As a first time entrepreneur you probably have tons of questions. And every time you do a Google search for an answer you are bombarded with too much information and in some cases that information contradicts other things you have heard. Due to this, I have created a list of 54 resources that should help you out.
Legal & Accounting
Legal and accounting issues may not seem important when you are starting your company, but they are. Legal and accounting mistakes that you make early on can haunt you for years and can be expensive to fix. So if you are going to start a company you should do things right from the get go.
- S Corp. vs. LLC: Which Structure is Right for Your Business – Determining the type of legal structure for a new business can be daunting for entrepreneurs and small business owners. Learn more about S Corporations and Limited Liability Companies (LLC), and decide if one of these business structures is right for you.
- LegalZoom – a cheap way to get incorporated.
- Findlaw – a directory of all the lawyers throughout the US.
- Bookkeeping 101: Debits and Credits – Accounting ends with score keeping but begins with record keeping. The first task of accounting is to accurately record transactions. Transactions are events that change the composition of a firm’s assets, liabilities, and equity.
- Accounting Basics – This explanation of accounting basics will introduce you to some basic accounting principles, accounting concepts, and accounting terminology.
- Docstoc – A free place to get legal documents and templates which can drastically help reduce your legal fees and in some cases allow you to do some legal stuff yourself.
- You’ve Been Sued: What Do You Do? – Everything you wanted to know about being sued.
- Opening a Business Bank Account – Business bank accounts and your identity.
- Closing Down Your Business Permanently – If you’re shuttering your business for good, there’s more to it than drawing the blinds.
- Legal Issues to Consider When Starting Your Business – There are a multitude of legal issues to think about when it comes to starting your business. Everything from your business name to its structure to its operation has legal implications.
Web Design
Design is something we tend to take for granted. Not only is important for your website to look good, but you also want to make sure it is usable and converts.
- Top Ten Mistakes in Web Design – The ten most egregious offenses against users. Web design disasters and HTML horrors are legion, though many usability atrocities are less common than they used to be.
- Google Website Optimizer – A free tool that will help you maximize your conversions.
- Web Developers Handbook – Everything you need to know about web design and development.
- CSS Vault – Web design inspiration.
- A Roadmap to Web Standards – Before you start designing your website, make sure you are complying with web standards.
- Signal vs Noise – A design and usability blog by 37signals.
- Crazy Egg – A simple tool that shows you how website visitors interact with your website.
- How to choose a website design agency – Choosing the right web design shop can be a tricky thing.
Internet Marketing
You can have a great product or service, but if no one sees it you will never make any money. Now this doesn’t mean you have to hire a marketing firm to help you out, but you could learn some basic things about Internet marketing.
- Beginner’s Guide to Search Engine Optimization – The basics of search engine optimization.
- Social Media Marketing Beginner’s Guide – Interested in leveraging the social web? Here is what you need to know first.
- Top Ten Things You Can Do To Get Blogged On – Getting bloggers to blog on your company isn’t an easy thing. If you flow these rules and you should be successful at it.
- How to Optimize Your Blog for Search Engines – What you need to know if you want your corporate blog to get traffic.
- Web Analytics: An Hour A Day – Google’s analytics guru, Avinash Kaushik, breaks down web analytics and the tracking needs you may need for your website.
- Dullest – The blog of Google’s main search engineer, Matt Cutts. Before you get into search engine optimization, you probably want to read his blog.
- MailChimp – Sending high quantities of emails isn’t an easy thing to do. In most cases your emails won’t go through unless you use a service like MailChimp.
- Banner Basics: Create Ads That Work – Banner advertising isn’t dead… you just have to learn how to effectively use them.
Hiring Employees
When you don’t have much cash in the bank, you can’t afford to make hiring mistakes. Sooner or later you are going to have to hire a few employees, so you better know what to look for.
- When to hire your first employee – if you are considering hiring an employee, you should read this first.
- 5 tips for hiring your first employee – Microsoft breaks down some useful tips for new companies.
- 9 Steps Before You Hire – 9 good tips for first time business owners.
- ADP – Payroll can be a hassle. ADP provides good payroll solutions for a very affordable price.
- How to Fire an Employee – If you hire a bad employee you better learn to fire them.
- When to Fire an Employee – Analyzing when it is time to accept that a performance improvement will not happen.
- Fully-Baked: The real cost of adding a new employee – Employees cost more than just their salaries.
- 201 ways to turn any employee into a star performer – A book that you should read if you want to maximize your employees output.
- Tsheets – Employee time tracking software.
- RescueTime – Employee time tracking and time management software.
Raising Venture Capital
Raising money can be a pain in the ass, especially if you have never done it before. If you want to raise money, you need to know the basic terminology that venture capitalists use, how to create a pitching deck, and how to get in front of venture capitalists.
