The Top 50 Entrepreneur Blogs to Watch in 2012

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1) TopRank

http://www.toprankblog.com  - TopRank Online Marketing is a digital marketing agency founded by Lee Odden and Susan Misukanis that helps companies increase sales, brand visibility online and develop better customer engagement. We specialize in content based customer acquisition and relationship programs that emphasize social media marketing, search engine optimization and email marketing.  Companies hire us for consulting, training and implementation services.

2) Small Business Trends

http://smallbiztrends.com  - Small Business Trends was founded in 2003 by Anita Campbell, in Cleveland, Ohio. Small Business Trends is an award-winning online publication for small business owners, entrepreneurs and the people who interact with them.

Small Business Trends is the premier source of information, news and advice covering issues of key importance to the small business market.  Small Business Trends appears repeatedly at the top of lists of small business websites.

3) The Small Business Newswire

http://www.sbwire.com  - SBWire is an online newswire specializing in the needs of small to medium-sized businesses. Thousands of businesses and organizations in over 150 different countries rely on SBWire for commercial news distribution, media contact management, online news room hosting and other public relations related tools and services.

4) KISSmetrics Marketing Blog

http://blog.kissmetrics.com  - KISSmetrics is different from other analytics platforms due to a combination of three key features. We focus on funnels and conversions and make them easy to track and interpret, use people as the basic unit of measure, and support custom tracking. KISSmetrics is run by a team of designers, developers and entrepreneurs that are passionate about helping online businesses measure, grow and monetize. The team’s experience comes from previous ventures including ACS, Crazy Egg and Product Planner. As a result, the team has hands-on experience understanding and developing analytics solutions for high-end web properties. KISSmetrics is backed by well respected private and institutional investors including True Ventures, SoftTech VC, Felicis Ventures, Dave McClure, Shervin Pishevar and Bobby Yazdani.

5) Thirty Six Months

http://www.thirtysixmonths.com  - Marissa – recent grad who has credit card debt. and student loans. Unfortunately, I learned my money lessons a bit later on in life.  Even though I worked all through university and grad school, I also spent a great deal of it, foolishly. This blog will document my efforts to have a positive networth and pay off my debt as soon as possible.  There might also be stories of my life and other goals in here as well.

I heard somewhere that it is advisable to be able to pay off all of your consumer debt within THIRTY SIX MONTHS, otherwise debt fatigue sets in. My goal to do it way before that.

I may have friends join me in writing along the way, as I found that most of GEN Y didn’t really get taught lessons about money.  Any insight, and common sense, and personal experiences are appreciated.

6)The College Investor

http://thecollegeinvestor.com  - Robert – I’m a recent MBA graduate who has always had a passion for investing and personal finance. I’m not uber rich, I don’t run a hedge fund (yet!), and I’m not a millionaire. What I do have is a beautiful wife, a loving family, great friends, and a passion for helping others with their personal finance.

7) Brian Solis 

http://www.briansolis.com  - Brian Solis is principal at Altimeter Group, a research-based advisory firm. Solis is globally recognized as one of the most prominent thought leaders and published authors in new media. A digital analyst, sociologist, and futurist, Solis has studied and influenced the effects of emerging media on business, marketing, publishing, and culture. His current book, Engage, is regarded as the industry reference guide for businesses to build and measure success in the social web.

8) Coyote Blog

http://www.coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/  - Coyote Blog is the work of Warren Meyer, a small business owner in Phoenix, Arizona. The name Coyote Blog came from two sources. First, it’s a reference to my adopted home of Arizona. Second, it’s a salute to my favorite all time cartoon character Wile E. Coyote, and, of course, that most famous of small businesses: ACME. The original mission was to cover some of the day-to-day travails and lessons learned in running a small business. That is still part of the mission, but since I have about the same attention span as an 8-year-old boy mainlining Hershey Bars, I have found myself wandering all over the place, from business to economics to libertarian philosophy to sports to electronics.

