affirmations” nonsense like “Today is a new day!” and “Never give up!” – or the centuries old-quote from some guy in a powdered wig who never blogged a day in his life.

I’m talking real-world, common sense, get-off-your-ass inspiration from today’s “been there done that” business leaders as found (in no particular order) in these 12 Most Inspiring Blogs for Young Entrepreneurs:

1. Anything by Tom Szaky

As Founder of Terracycle, Szaky once beat out Zuckerberg as the No. 1 “CEO under 30” (Inc. 2006). More important, this blogger can make any entrepreneurial lesson an interesting read – and may make you wish you had spent less time in school and more time reading – and learning something actually useful.

2. Start-up Professional Musings

Start-up Professional Musings: Marty Zwilling, an author, mentor and angel investor as well as a proficient blogger, is a personal favorite – and one I don’t miss. His blog topics range from hiring interns to intellectual property, and never fail to impress, or educate. Almost an “MBA in a Box” – and well worth your time.

3. Seth Godin

Seth Godin  – “America’s Greatest Marketer” – has written a baker’s dozen books and founded many companies, most recently Squidoo.com. His blog, however, has perhaps made him a household name among entrepreneurs. The best part: his not-so-common sense blogs rarely exceed 300 words.

4. SmallBizTrends

Speaking of common sense, Anita Campbell’s blog talks about all things small business and business development  – to include email marketing, branding, and (of course) blogging – from the view of a lifelong entrepreneur.

5. Duct Tape Marketing

This blog by John Jantsch is now a staple among new entrepreneurs (and old ones… ahem) without growing stale. Full of tips and strategies for expanding your business, and with a sincere willingness to share success mechanisms, this is sure to be one of your favorites.

6. John Warrillow

Author of “Built to Sell: Creating a Business That Can Thrive Without You”, John Warrillow is a genius at not just helping build a business, but a valuable business. While not as prolific a blogger as Godin, John’s work appears through major outlets including Inc.

7. OnStartups.com

Dharmesh Shah, a self-declared “professional geek”, says this about his blog: “this site is for and about software startups.”  However, it has become much more than that – and is a must-see site for entrepreneurs of all persuasions (and not just software).

8. EpicLaunch

Started by young entrepreneur Ben Lang, EpicLaunch is all about entrepreneurship, online business success and social media. While not dominated by any one blogger, this content-driven site is a terrific resource for those just jumping into the deep end of the entrepreneurial pool.

9. Young Entrepreneur

While their blog is noteworthy and rivals the best of any in this “12 Most” list, the entire Young Entrepreneur site is a valuable resource for every entrepreneur. The “How To” and “Ask the Experts” sections are worth their weight in virtual gold.

10. The Entrepreneurial Mind

Dr. Jeff Cornwall, Director of the Belmont University Center for Entrepreneurship, looks at all things entrepreneurship – from small business to mega-start-ups, and breaks it down into smaller, understandable topics. A must read for us non-MBA types (and those who wish they would have spent $100K on something besides their MBA).

11. Steve Blank

Steve Blank is a serial entrepreneur, veteran of eight Silicon Valley startups and author of “Four Steps to the Epiphany”. Steve has moved to teaching entrepreneurship at U.C. Berkeley, Stanford and the Columbia University/Berkeley Joint Executive MBA program – and to creating brilliant, inspiring content.

12. The Social Roadmap

This is my wildcard; the long-shot… Sam Fiorella is not yet as well-known as Eric Reis, Mike Michalowicz, Mark Suster, Paul Graham, Ted Coine – or others who might  also be on this “12 Most” list. However, for our start-up – like many others in today’s business climate that depend so much on navigating social media to build relationships – the content of Sam’s blog is priceless.

That’s my “12 Most Inspiring Blogs for Young Entrepreneurs”. Instead of asking what you believe might be missing (after all, it is my list built on the needs of our start-up) let me ask this…

What’s your “12 Most”?

Featured image courtesy of Stephen Poff licensed via creative commons.

Mark Babbitt

http://youtern.com

A passionate supporter of Gen Y talent, YouTern CEO Mark Babbitt is a serial entrepreneur and mentor. Mark has been quoted in Forbes, Fortune, Mashable, ReadWriteWeb, and Under30CEO.com regarding internships, emerging talent and the current job market – and was recently honored to be named to GenJuice’s “Top 100 Most Desirable Mentors” list.