- Vfinance – A directory of venture capitalists, angel investors, and business plan templates.
- Forbes Midas List – A list of the top 100 venture capitalists for the year 2009.
- The 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint – Before you make a powerpoint that showcases your company and how much money you are raising, you should read this.
- How to Raise Venture Capital – An detailed overview on how you can raise money.
- Venture Hacks – A blog for entrepreneurs that discusses everything about venture capital.
- The Funded – An online community of entrepreneurs to research, rate, and review funding sources worldwide.
- How To Raise Venture Dollars – Ben Elowitz who has raised over 40 million dollars breaks down the tricks to raising money.
- Paul Graham – Awesome essays about venture capital and entrepreneurship.
General Business Advice
Other entrepreneurs have already solved many of the problems you are going to face. So when you run to into these generic problems, here are some websites you can turn to.
- Inspired Startup – Successful entreprenuer Andy Liu breaks down how to take your startup to the next level.
- The 50 best business blogs – There are thousands of business blogs, but here are the 50 best according to Times.
- The Top 10 Mistakes People Make When Starting A Business – You don’t want to make any of these mistakes.
- 10 Timeless Business Tips From 10 Millionaires – If you want to be a millionaire then you better learn from them.
- Solving Your Business Problems – Start solving your problems before they even take place.
- Struggling Entrepreneur – The Struggling Entrepreneur is a free podcast series that deals with the issues, challenges and problems of the individual who wants to be an entrepreneur, but who encounters a somewhat difficult path and appears to be struggling.
- Smarta – A support community for entrepreneurs.
- Litemind – Exploring ways to use your mind more efficiently.
- Mixergy – Successful CEOs share their experiences with the masses.
Living The Frugal Life
Although it may sound sexy to be an entrepreneur, most entrepreneurs don’t make a ton of money. You are going to have to learn to live a frugal life so that you can continue to do what you love and not worry about paying your mortgage.
- Little Steps: 100 Great Tips For Saving Money For Those Just Getting Started
- 75 Painless Money-Saving Tips – Saving money can be painful, but here are 75 ways that are painless.
- Strapped For Cash? Billshrink Can Save You Thousands!
- High Yield Savings Accounts at 20 Largest Banks – If you are going to keep your money with a bank, might as well be a bank that has high yield savings accounts.
- Scrooge Strategy – 1 premium tip every week that helps you save money.
- How to Reduce Rent – Rent is probably your biggest expense, here are a few ways to reduce it.
Conclusion
There are a ton of resources out there for first time entrepreneurs, but these are the main ones I use. Do you have any other recommendations?
Update: If you feel that a specific site should be added to the entrepreneurs handbook, leave a comment and I will add it to the blog post.
Look over my shoulder while I share: 
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Neil,
You have put together a VERY solid list of resources here. There are several sites on here that I have yet to come across and glad that I have now. Needless to say, I have been busy clicking these links! Thanks for including YoungEntrepreneur.com on your list for: The Top 10 Mistakes People Make When Starting A Business!
All the best,
Adam Toren
No problem. It is a great resource!
I like the compilation there. Especially the Accounting/Legal part. It’s definitely over-looked by MOST, if not all people who are just starting out. They tend to dive head-first into whatever venture they think fits the scene and realize much later that they didn’t pay enough attention to the basics that EVERY business requires and that it’s going to cost quite a bit to fix that mistake.
Thanks! Accounting is where I really messed up when it came to my first few businesses.
You are right on this. My CPA tells me the same thing. I am glad I had him from the beginning counseling me.
You are lucky because you had guidance from day 1. If you don’t have guidance, that is when you screw up.
A nice tidy guide! I would have loved to have found that all in one place when I started!
Thanks DK! It’s good to see that an experienced entrepreneur like you, enjoys the post.
Awesome resource Neil, one of those that you feel great after reading the whole list for gaining so much great information. thanks for the compilation.
No problem. I should have created one of these a while ago.
Neil, this is pure gold for the first time entrepreneur. Just an awesome resource that is sure to save many hours of research time…well done, and thank you!
Matt
I’m glad you feel that way.
Again, lots of useful information and all of it so clean, thanks a lot Neil.
Cool! Let me know if you think I am missing anything.
Well I gotta say that I certainly appreciate some of the resources in the Legal & Accounting section! (Don’t get me wrong, the other resources are great as well).
Thanks! That was probably one of the harder sections to create, but probably worth wile for first time entrepreneurs.
Just wanted to say thanks for taking the time to compile all of these resources, very useful info all in one location!
No problem. 5 hours of my time will hopefully save others hundreds of hours.
Are you on delicious? And can you share your bookmarks there?
I don’t really use del.icio.us.
Handful of information. I always love to see compilations. as you are a busy person, I’m still wondering how you manage to compile this list?
