Small business owners in the Twin Cities and around the world have been put to the test this year to say the least. And it's only June! First, we had COVID-19 that forced many businesses to close their doors entirely for a few months. Then the marches and protests that unfortunately resulted in damage to several of these businesses. We were able to offer assistance to many with PPP loans and our Communities came together to help clean up and rebuild what was lost. So here we are, picking up the pieces with many businesses starting to open their doors to customers and clients again. It's time to start fresh with new perspectives for the months ahead.
Whether you are looking for some inspiration, hiring tips, or need help with a sales situation, blogs are one of the first places you can go to get answers. We found a few worth checking out. Hopefully they can serve as a resource and be a guide as you look ahead for your business and the future.
Marie Forleo
Marie Forleo is a motivational speaker and author who runs a couple of multimillion dollar businesses, including Marie Forleo International, B-School, and MarieTV. All of the content she writes is centered on female entrepreneurship and personal development. She has been featured by Sir Richard Branson, Tony Robbins, and Oprah, among many others.
“There no longer has to be a difference between who you are and what you do.”
― Gary Vaynerchuk
Gary Vaynerchuk
Gary Vaynerchuk — or “Garyvee” for short — is a serial entrepreneur, a five-time New York Times Best Selling author, speaker, and serial investor.
Vaynerchuk has an entire team at VaynerMedia, his 600+ person social media agency, in charge of helping him produce content geared toward entrepreneurs. This includes DailyVee, where he films short documentary-style videos highlighting his day-to-day as a busy CEO and internet celebrity. He also blogs, runs a podcast (The GaryVee Audio Experience), and hosts a business advice Q&A show called #AskGaryVee.
Vaynerchuk famously got his start working in his family’s wine business where he started one of the first YouTube shows in 2006 called WineLibraryTV.
Farnam Street
Shane Parrish started Farnam Street. While not specifically about entrepreneurship, this blog has a large audience of small business owners and entrepreneurs. Parrish is best known for his in-depth, philosophical posts that cover topics from mental models and decision-making to first-principle thinking, leadership, reading, and learning.
Duct Tape Marketing
With more than 75,000 subscribers, Duct Tape Marketing shares actionable small business sales and marketing tips and advice. Topics range from content marketing and social media to SEO, PPC, and lead generation.
The blog was founded by John Jantsch, who is also a keynote speaker and best-selling author of Duct Tape Marketing, Duct Tape Selling, The Commitment Engine, The Referral Engine, and SEO for Growth.
Gusto
Gusto is best known for providing payroll, benefits, and HR software for small businesses and startups. However, they also have a blog full of advice and tips catering to small business owners. The main categories are starting a business, finances and taxes, team management, and hiring and growth.
They also have an Ask Gusto section, where you can get answers to specific questions about payroll, benefits, and HR. These questions range from what an Employee Identification Number is and how to start an LLC to hiring interns legally, sexual harassment training, and jury duty laws.
Small Business Survival
Becky McCray started the Small Business Survival blog to cater specifically to rural entrepreneurs and business owners. As someone who lived in a small town her whole life, she wanted to connect with other small town entrepreneurs around the world.
The blog is divided into three main categories — dreaming, doing, and growing and leveling up. It tackles everything from finding the best resources, hiring, isolation from industry peers, and how to compete against competitors in bigger cities. She even cowrote the book on small town businesses.
Security Bank has always been an advocate for small businesses. We were there for the first six months of 2020, now let's look ahead together to where we go from here. It can only get better.
