Best 3 Places To Get Small Business Advice

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As a small business owner, you’re probably used to doing mostly everything yourself. From accounting, financing, managing, plus the activities that actually make up your service/product offerings.

What do you do when:

  • You have a question?
  • You don’t know how to do something in an efficient way?
  • You just plain don’t want to do something?

Either you go out and hire someone, or you can turn to other small business owners, especially those who have been in business longer than you. And while most small businesses are very niche and unique in what they do, many aspects and principles of what they’ve done can be applied to your situation with a little creative thinking.

Here are a few of the best places you can find small business advice for when you need it.

Meetups

There are plenty of people meeting up all the time; all it takes is showing up and… meeting people. There will never be anything better than a handshake and a face-to-face with someone to determine right away if they’re the right connection. Doing this an hour or two each week could essentially answer all the questions you need to solve after getting good advice. Or you’ll meet someone that can pick up some slack for you in a time-efficient way.

Pro tip: it’s not a good strategy to go into any networking event with the mindset of selling. Think of it as an opportunity to meet people and create new, trusting relationships that could become great assets one day. There’s no need to push it right away – this turns people off and makes you seem like a scammer. However, if someone is open to buying right away, that’s certainly alright too!

Some great meetups include:

  • Meetup.com: You’ll find plenty of local groups that might cover just the topic you need help on, or at least a support system of like-minded entrepreneurs. After you attend a few and see an unmet need in your local meetup community, you can start your own group.
  • Small business expos (eg. TheSmallBusinessExpo.com): this one in particular is free to attend, travels to 10 major cities throughout the year, offering a lot of potential for gaining new leads and learning too.
  • SCORE: a free service offered by the SBA, retired business professionals volunteer their time to sit with people like you and discuss anything you want related to your entrepreneurial endeavors. There’s nothing better than talking to a seasoned business person who might even have some valuable connections for you!

Forums & Blogs

There isn’t always time to meet people in person (though this is definitely the best thing you can do). So when you’re doing your alone time, browse some forums or blogs online and ask your questions there. Not only does this give you worldwide reach, but there’s a good chance your question has already been answered.

Forums

Blogs

Social Media

There are groups that organize right on Facebook and LinkedIn that can offer a lot of guidance, a powerful support system, and a motivating factor on the days you’re feeling like sleep and chocolate are your best options for the day. It’s also very helpful to follow successful entrepreneurs who’ve already made it big.

There are many more resources out there for every kind of small business owner, but if you comb through this handful to start, you should come away with an extra boost of confidence, knowledge, and eventually some great new clients!

If your small business needs a financial boost, contact WCM. Or see if you qualify now with our simple online form!

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