I just write stuff when I had time. It took me roughly 5 to 6 hours, but I did it while watching the NBA playoffs.
This is an awesome list. Will certainly share it. Lots of entrepreneurs will love this.
thanks Neil
Thanks! The more entrepreneurs that see this list, the better.
Nicely done Neil
Very competitive list of resource for first time entrepreneurs.
I would like to add that becoming an entrepreneur you have to have flexible and creative mind and use it at its effective potential. If you want to survive at business I think it is vital to develop sound problem-solving skills, creativity, visual thinking and self-mastery.
So I would recommend reading a resource about mind innovations and it’s abilities at http://www.litemind.com
I added the site to the list.
Litemind is a great site. Very insightful.
Glad you like it. I just learned about it from AndreaZ.
Really awesome resource Neil,these all of them are useful and important to become a good entrepreneurs.Really so much great information. thanks for the compilation.i will follow all of them….
I’m glad you took the time to look at all of the sites. They are all great.
Good list that, may I also add to this list the following sites which I’ve found invaluable within my business:
Accounting – http://www.arithmo.co.uk/
Web Design – http://alvit.de/handbook/
Internet Marketing – http://www.livewirecampaign.co.uk/
I have added alvit.de to the list. The other sites look more like service sites than informational sites.
Hey Neil,
You are awesome man, I am a continues reader of your blog for the last two weeks, When I read each article, I am feeling like the things that I searched for years, you are explaining in your blog. I will call you an “Encyclopedia of small thingsâ€, greats things we all will get, but, we can’t always easily find small things that help to make these big things. Thanks a lot for these article, continue writing.
LOL, I don’t know if I could be called an Encyclopedia because I still have a lot to learn. But either way, I like it.
Gr8 points Neil, I’m a web designer so always keep in mind that golden points.
No problem. If you know of any other good design resources that should be on the list, let me know.
Hi Neil,
that’s a really impressive list of resources, thanks a lot for sharing!
-Hans
No problem. I hope to see you back here again.
Those are some great resources Neil. Saw you at Dot Com Pho with John, nice tips you got.
Thanks! Yea, I was with John over the weekend… it is always fun hanging with him.
Wow, Neil, this is great! The Legal and Hiring Resources you’ve rounded up will be a big help to me — there’s a lot of steps that you don’t think about when expanding from freelancer to full fledged business.
Yep, that is why I included the hiring and legal. I still should have included other things like topics regarding business operations.
Many Neil, you don’t post often but you do post right. Fantastic resource page. Thanks. I’m off to tweet it.
Appreciate the words of encouragement. I’ll also try to post more often.
Neil,
Did you come across any such set of resources specifically suitable for India? If not, I would like to start one, may be, with your help.
Thanks.
Balaji
I haven’t, but a lot of the links should help you out no matter where you are located.
Nice post, Neil. Since you are linking to one of my posts around raising money, here is another one that might be useful to your readers: http://tinyurl.com/b5fdnh
I would if you didn’t require people to sign up to get the free tools.
This post is awesome, all these resources should prove useful to anyone working as a freelancer or an entrepreneur.
Featured here: http://www.presidiacreative.com/web-picks-20/
Thanks for the link love!
What a great guide! Thank you for putting this together and sharing it.
No problem. I will also try to blog more often.
Great roundup! Thanks for sharing it all. I really liked the Accounting & Legal as well.
Cool, hopefully it saves you from making the accounting mistakes I made.
Great list. I have already been through a lot of the sections in terms of where my company is at, and I think you have a great mix there.
Definately covered the basics for beginners.
If you know of anything else I should have added to the list, please let me know.
Actually I was trying to think of something when I wrote the original comment, but the only thing I could think of was that many states have Small Business startup check lists on their Secretary of State or Economic Development pages. I have used those checklists for several states already. But as those would be more customized solutions, it wouldn’t really have counted as another link.
One thing that really helped when I was researching VC was actually reading as many websites of VC’s as I could. Many have the same content about what they are looking for in terms of proposals and how to put together pitches. Several had step-by-step instructions on what should be included in pitches as well. If I remember the good ones, I will pass them along (it has been a couple years since I did that project).
Good point. Might as well follow what comes directly out of their mouth instead of taking a 3rd parties word for it.
The truth is few entrepreneurs will ever qualify for venture capital. With a self-employed 401(k) loan one can access up to $50K of their retirement funds without tax penalty. You should add this website tip to your list of resources http://www.InvestSafe.com
You make a valid point, but Investsafe.com looks like a lead gen/service type of site. I can’t add it to the list… sorry.
So that’s what you were doing all weekend. Great list Neil, you’re productivity and attention to detail is impressive, especially since you make it appear effortless.
Glad you like it. It means a lot coming from an experienced entrepreneur like yourself.
Neil, thank you and all the bloggers out there that are so generous with their time and energy! An invaluable set of resources that will have me entertained and informed every time I have a break in my workflow.