9) DollarVersity

http://www.dollarversity.com  - This blog is a service provided by GreenBridge Advisors, an accounting and consulting firm located in Coral Springs, Florida.  Taking that fact into consideration, you can expect to find articles on topics such as taxes, entrepreneurship, credit, debt management, personal and business finances, and a variety of other financial and business related issues.  More than that, the blog’s goal is to inform, teach, and hopefully entertain you as well.  The theme of the blog is to provide “A distinctive voice standing out from the crowd”.  What that means is that you will notice a more rebellious and challenging tone to many of the articles.  This is because so many writers out there talk about the same topics in the same way, and so many people take everything that they read and hear at face value without thinking for themselves.  The articles here are meant to take take common social and financial issues and challenge those norms, getting people to question things and think for themselves.

10) Faith And Finance

http://www.faithandfinance.org  - Faith and Finance was founded by Tim in 2010.  Tim is a Christian, husband, MBA grad, and entrepreneur.

Business is in his blood.  While in college, he spent his free time creating an auto detailing business, a lawn care business and traveling to South Africa and China to study even more business.  After competing a full-time MBA in less than one year (crazy? yes) he and a fellow MBA grad started a marketing firm designed to help small businesses with their online presence.

You’ll find his approach to personal finance to be straight forward and practical.  His love for learning and teaching others is what drives him to write such interesting articles and eBooks.

11) Small Business Marketing Blog from Duct Tape Marketing

http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/blog  - John Jantsch has been called the World’s Most Practical Small Business Expert for consistently delivering real-world, proven small business marketing ideas and strategies.

John Jantsch is a marketing consultant, award winning social media publisher and best selling author Duct Tape Marketing and The Referral Engine .

12) Caribbean Media Vision

http://cmvlive.com  - Caribbean Media Vision is a contemporary graphic & website design studio located in St. Kitts. We here at CMV Specializes in helping companies to make their presence online and in the media by utilizing technology. Encompassing services that are geared towards giving companies a solid and comprehensive Internet presence, as well as services aimed at making the presentation of information much more professional and insightful, allowing companies to leverage competitive advantage off of the end results.

13) Inkling Media

http://inklingmedia.net/  - Inkling Media is an inbound marketing shop based in Lancaster, PA with an emphasis on social media. We provide consultation on utilizing social media as part of an overall marketing strategy. In addition to Social Media, we work with you to help implement a strong blogging plan, as well as organic search engine optimization. Our work includes the creation, and implementation of social media plans. A social networking media plan can be extremely simple and cost effective if done properly. We can work with you to find the best mix of social media to meet your needs, from broad-based social media branding, to smaller, more specific campaigns and events. We also will provide you and your staff with the knowledge and tools needed to effectively carry out your social media marketing plan. We’ll also help you navigate and understand the inherent differences between traditional media and social media, and how to use those differences to your benefit. We offer a personal, hands-on approach that gives you the education and tools necessary to create and manage a successful Internet marketing program.

14) Accounting and Small Business /Beverly Shares

http://www.bjconquest.com  - Beverly J Conquest, Owner and CEO Accounting and Small Business, LLC — Knowledge + Expertise + Experience = Solutions. Over 20 years experience providing accounting solutions for established and startup businesses.

15) Living Locurto

http://www.livinglocurto.com/  - Living Locurto is published by Amy Locurto, a designer, stylist and mom of two from Dallas, Texas. What started in July 2008 as a blog about creative things I did at home with my children, Living Locurto has since turned into a top craft and party blog with great resource for moms. Today you will find my original ideas and designs, hundreds of free printables, weekly menu plans, recipes, party ideas and DIY crafts.
With a Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design, I am also busy with my design firm Atomic Egg, specializing in corporate branding.
You can find fun party supplies in my shop, Printables by Amy.

