The Worthy Web – Jan. 7, 2011

As the first week of the year came and went, I was fortunate to have made a few strides in my own business. One of the biggest revelations was that I needed to take this semester off from college in order to make some of my ideas happen. There were many factors that went into the decision. When it came down to the wire, I decided that the partnership agreements that I had made last year wouldn’t hold much weight unless and until I delivered our end of the bargain.
In addition to working on getting some office space for myself, I also am working to get two of my friends into creating their own personal brands and subsequently their own companies. I’ll keep you updated as they progress. This week’s Worthy Web has some great insights into all aspects of business. I would recommend looking at all of them. However, if you’re pressed for time, read the one on “Why entrepreneurs should write.”

Inspire

Jimmy Wales – Founder of Wikipedia
Watch a quick video of Wikipedia’s founder.
Global Top 1000 in Sustainable Performance
Check out this ranking of the 1000 most sustainable publicly traded companies.
Richard Branson – Founder, Virgin Records
Branson talks about the power of your people and the value of “just doing it”. Start your company today. Work for yourself today. Do it.
New Businesses, Not Small Businesses
That’s right – new businesses, not small businesses, create jobs. Create one for yourself, and your friend, and then help them do the same.
Award Winning Social Enterprise Uses Bikes to Power Utilities
Wow. This is amazing. I am always impressed when people come up with the simplest things to help the world. “Attach one of Global Cycle Solution’s products to a bike, and it will transform into a corn sheller or a cell-phone charger, to name just two examples.”
On Writing: Why entrepreneurs should write.
The title is self explanatory. Another link in this Worthy Web explains more.

Educate

Free Kindle Books: A Guide
I am always envious of how well Mashable creates guides. Commit to learning more this year with free books (like this one) available online.
Go Green: 10 Eco-Friendly New Year’s Resolutions
Changing the world with business? Do it greener with these green tips.
Startup Exits Should Be Positive and Planned Early
I don’t plan to sell out, but apparently if you want to sell your next business success, plan early.
Top 10 Reasons Small Businesses Fail
Excellent list. I’ve seen these everywhere, but this is the first time I’ve found them compiled in one list.
15 mistakes young entrepreneurs make, but don’t have to
Mistakes do indeed make the entrepreneur better, but some of these can and should be avoided at all costs.
10 Books from 2010 That Are Required Reading for Self-Starters
I’ve read a few on this list. The one by the founders of 37Signals is good. It’s called “Rework”.
300 Video Podcasts to Learn From
Readers are Leaders and Learners are Earners. If you don’t read, maybe you can listen or watch these podcasts and learn something new.
Young Entrepreneurs, 8 Things You Need to Know
Review this post to see what you need to know. Get a CPA. Get a lawyer. Get ready to be broke. 😛
Social Media Strategy – 50 Articles to Quickly Get You Started!
A well-organized, well-categorized list of articles on the subject of social media. If you combined all of the content in this post, you’d end up with a book.
Time for a Career Change Now!
If you are doing these things, you’re probably due for a career change.
Why Every Entrepreneur Should Write and 9 Tips to Get Started
If you are an entrepreneur, or want to be one, you should start writing. This website is a side product of my writing and it has grown on its own.

Empower

Top 5 Microbusiness Opportunities for 2011
Great ideas to get started. We’re working on a few ourselves which fall into these categories: Web Apps for Business and Mobile Apps.
Reinventing the Business Plan, Funding Roadmap Sets a New Industry Standard in the Cloud
Read about two great sites that can help you get started in business: a relatively cheap service that lets you create a business plan online and a site that helps you find mentors.
The Stop-Doing List
I love this. This, my friends, is also known as one of the immutable laws of marketing: The Law of Sacrifice.
Is Crowdfunding the Next Big Financing Thing?
Yes.
Funding Lessons from a Successful Kickstarter Campaign
Along the lines of the last link. Knowing how to do a good crowdfund is half the battle. Doing it is the other half.
Top 50 WordPress Plugins for SEO, Social, etc.
We use WordPress and many of these plugins. I highly recommend reading this if you run a WordPress site.
Top 25 Most Useful Social Media Marketing Blog Posts
A great collection of links to learn about how social media marketing affects you and how to leverage these tools to empower yourself.
Top 10 Corporate Blogs in the World
Learn how the best are doing it. If you are going to play, might as well play to win.
50 Image Sites for Small Businesses
Looking for pictures for your website or marketing materials? Find them here. Great resource.
10 Forums Every Young Entrepreneur Should Belong To
I had no idea there were so many. I’ll have to get cracking and sign up on these.
How to Network
A very to-the-point article on how to network.