Adam Toren here, and it’s time for the results of our entrepreneur poll! We have been asking  “If you could give someone ONE amazing internet marketing tip, what would it be?”

You can check out some of the answers on our live competition feed below, many of you have been tweeting your entries over the course of the last few weeks and we have had some really excellent ones.

So, thanks so much to everyone who gave us their tips, it was great reading through them.  We have put together our choice of the tops answers.

Whatever the internet marketing method is, just do it and repeat doing it…. it will get the result you want.

Start with one thing (optimizing your own site)…perfect it. Then move to the next thing whether it’s writing articles or making videos…perfect it. Then move on to the next thing… As an internet marketer you can get very overwhelmed with everything there is to do. Outsource as much as you can afford.

Stop jumping around like a kid in a candy store. Pick something, perfect it, put it on autopilot, find something else to repeat the process on.

I say use all of the resources that you can. Optimize your site, use All-in-One SEO if you use Wordpress, combine using Su.Pr and Twitter, along with Digg, Stumbleupon, Alexia, and others. Throw everything AND the kitchen sink at it. Give it 2-3 months, and see which method is getting you the best traffic. Tone it down with the others and focus on the one.

Use eBay. eBay handles more searches per day than Google (yes its true!). The majority of people searching on eBay are buyers looking for a product.
So sell your product there or better still, sell a feeder product on eBay and feed the buyer into your sales funnel.

Strike a balance. If you’re looking for low turnover but strong customers, referral market. Create strategic relationships and refer clients to others.If you are looking for high turn-over, don’t spend all day trying to find out the favorite color of everyone of your connections. Let them know what you offer… then move on.

Use article marketing to build trust, credibility, traffic, and links.

Great tip about eBay there! For those who haven’t been following this poll yet, we mentioned that our Top Tip is Social Bookmarking! Bookmark your blog posts, you web pages, you news announcements and more using this list of our top 100 faves! and don’t forget to add this to your bookmarks too! Bookmarking is great for creating awareness of your website and for back links. If you would like to keep your tips coming in, this poll will stay open for another week, so keep them coming, enter at http://contests.youngentrepreneur.com/

I will catch up with you next week for a new poll!

Here’s some inspiration for entrepreneurs who are second-guessing whether to start up their companies during a recession. These well-known companies are fine examples that there is hope and success if you believe in your product and have sound business practices.

Depressions, recessions, slumping economies. These economic conditions are nothing new. For ages, economic times have had an ebb and flow cycle. For those starting up a business, you can wait for the good times to come around, or you can do what these famous companies did and move full steam ahead despite an economic recession.

1. Microsoft Corp.

Not only was this computer technology conglomerate founded in tough economic times of 1975, its founder, Bill Gates, was a Harvard University dropout. But with all its adversities, it has flourished to a billion dollar company.

2. Hyatt Corp.

You might think it risky opening up upscale hotels during a time when people were less likely to travel and vacation. But that’s exactly what this hotel chain did from 1957 to 1958 during recessionary times under President Eisenhower.

3. Trader Joe’s.

When this famous grocery store opened its doors as Pronto Markets during the economic slump of 1958, it was an instant success. The Trader Joe name change in 1967 was the start of its new branding image of offering unique products under its own label.

4. General Electric.

GE is probably one of the first companies to make history by getting started during the economic recession of 1873. Although the tough economic times lasted for six years, the incandescent lightbulb created by Thomas Edison continues to shine 136 years later. Today, GE is the 10th largest company in the world.

5. Revlon Cosmetics.

Founded in 1932 deep in the years of the Great Depression, Charles and Joseph Revlon unveiled their new opaque nail enamel. Tapping all their resources, the brothers grew their company into a multimillion dollar enterprise within six years.

Other well-known companies that opened for business during recessions are: Fortune Magazine in 1930, Hewlett-Packard in 1939, Burger King in 1954, Sports Illustrated magazine in 1954, IHOP Restaurants in 1958, The Jim Henson Company in 1958, FedEx in 1973, CNN in 1980 and MTV in 1981.

These companies are proof that you can start a business and prosper during an economic recession. Do you think a recession is the best time to start a company? Leave a comment with your thoughts.

Matthew Toren

We are onto part 4 in our 5 part series on the Canadian Dragons, this is a personal favorite of mine, a man born to be an entrepreneur!

Everybody Goes Through An Incredibly Difficult Time In A Start-Up. If You Don’t Have The ‘Stick-To-It-Iveness,’ Then You’re Not Cut Out For That.