16) CloudTweaks

http://www.cloudtweaks.com  - With a team of content creators from around the globe, including CTOs, CEOs, CIOs, cloud bloggers, engineers and technology enthusiasts, delivers in‐depth articles, the latest news, interviews and other valuable content on cloud computing to a growing audience of technology professionals, including representatives government agencies, financial institutions, technology firms and Fortune 500 organizations.

Established in 2009, CloudTweaks.com is one of the fastest growing cloud computing resource sites on the web.

17) Litigation and Trial

http://www.litigationandtrial.com  - Maxwell S. Kennerly - I’m a trial lawyer for injured people and businesses at The Beasley Firm. Founded in 1958, we have recovered over $2 billion for our clients through hundreds of verdicts and settlements in excess of $1 million. We’re listed in Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers in America, U.S. News’s Top Lawyers, et cetera. The Firm’s legacy speaks for itself; the law school at Temple University was re-named the Beasley School of Law in honor of the Firm’s founder, James E. Beasley.

18) Sramana Mitra on Strategy

http://www.sramanamitra.com  - Sramana Mitra has been an entrepreneur and a strategy consultant in Silicon Valley since 1994. Her fields of experience span from hard core technology disciplines like semiconductors to sophisticated consumer marketing industries including fashion and education.

19) E-junkie Blog

http://www.e-junkie.info  - Since E-junkie’s inception, our mission has been to lower the barriers to online selling. As E-commerce has grown more diverse and competitive, it occurred to us that merely providing good technology, such as our copy-paste E-junkie shopping cart, along with good customer service and tech support aren’t by themselves sufficient to meet our mission fully.

People will also benefit from information to help them realize commercial opportunities online, as a complement to our technology that can help take advantage of those opportunities.

We started this blog to provide such information to anyone who is selling online or has ever considered doing so.

20) Intuit Small Business Blog

http://blog.intuit.com  - This blog is dedicated to a discussion of small business, including advice, resources, and insights we think will help you be more successful . We’ll talk about broad topics of lasting interest to small business owners, such as Money, Customers, and Employees. We’ll also share information on current Trends as well as stories about Local businesses. Authors include professional journalists, people who work at Intuit, our customers and research partners, and guest experts we invite to share their perspectives.

21) Marketing Trenches

http://www.marketingtrenches.com  - The Marketing Trenches Blog is designed to provide marketers and business executives concrete examples of successful marketing strategies and tactics.  The content is largely focused on internet marketing, but given that internet marketing should be integrated with traditional/offline marketing, the content is relevant for all marketers.

22) Inventor Spot

http://inventorspot.com  - InventorSpot.com is a fun and informative website focused on Inventions, Innovations and Interesting Ideas from around the world. We offer serious fun for the inventor in all of us. We believe we are the most popular and most referenced invention related website on the internet. We also support the largest community of independent inventors in the United States.

Our website was originally named AmericanInventorSpot.com. It was inspired and formed in March 2006 by an inventor to discuss the reality television show American Inventor. We are now a website that helps, informs and entertains independent inventors, innovators and others who think outside the box.

23) Jim’s Marketing Blog

http://jimsmarketingblog.com  - Jim Connolly – worked in marketing for 25 years, with my own successful marketing business since 1995.  I specialise in helping small and medium sized businesses to make massively more sales and boost their profits.  I achieve this by sharing my most effective marketing strategies with them and then coaching them on exactly what they need to do, to achieve ongoing, amazing results.

24) Smedio

http://smedio.com - Founded in January 2010, Smedio is the new media and social web guide for businesses and marketers. Our aim is to continuously define the business value of new media and the social web by equiping you with the needed insight and innovative ideas to help your business grow even more, using technology, new media, and the social web by bringing you useful breaking news, latest trends and techniques that you can use immediately.

25) Rewards Cards Canada

http://www.rewardscardscanada.com - Your complete source for finding and using the best rewards cards in Canada.  Rewards cards can be a great way to supplement your everyday spending and help you save for amazing products and experiences.