You’re awesome.
No problem. Let me know if I can help you out in any other way.
Neil, fantastic post! I’ve been looking for answers to some of these questions and this will prove to be an invaluable resource.
Thanks!
Awesome! I was hoping that it would help answer questions like it did for you.
This is awesome info here….even down to reduce rent for business. I never really thought about it like this. Comes to show how businesses for business is taken serious in the world.
Sometimes it is easier to save money than it is to make it.
Thanks for this post, an excellent resource.
Cool, I will try to write more useful posts in the future.
Wow – that looks pretty complete. You did an awesome job. How about putting this on a wiki and let others add tips and thoughts. I founded 7 very successful companies – happy to contribute. Like business plan templates, or how to register a new company online for $500…
For me it is easier to keep it in a blog post format and just add to it when people recommend sites.
Leave a comment if you can with sites you would like to be added to the list.
Neil, this is a terrific compilation. Even just as a checklist it has value, let alone the content behind the links.
Particularly issues to do with staffing, overheads, finance and legals – all the stuff that entrepreneurs discover is the oil that keeps the wheels turning, yet may not be the glamorous site of running a business.
Wish we’d had a list like this when we started our first online business back in 2000.
Cheers…
David Eedle
http://www.NicheContentMillionaire.com
It’s the basic things like staffing that we all tend to take for granted.
Very handy – thanks a lot. Will be “re-blogging” this list later this week to my entrepreneurial docs (and then tweeting my blog post)! Like ripples in a pond …
Cool! Thanks for reblogging the post.
This list looks petty complete. Great Job Neil. But some sites do not seem to be vey inspiring design-wise.. but I am sure they will have great resource.. yet to explore them all
Yea, the designs may not be great, but the information is.
This is really a kind of Wikipedia for the first time entrepreneurs…Very useful and worth bookmarking post..THANK YOU.
I like the concept. I just need to make Quick Sprout the go to source for any entrepreneur advice.
If you know any NLP, its just building rapport with the person.
Its fun and you make plenty of new friends in the process.
We are in the people talking business.
This is a wonderful resource for starters, it’s well written, nicely organized, and easy to read. Perhaps the most valuable contribution this resource can make for most entrepreneurs, especially those involved in technology-based ventures, is that it provides a strong foundation for conversations with an attorney.
Thanks! I have collected many of these sources over the years, so hopefully they will come in handy for you too.
Great article!
I think that online business is a perfect area to start with minimum investments. You learn either web design or web programming and create your own web resource. The idea should be unique, otherwise this will be just waste of time. But if you really like something, for example dating, pets or games – whatever, you can create related website – online dating, pet food online shop or online gaming portal, and you will have success.
Yea, just look at Andrew Warner. He started a business with a few hundred dollars and it happened to be his business ended up making 8 figures a year.
Thanks Neil…it is one of those lists that most of us commenting here would have liked to have compiled ourselves but you have just gone out and done it which puts procrastinators like me to shame!
No worries. I too am a procrastinator and should have done this years ago as well.
This is a must-read business post. I’m forwarding this to everyone I know. Thanks!
Awesome! Thanks for spreading it to your friends.
Thanks, Neil — as always right to the point. Your research and effort has saved us tons of time and money. Looking forward to more info from you over time!
No problem. Best of luck with your business ventures.
Excellent post and compilation of resources. I will be tweeting and forwarding this to a bunch of my friends who will be very grateful to you Neil!
Cool. All the tweets have been helping with traffic.
Neil you should add persuasive.net as it’s the fastest way to learn persuasive communication
Once your blog becomes a bit more popular.
lol…aright, give me a few more months and I’ll take it to 50k unique hits a month!
And once you get there, let me know. I will consider adding you.
Neil,
Can I include this info somehow on thriveamerica.com?
~ Brent
You can.
I’m loving the legal and accounting section of your post. This is a very challenging area for me.
And look at that in the internet marketing section – those are helpful links you’ve got there. Ah, we’re getting to the good finds here. Thank you.
This post deserves a tweet. It’s the least I can do. It’s been very valuable after all. “,)
If you get the time, read the beginners guide to SEO. It will really help you.
This has to be one of the best informative lists I’ve ever read. Like alot of the others, I wish I had it when I first started but there still is alot of information I can certainly use.
I’ll be busy tomorrow thanks to you!
Hopefully you will learn something new.
Great list Neil. Just wish their was some Paul Graham love in there. His essays simply rock! http://www.paulgraham.com/
I added Paul to the list.
Wow Neil,This is great resource for noobs like me.Takes a bit time to understand somethings though.
Yea, a lot of the legal and accounting stuff isn’t easy to grasp at first. But over time, you will get it.
your blog becomes better and better. thanks for this list.