That’s realistic and tough advice from Dragon Den’s opinionated investor Kevin O’Leary. In business, he has gained the reputation for telling it the way it is, even if it comes across as offensive. There’s no sugar coated, inspiring words of wisdom from this successful investor. “The path to wealth is paved with pain and grief and one closed door after another. I think it’s very, very important that life deal a reality check every day. To give false hope to a stupid idea is a crime. You need to say, ‘That’s a horrible idea. I forbid you to go on. Don’t ever think about it again. Go on to something else.’ ”

O’Leary’s acerbic look on life has gotten him to where he is today. For him, success is all about taking control of your wealth. He has a keen sense for investments that will make him money. O’Leary’s investing formula is simply. Rather than invest in people, he invests in businesses. He will buy a company with worldwide exposure at a bargain price and earn dividends until the company’s stock appreciates.

O’Leary is no stranger to having a great idea but no money to get it off the ground. As a young entrepreneur, he founded The Learning Company and developed software for children to help them read and learn math. But he recognized that in order for his company to grow, he had to sell it. “The greatest businesses are started by people, but because they can’t let go or let someone else run an aspect of the business that they’re weak at, they fail. I think understanding your weaknesses is number one. And number two, be able to get up in the face of the most difficult challenges, because you are going to have them, there’s no question about it. You just can’t get to a place where you’re so discouraged that you don’t go on. Your business will almost die three times before it lives. It is brutal to start a business.”

The sale of his company to toy maker Mattel netted him $3.7 billion. But he entrusted his fortune with money managers who were not as aggressive in investing as he wanted to be. That led to a new career path with investment and equity firms.

He is brutally honest about the business world, even with his own children. “I’m saying and listen, it’s ugly out there. You got to think about what you’re doing and going to do.” But if there is a soft spot to O’Leary, it’s that he wants to give to his children what his parents gave to him, “a great education. That is what you need. An opportunity. And I think, once you do that for them, they got to strike it out on their own.”

O’Leary became very independent at a young age. As the son of a United Nations ILO official, he lived in Cambodia, Ethiopia, Cyprus, France, Tunisia and Switzerland. His eyes were opened to a world where there were successes and failures, and in some cases, harsh living conditions.

For those just starting out, O’Leary has this valuable advice when pitching your idea to potential investors. “If you can pitch an idea in two minutes and I get it, I’m interested. Because I’m interested in your ability to show me your vision and explain it to me. If you’re that good at it, maybe I should invest in you.”

Despite his sharp tongue, balloon deflating persona, O’Leary is in high demand. Besides Dragon Den, he co-hosts the investment show Squeeze Play on the Business News Network, is host of O’Leary Live on the Business News Network and is an investor and co-host for Discovery Project Earth on the Discovery Channel. He will also appear on Shark Tank, the U.S. version of Dragon’s Den.

Next week I will be writing about the 5th and final dragon! Watch this space.

Adam Toren

I often Photoshare online, and the other day, this quick and easy process got me thinking about how convenient photo sharing websites have become. Since the concept of publishing digital photos online to share with others emerged, we’ve seen a multitude of photo sharing companies entering the scene. It got me wondering which ones are the best in what they do. What sets them apart and makes them click with people? That led to the following creation of our Young Entrepreneur Top 3 favorites..

We did have some criteria that photo sharing sites had to meet in order to make our list. They had to be free for unlimited storage; have super easy and fast uploading; provide quick and easy organizing, storing and sharing capabilities; and support various file types. With that, I present you with our Top 3 Best Photo Sharing Websites:

#1 – Snapfish.

We rank this photo sharing website at the top because it meets our criteria and then some. In addition to free unlimited photo storage and an unlimited number of albums, the site is easy to use and navigate, the upload is fast, the picture quality and size is great and it supports jpg and zip file types. The function display makes it easy to organize, store and share photos. Snapfish gets extra points for taking its capabilities one step further and allowing for images to be viewed and sent to and from camera phones. Snapfish also offers external linking to photos.

http://www1.snapfish.co.uk/

#2 – Photobucket.

This is probably one of the more popular photo sharing websites and it would have made our top spot if it provided free unlimited photo storage. Even Photobucket’s Pro Account does not feature unlimited space, thus its fall to the second position. But Photobucket does have some excellent mobile options and its integration with social media websites is convenient. Organizing is made easy through titles, keywords, or tags, and Photobucket has some cool sharing options that allow users to comment on a photo. Many entrepreneurs use the convenient Photobucket application that enables photos and slideshows to be embedded on websites, blogs, forums, ebay and other sites.

http://photobucket.com/

#3 – Flickr.