Our wallets are full of all types of rewards cards since it seems like every store has their own brand loyalty program these days.  Here you will find detailed reviews of every major rewards card in the country, including the major credit cards that offer rewards points.

26) Crafty Raffle

http://www.craftyraffle.net  - Lisa –  I started this site because I have serious craft envy.  I love handmade stuff.  Love it.  It is a minor joke in my family that half my gifts for anyone are bought on Etsy (it’s not untrue).  I used to make quilts as wedding presents before I was overrun by children, and I’m a photographer, so I am capable of pursuing creative outlets, but sometimes my efforts fall flat, and sometimes I don’t know where to start.  I also love entering giveaways.  I am not obsessive about it, but I have a baby who is breastfeeding and sometimes she settles in for a long turn in my arms, so I’ll enter some giveaways one-handed.

27) Drew’s Marketing Minute

http://www.drewsmarketingminute.com/  - Drew McLellan - a 25+ year marketing agency veteran who lives for creating “a ha” moments for his clients, clients’ customers, peers and audiences across the land. Sadly, for his daughter, he attempts to do the same thing at home. Recently he has appeared in the New York Times, Entrepreneur Magazine, Business Week and Fortune’s Small Business. The Wall Street Journal calls him one of 10 bloggers that every entrepreneur should read.

28) Under30CEO

http://under30ceo.com  - Under30CEO is the leading media site covering news, advice, trends & events for the young entrepreneur. Under30CEO is dedicated to everything relevant to a young person starting a business or anyone looking to learn more about the space.  The site and it’s founders have been recognized in outlets like Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur.com and many more as leaders in the industry. Under30CEO was founded in 2008 by two ambitious young entrepreneurs, Jared O’Toole and Matt Wilson. Now, nearly 1000 small business articles and over a million readers later, Under30CEO has developed into a thriving community for young entrepreneurs. Under30CEO is based in New York City.

29) Roundpeg

http://www.roundpeg.biz  - A full service marketing firm, serving the Indianapolis small business community, we create websites, press releases, newsletters and brochures to help you launch your ideas and most importantly, close sales!

30) Content Marketing Today

http://contentmarketingtoday.com  - By creating conversations with your customers we build your brand and your bottom-line. We bring more than 25 years of successful business experience to our content marketing strategist role.

31) Diversity

http://diversity.net.nz  - Ben Kepes is an analyst, an entrepreneur, a commentator and a business adviser. His business interests  include a diverse range of industries from manufacturing to property to technology. As a technology commentator he has a broad presence both in the traditional media and extensively online. Ben covers the convergence of technology, mobile, ubiquity and agility, all enabled by the Cloud. His areas of interest extend to enterprise software, software integration, financial/accounting software, platforms and infrastructure as well as articulating technology simply for everyday users.

As organizations react to the demands for more flexible working environments, the impacts of the economic downturn and the existence of multiple form-factor devices nd ubiquitous connectivity, Cloud computing stands alone as the technology paradigm that enables the convergence of those trends – Ben’s insight into these factors has helped organizations large and small, buy-side and sell-side, to navigate a challenging path from the old paradigm to the new one.

Ben is passionate about technology as an enabler and enjoys exploring that theme in various settings.

32) I of the Consumer

http://www.zachhellermarketing.com  - Zach Heller – My goal is to create a place of open communication about marketing, advertising, small business, etc. I invite comments, emails, and connections of any kind.

33) Point Blank SEO

http://www.pointblankseo.com  - Jon Cooper - Here you’ll find all the information you need to start building high quality, white hat links in order to move up in the SERPs. This blog helps all link builders, both beginners and experts, in learning how to build quality links in a productive & time efficient manner.

I’ve lived & breathed link building exclusively for the last two years, digesting every link building strategy known to man. I’ve consulted with clients on shoestring budgets, in highly competitive niches, and with little to no links prior to my services. I’ve consistently stayed updated with everything search engine optimization related, regardless if it concerns link building.

