Garage Entrepreneurs

The following is a collection of eBooks and websites on a variety of topics relating to entrepreneurship.

General Resources

• 25 Ways to Distinguish Yourself | by Rajesh Setty
  Ways to stand out in the crowd- from an expert.
• 100 Ways to Help You Succeed (Pt.1) | by Tom Peters
  Advice from Tom Peters, a master of business and life.
• 100 Ways to Help You Succeed (Pt.2) | by Tom Peters
  Part 2 of Tom Peter’s advice for success.
• This I Believe: Tom’s 60 TIB’s | by Tom Peters
  60 thoughts, one for each year that captured Tom Peters professional and personal journey.
• How To Be Creative | by Hugh MacLeod
  Tips on how to be creative in business and in life.
• Just1%-The Power of Microtrends | by Mark Penn & E. Kinney Zalesne
  Based on the idea that the most powerful forces in our society are the emerging, counter-intuitive trends shaping tomorrow.
• Keep It Real | by Julien Smith
  A look at building brand authenticity and trust.
• Making the Most of Your Time | by Rajesh Setty
  9 great tips to manage your time -and yourself -better.
• Personal MBA | by Josh Kaufman
  Good book for entrepreneurs looking to learn as much as they can about business.
• Presentation Revolution | by Scott B. Schwertly
  Tips to make and deliver great presentations.
• The Long Tail | by Chris Anderson
  A look at niche markets and how they are becoming increasingly important.
• The Low Information Diet | by Tim Ferriss
  Focus on being productive rather than being busy –your life depends on it.
• Thoughts on Selling | by Tom Peters
  If you want to be an entrepreneur, you must be a “sales person.”

Websites
1. All Business
   All Business features a variety of resources, tools, and advice for entrepreneurs starting or growing a business.
2. Inc.com
   “The Daily Resource for Entrepreneurs.”
3. More Business
   Marketing Plans and More available for free at More Business: a comprehensive resource for small businesses, contains tips, articles, ideas, templates, worksheets, sample business plans, tools, financial benchmarks, sample contracts, and much More to help grow your business.
4. Entrepreneur
   Featuring articles and advice to start or grow your business.
5. Springwise
   “Your daily fix of entrepreneurial ideas.”
6. Wall Street Journal Small Business
   Start-up advice and articles with a focus on small businesses.
7. Canadian Business
   The online home of MoneySense, Canadian Business, and Profit magazines is not just useful for Canadians! This site has tons of great articles, advice, and tools for entrepreneurs no matter where you live.

Planning for Success

• 10 Guidelines for Effective Brainstorming | by Randah Taher
  How to conduct a successful brainstorming session.
• 30 Day Business Starter | by Ron McDaniel
  A 30 day plan to get your business up and running.
• Internet Business Beginners’ Guide | by Zac Hewlett
  Internet startup guide to learn how to make money online.
• The Art of the Start | by Guy Kawasaki
  The gist of one of the best books for entrepreneurs, from one of the best.

Websites
1. Business Plans
   View a large collection of sample business plans as a guideline to writing your own.
2. Center for Business Planning
   A collection of samples business plans and resources to help you in writing a business plan.
3. BizStats
   “Free business statistics and financial ratios.”
4. globalEDGE
   “Created by the International Business Center at Michigan State University, globalEDGE™ is a knowledge web-portal that connects international business professionals worldwide to a wealth of information, insights, and learning resources on global business activities.”
5. Business Plan Template
   Business Development Canada (BDC) has an easy-to-use business plan template to help you create a business plan. BDC can also connect you to an Interactive Business Planner.

Funding

Websites
1. Canada Business Grants at Canada One
   A list of grants available across Canada for young entrepreneurs.
2. Canadian Youth Business Foundation
   CYBF offers mentoring and financing to Canadian entrepreneurs between the ages of 18 and 34.
3. ACCION USA
   ACCION USA offers small business loans to citizens of the United States.
4. U.S. Small Business Administration
   Information about grants, loans, and help with business planning for entrepreneurs in the United States.
5. Youth Business International
   YBI supports young entrepreneurs, between 18 and 30 years old, from around the world by providing funding and mentoring.

Marketing

• A Guide to Blogger Relations | by Brian Solis
  Great insight into how you should promote your new business in the blogosphere.
• Blogger Relations 2.0 | by Brian Solis
  Essential for any entrepreneur trying to figure out how to leverage new social media trends to their advantage.
• Does Anyone Know How to Market | by Chris Houchens
  A great lesson on making people believe your product or service is great.
• Guerrilla Marketing | by Jay Conrad Levinson
  90 quick ideas to promote your new business.
• Polkas Pyrotechnics, and Point D’s | by Seth Godin
  A quick read by marketing genius, Seth Godin, encourages entrepreneurs to challenge the status quo.

Websites
1. Dot Factor
   Useful tools and ideas for internet marketing.
2. Know This
   Principles of Marketing is the free, online tutorial featured on this site. The tutorial acts as a crash course in marketing and is the most detailed coverage of marketing you will find online.
3. Marketing Plans
   Featuring sample marketing plans, valuable marketing tools, and access to international market research.
4. PR Web
   Online press release distribution for small businesses.
5. Marketing Magazine
   Daily marketing resource for the latest marketing news and trends.

Finance

• Financial Fitness for Entrepreneurs | by Brad Feld
  Often times, entrepreneurs don’t pay enough attention to some of the core issues surrounding the financial management of their business.

Websites
1. CFO
   A great resource for financial planning, management, and accounting.
2. Tax, Accounting, and Payroll Sites Directory
   A complete directory of the world’s best resources for taxation, accounting, and payroll.
3. Business Finance
   Articles, advice, and resources for business finance.

Management

• Achieving Business Excellence | by John Spence
  Timeless secrets to be a hugely successful company.
• Going for the Go Point | by Michael Useem
  The art and science of decision making by the director of the leadership center at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
• How to Manage Smart People | by Scott Berkun
  These down-to-earth lessons and suggestions could make all the difference in your management style and effectiveness.

Websites
1. BNET
   “The go-to place for management.”
2. Free Management Library
   A library of resources for leadership and management.
3. Management Magazine
   Strategic business ideas, advice, and articles.

Legal

Websites
1. FindLaw
   Legal search engine that has information on all aspects of law, including business law.
2. World Law Direct
   The world’s most comprehensive website for online legal advice.
3. Worldwide Legal Directory
   Features a directory of lawyers from around the world based on location and area of practice.
4. NOLO
   Legal information for business, human resources, and patents.
5. World Intellectual Property Organization
   A agency of the United Nations, the WIPO has a large collection of information and resources on international intellectual property protection.
6. Delphion
   Access to patent information and research, including a free basic search of international patent databases.