Yet another popular photo sharing website with a lot of great features and customization options. But like Photobucket, Flickr loses points for not providing a free account with unlimited storage. The free account has a 20MB monthly upload limit, with limits on storage, photosets and photostreams as well. If you want unlimited capabilities, you would have to pay for the Pro Account. But there’s no denying that Flickr is easy to use in terms of storing and editing your photos, and it has handy sharing tools, too. It also comes with multiple options for uploading via Windows, Mac and camera phones. Flickr does a nice job meeting the needs of the casual picture taker while providing advanced tools and features for the professional photographer.

http://www.flickr.com/

So what do you think about our Top 3 Photo Sharing Websites? We want to hear your thoughts about our choices. Who would be on your Top 3 Photo Sharing list and why?

Matthew Toren

This week I interviewed Mompreneur Lisa Druxman. Lisa is a true inspiration to all women who are trying to manage a busy work and home life.  Lisa is proof that you CAN be a highly successful entrepreneur and raise a family at the same time.

Matthew: Tell us a little about your business and how you started it?

Lisa: Stroller Strides was one of those “ah ha moments” in your life. I was a new mom on maternity leave and every moment was precious to me. I loved working in the fitness industry but did not want to go back to work full time in a traditional capacity. Unfortunately, I could not afford to be a stay at home mom. So while working out with my son, I realized that I could help other moms get back in to shape if I put a class together. This would help me too because I did not know any new moms and was looking for a way to connect. I came up with the name on that very walk. I started with just a few moms in my local neighbourhood and word soon spread and we grew quickly from there.

Matthew: Stroller Strides has grown so quickly in just a few years. Tell us how you took it from a home business to a national franchise?

Lisa: Just after starting that first class, we started getting requests for classes all over San Diego, so we kept adding more. By the end of the first year, we had over 12 classes and 1000 moms participating in San Diego. During that first year, we got requests for classes all over the country. I had no idea at the time how I would accomplish that one. Then one of my instructors said that she was moving and wanted to start classes in her new town. I agreed and gave her all of the plans to run her own classes. She was a hit. We then decided to release 10 “beta” locations across the country to see how it would work in other cities. We learned a lot, tweaked a few things and then they were a hit. We hired attorneys, worked with consultants and joined the International Franchise Association. We are now franchised across the country and have nearly 300 franchisees.

Matthew: What is a typical “day in the life” of Lisa like?

Lisa: Wake up at 4:30 or 5:00 and grab coffee that has been pre-set and ready. Get on my computer and work on emails from about 5:00 – 6:30 when my kids wake up. I will do the mom thing and get their breakfast, pack my son’s lunch, get them dressed, etc. My son will go to school and then I will take Rachel to Stroller Strides class 3 days per week. My nanny meets me after class and I head right to the house to work. These traditional work hours are when I schedule my meetings, phone calls, etc. I work until about 4:00 when my son comes home from school. I then do the mommy thing again until they go to bed. Luckily, my kids go to bed early (about 7:00). I then work from 7:00 – 10ish and go to bed and it starts all over again.

Matthew: Now that you have moved well beyond home business, do you still work from home or do you have a corporate office?

Lisa: What about your employees, are they mostly moms? Believe it or not, I still work from home. We bought the home that we have because we knew that the office would well fit all of our employees as they come and go. I have 12 employees who all have keys to my house and come in throughout the week. They too are home based but come here for meetings or to get special work done. It’s a little strange but it works for all of us. All of my employees are moms! We had a couple who were not but have since become moms since starting with us. We are a very “fertile” company – no joke!

Matthew: How have you managed to juggle the roles of business owner and mom?What falls by the wayside?

Lisa: It’s a constant juggle. Attitude is EVERYTHING. Have a sense of humor. It’s evolved as my business has evolved. I hire for more help than I did as I’m working a lot more. I do my best to be 100% present when I’m with my kids and the same for my business. That means that when I’m with my kids I never pick up my work phone or check emails. When I’m working, I don’t answer my home phone, put on a load of laundry, etc. I don’t waste time with long emails, personal calls, etc. I’m very focused and some may feel a little too brief. I’m just very conscious of time.

Matthew: In your opinion what is the greatest thing about Stroller Strides?