No problem. Hopefully it helps you out in some way or another.
Great resource, I find this list really handy, particularly as its broken into sections where I can focus on my primary concern at any given time. Bookmarked
Thanks for bookmarking!
Entrepreneurs should count themselves lucky for your insightful posts are indeed a blessing!
Great work Neil!
Jason Williams.
Thanks Jason. I should be lucky for having entrepreneurs who are willing to reading my blog.
Hi Neil,
Excellent resource – we also have an online Entrepreneur Handbook published at http://www.techmaine.com/entrepreneur-handbook – it is a bit location specific, but I think folks will find most of our resources of value.
Great to see the additional resources!
I like it. Even though it is only related to Maine, it is a good resource for anyone in Maine.
Hi Neil
Fantastic resource! I thought you might be interested in http://www.women-unlimited.co.uk which is an online magazine and training company supporting women entrepreneurs in the UK. Thanks for looking
Nice resource. I would add it, but it is targeted to mainly UK residents.
I have read this most Neil it is a great but can you explain “Opening a Business Bank Account” what kind of account you are talking about? We can not use our personal account as business account.
The reason you want to keep them separate is because you don’t want to mix your personal finances with business finances.
Any account can work. Just open an account from a reputable bank.
Come out with a list of great Ideas after I had to hand in my Business plan for my final assignment gosh… lol
Ouch, that sucks. I could never write a business plan, it takes a lot of work and things change too often.
Great list Neil! I recently taught an eduFire class called “Resources for Entrepreneurs”. It was before you published this list but if I teach it again I will definitely work this in! In the meantime, here are the slides from the presentation:
Resources for Entrepreneurs
Thanks for the link! Edufire is an awesome resource.
This information is really worth to read Neil.….I have never really thought like this. I would like to know more about “Opening a Business Bank Account” what kind of account is it? Moreover I believe that we should not use our own personal account for this.
It is going to be different for everyone, but I recommend reading http://www.bargaineering.com/articles/
Thanks for this Neil..I stumbled onto your blog from the DIYThemes.com homepage (I use the same theme
…good to find a young Indian entrepreneur.
Getting a startup established in India, though, is about ten times as difficult – the legal details are just way too confusing and convoluted.
I’ve bookmarked this page already though..has a lot of very interesting resources
Thanks for letting me know where you came from. DIYThemes.com is an awesome site!
Hello Neil,
Awesome read. I’m just starting out. Saves me so much time b/c of the info u’ve provided. Thanks again.
No problem. Just make sure you share it with other entrepreneurs.
Nice work you managed to get me to open a whole bunch of tabs. Now to do some reading.
Great Peter! I hope enjoy everything else as much as you did this one.
The last day of a recession is the best day to start a business, the saying goes. So tackle the above steps in this article now – and be ready to ride the rebound when it comes.Thanks Neil
Work on your skills so when that day arrives, you can go 100%
I have read this most Neil it is a great but can you explain “Opening a Business Bank Account†what kind of account you are talking about? We can not use our personal account as business account.
No, you want to go to your local bank and ask them to open up a separate business account. When it comes time to do taxes, P&L, etc. You want to be able to access information that’s clean and purely for your business, instead of going through each transaction to determine which is what.
Great list, but even better is the category breakdowns. It can really help those starting out to think about some areas they haven’t even considered.
Yeah, I made this page a great source for people who need the help. Easy to access
Really helpful resources Neil. I guess this will surely help me as i am in Early days of my blogging. Can you give me few inputs as to how can i increase traffic on my blog, at this point around 300 unique visitors are coming on the blog.
try to use some bookmarking site to increase your blog traffic.
Comment on Various blogs in your niche and write AMAZING content!
Great resource Neil!
Nothing in your list about picking your first office though. There’s lots of office communities sprouting up in major metropolitan areas that cater especially to new start-up companies. These “turn-key” office solutions save entrepreneurs thousands with their all-inclusive packages.
hmm that’s pretty interesting. I would just advise you to be careful as many people will offer you start-up packages that end up taking away a lot of your capital.
Here’s another one my mother taught me as a small business owner: Do 10x more then is expected to you and provide 20x more value then you charge for.
hmmm… that’s very powerful. I like that!
Hi Neil,
This is really incredible and loads of excellent tips, links and advice. I wish I had seen your site when I was starting my business 10 years ago, would have saved me a load of time and effort.
Accountants and lawyers are 2 things you need to get right in business. Get that wrong and you are doomed.
Thanks for you wonderful site.
Tim
They are a BIG HELP. I made the wrong choice with my originally lawyer, but in the end, I got a new one and it all worked out. Never cheapen out when choosing an accnt or lawyer.
Thanks for this great list of resources, although I hope I’ll never have to use some of them (You’ve Been Sued: What Do You Do?, Closing Down Your Business Permanently etc.)
haha, it’s important to have an All-star team, just in case.