34) Young Entrepreneur Blog

http://www.youngentrepreneur.com/blog  - YoungEntrepreneur.com was launched in 1999 and has grown to become one of the largest online forum communities for entrepreneurs worldwide.

YoungEntrepreneur.com has become a “must visit” resource for start-up CEOs, founders, aspiring entrepreneurs, mentors and investors worldwide, reaching an audience that very few can match.

Our social network and blog properties showcase Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Online Business Strategies, Entrepreneur Interviews, and several features, solutions and support to assist small business owners with starting, managing and growing successful business ventures. We cater to the entrepreneurial passions of our entrepreneurial audience, giving them all the latest news, entrepreneurial conversations, small business webinars, access to seasoned experts and of course access to the most active community of like-minded entrepreneurs.

YoungEntrepreneur.com is one of the largest and fastest growing small business social networking forums for entrepreneurs. The YoungEntrepreneur.com members are comprised of entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs who are truly passionate about economic development and enjoy promoting the formation and success of innovative and growth-oriented companies.

35) Indie Fixx

http://indiefixx.com  - Indie Fixx is a lifestyle blog with a very healthy mix of indie design love, crafting and diy, some gardening and cooking mixed in with plenty of commentary and a healthy dose of joie de vivre. Indie Fixx had its roots as just an indie design blog, but has morphed into more than just a review of independent art & design. Plenty of that still goes on, but man can’t live on design alone (although one can try) and so the focus has shifted to include more aspects of living a well-rounded life—cooking, eating, creating, gardening, playing, loving, discovering, learning, meeting, sharing & more.
Jen Wallace is the editor behind Indie Fixx and her goal is to share her indie life with you in the hopes that it will inspire, entertain and inform you.

36) Vandelay Design Blog

http://vandelaydesign.com/blog  - Vandelay Website Design exists to help businesses and organizations build a stronger presence online. By working directly with our clients to identify and address areas of need we are able to provide a customized experience and an end product that will produce results and lead to increased profitability.

37) ConverStations

http://www.converstations.com/  - Mike Sansone is an independent business consultant specializing in teaching professionals in various fields about using their voice (in-person or digitally) in ways to better reach their audiences. His experience in public speaking, sales and marketing, writing, and real-time online communication are strengths Mike relies upon in his role as a Conversation Conductor.

Prior to starting his own business, Mike helped to build thriving online communities with America Online, Real Fans Sports Network, Ignite Sports Media and HeyMax. He also has coordinated the growth of offline communities as a property manager, volunteer, and minister.

38) Rex Hammock’s RexBlog.com

http://www.rexblog.com  - The blog of Rex Hammock, founder/ceo of Hammock Inc., the content marketing, strategy and media company founded in 1991 in Nashville, Tenn. Rex is also founder/helper-in-chief of the wiki, SmallBusiness.com.

39) Jeff Korhan

http://www.jeffkorhan.com  - Jeff Korhan is an authentic, informative, and inspiring speaker who helps mainstream small businesses use social media and Internet marketing to increase their influence, enhance customer relationships, and accelerate growth.

In the first decade of his career, Jeff was a Fortune 50 Sales and Marketing Manager with an MBA. He later founded a construction services company that was twice named Business of the Year.  After 20 successful years he sold his business, and now applies three decades of marketing experience to helping clients develop sustainable marketing practices that capitalize on emerging business trends.

40) Business Pundit

http://BusinessPundit.com  - Drea Knufken - one of the writers at BusinessPundit.com. Before joining Business Pundit, I worked in a variety of business and content production positions. Most recently, I was a travel writer. My book, “The Backroads and Byways of Colorado,” covers the best road trips in the state, mile-by-mile. Before that, I helped create two major websites for the Los Angeles tourism bureau, worked for Google (specifically, AdWords and Blogger.com) for three years, and worked for several technology startups in Silicon Valley at the tail end of the .com boom.