Lisa: There is no one thing. It is such a feel good program on many levels. Personally I feel that one of the greatest things is that we give women around the country the opportunity to have a career that is supportive of motherhood. We are a company run by moms, for moms. But it’s so much more than that. We help moms at a very challenging (but wonderful) time in their life. We support them physically and emotionally through motherhood. For the kids, I am a true believer that we are inspiring this next generation to embrace health and fitness because it’s a part of their lives since infanthood.

Matthew: Let us talk about your franchising opportunity. Are most of your franchisees women and if so why?

Lisa: All of our franchisees are women and most are moms. The business is very female based. I don’t think a man would identify with that it’s about family first, not money. Besides, I think we would scare a man away at the first talk about leaking breasts and kegel exercises. We get applicants for working for the company and franchising every day of the year. I think it just shows that there are not enough careers out there supportive of motherhood.

Matthew: What kind of support do you offer your franchisees?

Lisa: A ton! Moms need support so we want this business to have as many tools as possible. We have an incredible franchise support team. But we also have a web based business center that is chock full of tutorials, demo’s, trainings, forums and more.

Matthew: What advice would you offer other moms developing their products/ideas?

Lisa: Proceed with caution. Although I would not change my experience for the world, I don’t think everyone has skin thick enough for this. It’s hard for sure! Be prepared to risk a lot and be prepared to work a lot! Bigger is not always better. Think about why you want to start your business and what’s important for you. Decide what drives you. Is it money, being home with your kids, etc? Be true to that on your journey.

Matthew: How did you finance your business (personal contributions, loans from friends & family, loans from bank, credit cards, outside investors?).

Lisa: We grew organically. What I mean by that is that we spent only what we had to. Any time we made money, we re-invested it back in to the company. We have tapped in to our home line of credit and credit cards when we’ve had to at various times in the business. Not sure that I would recommend that. We got one small SBA loan during later years in the business.

Matthew: What process did you follow to determine your program’s marketability?

Lisa: I didn’t have any intention of growing this to an international company. I planned to just stay in my hometown of San Diego. But we started getting calls and emails from all over the country asking for classes. It dawned on me that we were on to something. We realized that moms spread the word better than any advertisement could so we have really focused on offering a great program and giving our members incentives to create referrals. We tested the program out in 10 different regions the first year to see how it may have different needs and fine tuned it from there.

Matthew: How do you strive to achieve a work/life balance?

Lisa: I schedule workout time for myself a few times / week just like I would any other appointment. I also have rules for myself that I am very good about keeping. For instance, I won’t take night appointments even though they would be much appreciated by other moms. My day is long and I need to draw the line somewhere. When I’m with my kids, I do my best to truly be with them and when I’m working, I stay totally focused on work. You do NOT have to answer your home phone just because you are working at home. Save personal calls for when you are driving on errands.

Matthew: What was the biggest learning curve in terms of developing your company and program?

Lisa: The biggest learning curve was definitely the transition to franchising. Creating fitness programs was easy for me. I know marketing, PR, etc. However, franchising is a totally different model. We had to rely on a lot of experts in this area to teach us and support us.

Matthew: How long did it take to get your program from idea to market (conception to product launch)?

Lisa: It was actually incredibly quick because it started very small. I had the idea and decided to start a class in my neighbourhood. I had a logo and flyers designed and I was in business a month later. I think it’s important to perfect your product before you grow it.

Matthew: What has been your greatest success or “high point” in the process?

Lisa: There have been so many. My team laughs at me because I always say that this month is our best yet and then the next month I say the same. I really believe it. Our first big high point was when The Today Show came out to do a big story on us. It was amazing! That just led to so many more opportunities for us.

Matthew: Have you experienced a “low point” and if so, how did you rally yourself to get back on track?

Lisa: Yes, a few. We work so hard to do the right thing so when we’ve had some legal issues or financial issues, it can be deflating. I get myself back on track to think about the 700+ instructors we have nationwide and the 20,000+ moms who are depending on me to make it work.

Matthew: What has been the biggest hurdle you have faced in your business so far and how did you overcome the hurdle?

Lisa: Believe it or not, the biggest hurdle is in balancing work with motherhood. When you are working, you feel like you should be with your kids and when you are with your kids, you feel like you should be working. Of course, growing a new business, there are financial challenges. We have chosen to fund the company ourselves rather than bring in investors. This way, we can truly run the company as we see fit and only have to answer to ourselves.

Matthew: If you had your time again, is there anything in business that you would do differently?