I would like to add that becoming an entrepreneur you have to have flexible and creative mind and use it at its effective potential. If you want to survive at business I think it is vital to develop sound problem-solving skills, creativity, visual thinking and self-mastery.
Creativity is easily said to be a key to success. The more creative you are in your business, the more marketable you’ll be.
I founded 7 very successful companies – happy to contribute. Like business plan templates, or how to register a new company online for $500…
Sure, what resources do you have?
Thanks for this, Neil. That surely, is gonna help a budding entrepreneur like me. What I want to know now is, is it better to start off a company after I do some successful freelancing or is there a better way off?
You can start off whenever, but if you have some kind of platform to work off of, it will give you that extra boost you’re looking for.
Looks like you have some good tools for many people. I always go back to the basics when things seem to change or aren’t going as expected.
Many people try and look for the advanced tools, gizmos, and gadgets while the simplest ones are the ones that usually do the trick.
Thanks for the awesome resources. I’ve been looking for a post like this that links to a variety of different articles and guides. It sure beats surfing the web trying to find them all.
Thanks again!
Its definitely your one stop shop
Hi Neil,
You have got a very nice list there. I also read your entrepreneurial journey and was really inspired by it. I wish you all the best in your current and future endeavors.
.
Can you please suggest us some good resources on picking up company names? I like your crazyegg and kissmetrics
Thanks,
Ruby on Rails Craftsman.
Well, just create some names and ask people you trust and admire for their feedback.
this is great. thanks man. its like having your own library of greatest books for becoming a successful Entrepreneurs. it takes time and effort to get all of these resources together. i thank you for doing this selflessly.
That’s great to hear! The more resources you have available to you, the easier it will be for you make informed decisions.
This is like the best resource ever for a beginner … I’m a student n am about begin a startup with few my pals n the resources mentioned here is gonna help start from an entire another level … Thnx a lot to you
You have no idea how grateful I’m
PS: I cant even believe that you reply to all your comments. Well, I’ll be waiting for mine
I’m glad you enjoyed it. You getting the help you need to start up and make your venture into a success is my goal. I’m always happy to contribute.
I reply to every comment because you took the time to comment on my blog, I feel it’s necessary for me to respond to you.
Hi Neil,
Wow… What a great source of info… One of the best I’ve come across… Will definately save many many hours… This is exactly the kind of post that many starting out need…
Great job!
Thanks so much for making it avaiable.
Brye
No problem Brye, but it really comes down to whether or not you apply it in your business (obviously with methods of trial and failure). Otherwise, this helpful will be just that… helpful information.
Awesome resource! Thank you for this information. I will be awhile going through it all.
great list.. i missed this one after all these days.. following ur blog
Well at least you found it now! Make sure you subscribe to be informed with all the new updates.
great list neil, it help us for learn, your’ entrepreneur is very awesome, thank’s very much neil…
I’m glad you found it useful bud… let’s just make sure you’re able to apply it in your business.
Great list. I have already been through a lot of the sections in terms of where my company is at, and I think you have a great mix there.
Thanks bud… I have been through a heap of mess so I just like to share with my readers with what I do that works and most importantly… what doesn’t.
I really lack of accounting skills, your list seems very important for me. Thanks for that! Yet for some of them, I have learned so many times, so I may ignore it.
PS: What I like from your ideas is that anywhere, you always tell us to have a frugal life. It really inspires me now.
Well don’t ignore it because they are important to implement and integrate if you haven’t done so already. Keep your inspired emotion and take action on something right away.
Great Resource Collection.
I’d say this is one of the most complete resourse list for start ups all on one page.
Good Stuff,
and nice TrackBacks.
Thank Neil
Joe @ Small business ideas
Thanks Joe, glad you found it useful.
This site is so informative and the people are so serious when it comes to commenting. By the way, thanks for the share of usefull tools and sites. I’l be visiting those.
Sometimes people take what I write too seriously, which is fine because I’m more than happy to clear it up.
Hey Neil, thanks for this very comprehensive post about Entrepreneur. I can use this on my Entrep subject in school. Cheers!
Thank you Neil for the resources. I would also recommend Nathan Lustig’s comprehensive list, Entrepreneur 101.
http://www.nathanlustig.com/entrepreneur-101/
Thanks for sharing that JP!
The steps of being the first time entrepreneurs doesn’t seem easy. Many things have to be researched. Thank you for the resource lists. At least, it let us know that what issue we have to consider. Great stuff!!
Research is critical to any entrepreneur’s success… so is persistence
This is a great reference book.
Thanks! Yes that was my goal, to make is a powerful source for entrepreneurs to use.
wonderful list, thanks , the ones i will use the most right now is web design, we(me) tend to underestimare its importance
That’s fantastic…. anyone of them is helpful and will make a difference.