41) Aweber Blog

http://www.aweber.com/blog  - Founded in 1998, we create email marketing software to help small businesses automate email follow up and email newsletter delivery. Our growing team shares a wealth of experience and knowledge about permission-based email marketing services with over 102,000+ current clients we work with daily.

42) Live and Love…Out Loud

http://liveandloveoutloud.com  - Kristin O’hea - Encouraging, empowering and celebrating the everyday woman is what this here blog is all about. I’m living it up, loving out loud and laughing it off as I navigate my way through the challenges and triumphs of motherhood. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll realize that you’re not alone.

You’ll also meet a few new women along the way through my Women Who Empower showcase and Small Business Spotlight each month. Celebrating women who empower others and sharing small businesses owned and operated by women is something I’m passionate about.

43) Understanding Marketing

http://www.understandingmarketing.com - The majority of small businesses realize the importance of marketing and PR in today’s ultra-competitive environment. They know the key to success is driving awareness and engaging with their customers in a way that enhances their brand. But they also know that margins can be razor thin and they typically don’t have the budget to hire an expensive marketing/PR agency to create exciting campaigns that increase the bottom line

44) Ohio Environmental Law Blog

http://www.ohioenvironmentallawblog.com  - Joe Koncelik is an attorney with the law firm of Frantz Ward LLP which is based in Cleveland, Ohio. The focus of Joe’s practice is in all facets of environmental law as well providing counsel on issues relating to renewable energy and climate change. Prior to entering private practice Joe worked in State government for 12 years and held the most senior positions at Ohio EPA, including Director, Assistant Director and Chief Legal Counsel.  Joe has also fulfilled U.S. Green Builders Council’s requirements to qualify as a LEED™ (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Accredited Professional.

45) SeanDaniel.com

http://sbs.seandaniel.com  - Technology Tips, Tricks & News – featuring WHS, SBS and other Microsoft and Related Technology.

46) Simply Business

http://www.simplybusiness.co.uk/knowledge/ - The Simply Business team offers a range of business expertise which we are keen to share through articles, downloads, guides, news and more.
We can also answer questions about business insurance.

47) Small Business Mavericks

http://www.smallbusinessmavericks.com/internetmarketing - Founded by Caroline Melberg & Steve Melberg. Small Business Mavericks offers Website Marketing and Social Media Strategy for small and mid-size businesses.

48) Business901

http://business901.com/  - Joe Dager is president of Business901, a firm specializing in bringing the continuous improvement process to the sales and marketing arena.  He takes his process thinking of over thirty years in marketing within a wide variety of industries and applies it through Lean Marketing Concepts. Joe put himself through college utilizing the GI Bill, the result of being a member of the 82nd Airborne Division, and as a welder at Asphalt Drum Mixers. This hands-on approach and an education in both in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering has served him well becoming President of that company and later leaving to own Barlow Marketing, re-start Burke Heating Systems and Asphalt Machinery Corporation. He has over 30 years in the process equipment field and still regularly consults on some of the more difficult issues encountered.

49) Apptivo

http://runapptivo.apptivo.com/small-business-university - Apptivo’s platform is a collection of 40+ cloud based Business Apps. All the generic Business Apps are free and have absolutely no limits on usage. All the Apps communicate with each other and share the data so Apptivo users never have to worry about syncing or duplicating the data manually.
Founded in 2010, Apptivo, Inc. has a strong global development team and management team with over 10 years experience in building enterprise applications. Apptivo aims to be a one-stop shop for all business management needs of SMBs and Independent Professionals. Currently Apptivo platform helps manage the following areas of business:

50) Mind Your Business

http://blog.bizelo.us/  - Bizelo’s small business apps (“mini-apps”) are web-based applications that work simply, and simply work! Our apps are purchased as a low-cost, monthly subscription (most apps are less than $30 a month), and each app is designed to solve a particular problem for a specific market or industry niche.

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