Lisa: Hire the right attorney from the start. A good attorney and a good accountant are priceless

Matthew: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Lisa: I hope that all women follow their dreams. I’ve learned that truly anything is possible. The only thing that separates us is those who think about their ideas and those who actually move on those ideas. Go for it. There’s nothing wrong with failure. You just brush yourself off, pick yourself up and go for it again. Approach life as if the net will always appear when you take a leap!

—————–

Matthew Toren

Over the past two days week I’ve been in a seemingly endless number of meetings as I’m preparing a few new exciting opportunities for my business. It’s been fun riding the Vespa all over town but I haven’t been in the office very much.

The good news is that I have help. In January I hired two new people to compliment my existing team and with their help and my business *almost* runs itself.

All the admin tasks get done, all my customers get quick replies to their emails, we’re developing new content, and we’re creating new features for our customers – all without me being there.

If you feel like the guy in the picture above then you need to begin delegating! Here are some steps to help you get started:

1) Make a list of all the tasks that you are doing that you shouldn’t be doing.

What are the tasks that take up a lot of your time, that have to get done, but that are low value work. For example, doing data entry or doing your own bookkeeping are tasks that others should be doing for you. If you’re not good at developing websites then have someone create your site for you. If you’re not the best salesperson in the world, have someone else sell for you. The key is to focus in on what you’re good at and what you enjoy doing. One of the biggest things that helped my business was to delegate the article writing. We now have over 60,000 articles on the system which never would have been possible it I were the only writer. Start making that list of the tasks that are the most annoying to you and take up the most time.

2) Clearly write out what needs to be done

Most entrepreneurs never write out how to do the things that need to be done to keep their businesses going. They just keep it all up in their heads. If you want to build a business beyond yourself then you clearly need to write out the various tasks that you want to delegate and give easy to understand instructions on how to accomplish those tasks. This is especially true if you’re going to hire someone who will not be working alongside you (ie a contractor from elance). The clearer the instructions are, the easier it will be for someone to step into your role and your business won’t skip a beat.

3) Hire a part time worker

Everyone who I’ve hired full time I started working with on a part time basis. It’s a great way to make sure that you work well together and you can learn more about what their skills are and where they want to grow. Hiring part time also helps you save money. The first person I ever hired was for one hour per day. I took some of the tasks I hated doing and gave it to him for one hour a day to handle for me. It was a great experience just to have that workload taken off of my plate and it wasn’t costing me too much. It was definitely a worthwhile investment at an entrepreneur-friendly price. From that one hour I was later able to hire him full time and later expand my employee base.

Most entrepreneurs just buy themselves a job instead of really building a business. You have arrived when your company can operate and thrive without you being there. At that point you choose to be there instead of you having to be there. Get started today by following these three simple steps.

I would love to hear your stories about how you have delegated tasks and built your business beyond yourself!

Evan Carmichael

This is a great video that I think speaks to the true nature of people. It follows the story of the “tweenbot”, an experimental robot created by Tisch School of the Arts student Kacie Kinzer.

Here is what Kacie had to say about the project:

I wondered: could a human-like object traverse sidewalks and streets along with us, and in so doing, create a narrative about our relationship to space and our willingness to interact with what we find in it? More importantly, how could our actions be seen within a larger context of human connection that emerges from the complexity of the city itself? To answer these questions, I built robots.

I hope you enjoy and would love your comments!

Would you help the tweenbot along if you saw it on the street?

Evan Carmichael

I was interviewed today by the SBSI and thought I would share some of my Q&A. I had never heard of the Small Business Success Index before. I’d love your comments on my answers!

1.    Why, how and when did you start your own business?

I launched my online business  in late 2005. I started it up myself with the limited programming knowledge that I had and it was meant to serve as a resource to provide motivation and strategies to help entrepreneurs grow their businesses. It now has the largest collection of famous entrepreneur stories online and boasts over 400,000 entrepreneur visitors every month.

2.    What did the study reveal to you about the success of small businesses in 2008?

What I loved about the results was that small companies are taking clients away from big business by providing excellent customer service. Consumers are no longer willing to be put on hold and being treated like a number. Small business owners understand that and are leveraging this need to build successful new companies

3.    The study captured six dimensions for measuring success: Capital Access, Marketing and Innovation, Workforce, Customer Service, Computer Technology and Compliance. What do you think are the top priorities for making small businesses more competitive?