I will look into v finance for my company. Probably will have to make it a LLC. But I remember reading your article about venture capitol lists not really investing into LLC’s..
So many decisions you have to make it is crazy man!
You should probably consult with an expert in your area to see what works best for you.
I’m glad there are resources like this available. I’ve seen good friends ruined because they jumped in with a very romantic, idealistic idea of what it would be to run their own business. No formal business training, no idea of the mechanics of how a business works and it’s so dangerous.
Personally, I think you need to work for someone else before you’re prepared to work for yourself.
I think that’s a great idea as you can learn so much from people that have “been there and done that”
Great Resource, I’ll be back with a coffee and an hour spare to go through in detail.
A motivation speaker said to me once, You either pay now, or you pay later. Either way your going to pay.
It often less expensive to pay now, so keep that in mind when your thinking of skipping an important step just because of the cost.
lol, I like that a lot! It makes a lot of sense.
Money can`t buy Happiness? Whoever said that doesn`t know where to buy.
Buyhermesbirkin offers the high quality Hermes bags and services.
No matter it is the classic Birkin bag, or the Kelly and Lindy bag,
or the latest new designs, you can find them here. Just selecting one,
you will be the next Victoria in the street. – Comes from Shuna Sun
I think there is another way to look at this…
The first time thought I made ….this many mistakes.
Then the next time the list gets smaller…
Then a little smaller…
Then smaller…
And someone say one day, hey you an over night success..
Yeh right..
lol, yeah that’s usually how it works. I’m over night success, it only took 10 years.
Sometimes I could use a wise word from a (Kung Fu) Grand Master. Someone who has traveled the road before, that could provide a wise word when needed.
It sure feels lonely sometimes that you have no one to turn to and talk about the project I am working on.
Then again, they would probably rap it in a riddle, that would not make any sense.
not clear on what you mean.
Great resource Neil, one thing that we are quite keen on is usability, Im suprised there was not a guide in there under web design or internet marketing lists
We have saved lots of money and development time by getting our users to tell us what they want to see and what doesnt work, really cheap to do and the benifits are amazing
Learning what you users want will help you go a long way and save you money at the same time.
Every little bit of info helps… save you more money.
Great list Neil,
I could say, looking back, that as a beginner in business this list would have saved me thousands of dollars.
The energy was high, I was bullet proof and I would not have follow the list anyway.
A few years on and I wish I found your site and was in the right mindset to put it into place, its never to late to learn.
Thanks for sharing, the world needs more people like you to show the others the way, you have the open heart of a true Entrepreneur.
Thanks Neil
Great resource! I work at a CPA firm and we meet with so many new businesses that want to nickel and dime their accounting. Unfortunately we see so many fail because of this, thanks for educating.
It’s true, once something like that happens, it’s just destined to collapse that way.
Hey Neil,
That list is amazing. I would wonder how long it would take for somebody to even refer to 25% of the resources that you have mentioned here.
Nevertheless, a useful resource for anyone dreaming to be an internet entrepreneur.
It takes a very long time
. I’m glad you find it useful though, let me how it works out for you.
Just work hard, be persistent, read from the best books and apply what you learn!
Holy bananas, this is quite a list. Better get some time set aside to work though it and achieve my goals of becoming the next Richard Branson! Thanks for taking the time to put this great resource together for us common folk!
lol I’m glad you find it useful. Take a look at some of those pages and come back and share with us your experience.
Hi Neil thank you very much for your list! especially this one 9 Steps Before You Hire – 9 good tips for first time business owners. thank you
Your welcome semmy, let me know how it works out for you.
Hi Neil,
Wow, what a far-reaching, thorough list you’ve got here. I specially liked your “Internet Marketing” and “General Business Advice” paragraphs. As a web project manager I can see myself using your advices.
Best regards,
Levente Szfarli
I think as a anything web related, this advice is helpful
. Let me know how it works out for you.
Love the lists, they’re really important for internet entrepreneurs especially for those who just starting out.. Thanks for sharing these great resources Neil.
Great! My goal with this post was to provide people with some great sources to reference to.
What an excellent post, this will definitly be something I will be referring to as and when I need it. Thanks for sharing
Glad you enjoyed it Alex, let me know what you get out of it.
Hi Neil,
I would like to recommend a site that is specifically designed for living trusts and wills and everything is prepared by actual lawyers and not just paralegals. I hope you find this source interesting, even though this may not have anything to do with business formation, but can certainly help business people with their estate planning needs.
Thanks,
Gary
It surely can, so I see what you mean.
Great list and will bookmark it. Thanks for putting it together.
Cheers,
Mike
Thanks Mike,
Hope you found it applicable to your day-to-day!
Hi Neil
What a massive resource.
