15 Blog Posts Every Entrepreneur Should Read (Before It’s Too Late)

Starting a business is undoubtedly a thrilling and liberating experience. Getting to do what you like most on a daily basis has the makings of a dream come true.

But hey, don’t just plunge into a new venture with the assumption that it will make you rich quickly or instantly solve your financial problems. In reality, there is nothing grand about starting a business. Don’t let the small but loud group of entrepreneurs who preach how easy it is to make it big trick you. Forget about the fat expense accounts, fancy offices, and gorgeous cars because, seriously, that level of success is never achieved overnight. And in most cases, it takes decades.

So, how do you really succeed in business and transition from small cautious steps to big leaps that create disruption and get you noticed? It most likely won’t be easy, and in many cases you will fail. But it is achievable. The secret?

Don’t let the bastards get you down.

Seriously. Never withdraw in the face of adversity. Businesses that succeed do so because they have the ability and perseverance to pick themselves back up after the fall. And they fall many times. Over and over again. Even the most successful entrepreneurs suffer sales and marketing setbacks and difficult marketplaces. Don’t let the tough game kill you. Play to win instead. Below are 15 of our favorite blog posts covering what we think is some of the best advice for new entrepreneurs. Read closely and practice what these guys preach (they know a thing or two about making it happen) then rinse and repeat.

Start Here. So you have a business idea. Is it even worth your time?

Ideas abound. The real trick is to give them time to breathe and mature… then execute. Without trying to make them into reality, they’ll always only be ideas. And ideas don’t a business make. With optimism and a whole lot of grit, no idea is worthless.

So You Think You Want to be an Entrepreneur?

Anita Campbell @smallbiztrends

You may have thought that starting your own business will give you freedom and allow you to focus on your passion. Nah. This article dispels some of the myths about being an entrepreneur with some great advice from Anita’s experiences in bootstrapping her own company. Read the article.

The Rules of Business

Alex Bogusky @bogusky

There is absolutely no magic in bagging success in business. Alex cuts right to the chase… There are no rules. And even if it seems like there are, they can change before you have a chance to put them into practice.

Idea Assassin

Ethan Austin @ethanaustin

You can’t get too emotionally attached to your ideas. You have to be ruthless about killing off the underperforming ideas and just keep the absolute best. Because if you don’t make it a practice to kill off these “bad” ideas, they will end up killing off your startup.

You’re finally ready to kickstart your venture. Now what?

This is the perfect time for questions. You have to know exactly where uncertainties come from. You have to be sure that unknowns will not alter the viability of your business. Yes, starting a business may not be a piece of cake, and never will be, but with the right tools, focus, the right mindset, and a whole lot of passion, you will be much better equipped to succeed.

Right Vs. Pragmatic

Marco Arment @marcoarment

This is a good read if you’ve jumped into the arena and started your business. Marco warns you: the right thing to do is not always the right thing… It’s a great lesson in decision-making and looking at things from a business perspective.

The Ultimate Guide to Startup Marketing

Renée Warren @Renne_Warren

You may think this is just another lame marketing article like the millions you’ll find on the web. Not so soon… All the basics of what you need to know to market your business is here. And then some.

5 Tips for Targeting Your Ideal Startup Customer

Matthew Toren @matthewtoren

You need to have a clear plan to steer away from traps and drive only good traffic to conversion. To do that, you’ll need to get inside your customers’ mindset, understand exactly who they are, and where they are. Here’s how.

5 Community Management Tips

Kate Kendall @KateKendall

A great list of community management strategy that will help you reach out further to your target audience and customers. Kate explicitly lays out top-level tips to help guide your business to the right path.

5 Crucial Stages in Designing Your Viral Loop

Andrew Chen @andrewchen

There are no silver bullets in viral marketing. Creating viral loops, as Andrew believes, is similar to building a software project – at best, it still comes down to a great team, a strong understanding of the tools available, and relentless iteration.

90 Things I’ve Learned Founding 4 Tech Companies

Jason Goldberg @betashop

Now, this is a must read! Entertaining and very informative, Jason lists essential things that your business has to know and learn from. Read this for techniques and tips you really can’t afford to miss.

Expert of Nothing

Joel Gascoigne @joelgascoigne

The lesson here? Founding CEOs just have to dismiss the idea of becoming an expert in everything and focus on the big picture.

14 Ways to be a Great Startup CEO

Jason Baptiste @JasonLBaptiste

Some may think that it is great to start a business and become CEO. But did you know that being one takes a lot of energy and heartache? This article paints a picture of the reality behind becoming an effective founding CEO of a startup.

Hurray! You have a successful business. How do you keep it growing?

Step out from your comfort zone. You may have already gotten accustomed to doing certain things your way and advices telling you to get uncomfortable may sound ridiculous. “Hey, my business is okay. Why ask for more?” But consider this… The key to your business’ long-term success is the right mix of experimentation and good judgment. You have to know what’s missing and what the possibilities are. There are bigger business opportunities, higher demand, and a larger audience waiting to be explored.

12 Most Effective Time Management Principles

Marc Andre @ProfitBlitz

No matter what type of business you’re in, you have to be effective in time management. Improving this is possible with the help of some solid principles that you can apply in your daily routine.

8 Common Tax Mistakes that Startups Make

Nellie Akalp @CorpNetNellie

Filing taxes can be a real learning curve. You have to make sure your business is handling its tax obligations properly, or else it will lead to money left on the table. Or worse, costly penalties or other legal repercussions that can kill even the most promising startups.

Why Many Startups Run Out of Money Too Fast

George Deeb @georgedeeb

You don’t want your startup to reach this point, do you? As an entrepreneur, you need to learn early on that you can't launch a startup unless you have raised enough capital for both your product development and your initial sales and marketing activities.

This is How Startups “Level Up” After Raising Money

Mark Suster @msuster

You are an entrepreneur and when you raise additional business capital you need to “level up” and act the round you are in. You need to find a way to do activities that are more scalable. Scaling implies that you bring in others to help accomplish tasks that will allow you to get more leverage.

So there you go! Starting, running, and keeping a business is a rollercoaster. You decide whether to ride it or watch it from the sidelines. Our take? Rollercoasters are awesome! Nothing compares to the thrill, speed and pure joy we get from a good ride. But the best ones will also leave you a little dizzy and give you a bit of a headache. So just keep that in mind and plan accordingly, and always make it worth your while.

Now give us your take. What are some of you favorite articles and advice for entrepreneurs?