My tips for financial freedom:
1. Live on less than you earn
2. Save for a rainy day
3. Distinguish between needs and wants
4. Donate 10 percent to charity
5. Formulate a reasonable budget
Great points Richard. You should write a blog post on this.
Neil,
I bookmarked this page as I have recently started to immerse myself in entrepreneurship. Great resources and good to know about learning about legal and accounting issues BEFORE you start a business.
A site I would recommend for raising Venture Capital is venturecapital.org. The site provides resources for startups and entrepreneurs raising money through private equity, vc’s and angel investors.
What makes it unique is they offer a mentoring program designed to guide entrepreneurs to present their business plan effectively, and even allows them to do so in front of a panel of seasoned investors who critique their plan.
I’ll have to check it out. Thanks for the resource.
Hi Neil
I’m slowly studying an fine-tooth combing your website and taking everything in a bit at a time. There is so much to learn but very worth while. There is always something that will stick out as I browse through your post. If its going to allow me to fly like an eagle, then I’m here to learn.
I went over to visit John Chow.com to grab some of his chow. He has a lot of good stuff. Another amazing entrepreneur. Its always a great priviledge to learn from “The” Gurus.
How do you manage to answer so many comments. Do you have people working for you or do you answer all these comments all by yourself? Anyway who cares Neil. This is your business and you can do anything you like.
I was just browsing through the above post. I will comment a bit at a time and come back to make more comments when I learn something that attracts my attention.
I have noticed that Americans tend to sue people left, right and centre. Something I’m still trying to figure out. Either someone is hungry for cash or he has a real hard heart and just wants to pay someone back for wrong doing. Then again as I think seriously about what greedy people can do, it seems like you have to have your guard up at all times.
I just hope your guard is up Neil at all times. There are wolves out there in this world. They come in sheeps clothing and they will take everything from you if they get the chance.
I’m going to start delving myself in this SEO stuff beginners guide. I see this word all over the Internet. Its going to add another resource in my quiver of knowledge. I’m mindful of a thought I came across many years ago. Which goes something like this: ‘What ‘er Thou Art, Act Well Thy Part’. I suppose this can apply to everything associated with Internet Marketing and anything you do honestly in the Business Market Place.
What ever you do Neil in th business world, always be honest with your fellowman. People will trust your character. I’ve learnt this many times. Its not worth an ounce to be dishonest no matter how little something this. Many times when I purchase something from a store and I get too much change back. I tell the shop keeper you’ve charged me too much.
Anyway Neil, those are my thoughts. It wouldn’t surprise me that you already have these character traits.
Well I will sign off for now and come back later to this post. My wife is telling me to cook dinner for my sons.
Have a great day
Richard
Thanks Richard, great points as usual.
Hi Neil
Just a correction in the last sentence of the third to last paragraph(I tell the shop keeper you’ve charged me too much).
I was meaning to say:’ You’ve given me too much change’.
Thanks again Neil
Richard
awesome list of resources neil!
thank you for sharing it with us.
i will be going through these in days to come.
Glad you found it useful, thanks for reading
thanks for this resources, very useful!
Glad you found them helpful. thanks!
Never forget to use a good time tracking tool. It will help you focus on where you are productive and where you’re not. I personally use OroTimesheet for this task, it’s easy and effective.
Thanks, I’ll have to look into it.
In total, it took me approximately Fifty moments to locate this particular fantastic post. Thanks a ton.
Glad you found it!
Thanks for providing all those links. The internet marketing ones will be the most useful for me.
Happy to be of help. If you have any other questions feel free to ask.
Though i was too late, am really happy to come across this wonderful resource! Thanks a ton!!@bose
Sorry to hear it. No problem, glad you enjoy it.
A heap of good stuff (again!!!) although a lot of it doesn´t relate to the UK where I am. Thanks for taking the time and sharing this.
Appreciate it. I hope what you can use helps. I myself was born in the UK. Cheers!
On Startups Q&A site (part of Stack Exchange) has kinda become my go-to place for startup/entrepreneur stuff now:
http://answers.onstartups.com/questions
Cool, thanks for sharing.
What a list of valuable resources, Neil. I found the Internet Marketing section particularly helpful for my own needs. If anyone who wants to start a business browse through these, a whole bunch of first-time mistakes can be avoided.
Great, glad you found it helpful. These tips are definitely lessons learned.
5-6 hours?!!
Ow,Your patience saved our time
Downloaded this post as pdf. This will help me a lot in my future project. Thanks Neil
(BTW i am surprised that you don’t use comment moderation!)
I have heard about comment moderation, I am not sure if it is for me.
Really good source of links for who is starting. Thank you!
Thanks Phil,
I hope they are helpful to you.
Cool, glad you found them useful.
Neil, I’m new to your blog and am so glad I found it. All the information provided in this blog is so valuable to someone like me who is just starting in business. Keep up the good work!
Tom