Customer service will continue to be the driver of small business success. By paying attention to the needs of their customers, entrepreneurs can build more profitable relationships, better understand their needs, and bring to market better products and services that will deliver real value.

4.    According to the results, Capital Access and Marketing and Innovation were the two biggest inhibitors for success. Do you agree? Why or why not?

I disagree with this on a number of fronts. I disagree that access to capital is the most heavily weighted part of this index. To say that customer service is only 1/3 as important as access to capital would be a slap in the face to all the entrepreneurs who have built a successful business by paying attention to the needs of their clients.

As far as raising capital goes, most entrepreneurs bootstrap. They do whatever it takes to get the money they need to get going and often start small by offering a service which requires less capitalization as opposed to a more costly product. After selling my first company I joined the venture capital world and learned first hand what it takes to raise money. I also noticed that only one in ten companies who got funded ever made it big and most companies either failed or were referred to as the “walking wounded” – still struggling along but not going anywhere. The venture capitalists expect this and know that the one company that makes it more than pays off the other failures. Throwing money at a problem does not solve it and access to capital is not the most important driver to small business success.

I do think that marketing and innovation are extremely important as success factors. However, I disagree with the scoring of C- for today’s entrepreneur. The small business owners have been behind almost every single revolutionary idea that this world has seen. Because they don’t have a lot of money, entrepreneurs have to be innovative not only in how they invent new products and services but also in how they market them. Small business owners will be some of the most innovative people you will ever come across and it shows in every facet of their operation. Marketing and innovation are definitely important success drivers for small business owners and entrepreneurs definitely are doing better than a C- score.

5.    How does the current economic state effect Capital Access and Marketing and Innovation?

The current economy definitely makes access to capital more difficult. It will force entrepreneurs to go out and get customers and build a real business. Investors are no longer funding ideas, they want to see that a company has traction and customers. It will, however, make entrepreneurs more innovative with both their offerings and their marketing. Necessity is the mother of invention and entrepreneurs will be pushed to the wall with an ultimatum: if their companies do not pull through then they will not be able to feed their families. This is a powerful incentive to find alternative ways to tackle the challenges ahead of them and achieve success. Remember that innovative concepts like the supermarket (founded in the Great Depression in the early 1930’s) were born out of difficult times and small business owners will continue to be the driving force behind innovation.

6.    The results show that 1/3 of small businesses feel they are successful in building the profitability of the owner. What is your advice for entrepreneurs and small business owners in terms of increasing the value of their company?

The best way to increase the value of your company is to build long term value with your customers that is not tied to you personally. Entrepreneurs often have a difficult time selling their companies for the multiple that they want for one of two reasons. The first is that the business is not very profitable and does not have a steady revenue stream. It’s great to have strong revenue streams but they have to flow to the bottom line if you want to get a good valuation. Also, do you have enough brand equity with your customers so that they are repeat clients and keep coming back? A business based on repeat business and long term contracts is always worth more because it provides stability for the company.

The second reason why a company doesn’t sell for a high value is that it’s too tied to the owner. Could your business thrive without you? You have to create a system where you can eventually remove yourself from the operations entirely. If your business relies on you always being there then you haven’t built a business, you’ve just bought yourself a job. However high paying it might be, it’s still a job.

7.    According the study, “small businesses rely on a range of Internet business solutions and computer technologies to succeed.” What online services do you think best help entrepreneurs and small businesses? Why?

Online marketing has shown to be the most cost effective way to get the word out about your business. Entrepreneurs are using a variety of tactics including search engine optimization, pay per click advertising, newsletters, and social media. Make sure to focus on what is bringing you tangible value. Coca Cola can afford to spend millions on a Super Bowl commercial but you need to invest where you are able to quickly measure if it’s working or not. Pay per click advertising is a great example. For every dollar you spent you can directly measure how many leads or, in some cases, customers you have generated. If it’s not working, you can cancel the campaign and try a new one.

Many small business owners are quickly taking advantage of the market inefficiencies online. Big corporations are still far behind and there are still many opportunities on which you can capitalize. Entrepreneurs need to either get themselves versed in online marketing or bring someone on their team who is an expert.

8.    In your opinion, how can entrepreneurs and small businesses use the SBSI to their advantage?

I think the SBSI is a useful tool for entrepreneurs to look at to gauge what other entrepreneurs are doing to grow their companies. Entrepreneurs are also often caught in a vacuum and don’t have a base of other business owners to discuss strategy with. The SBSI is a valuable resource they can turn to in order to understand the current pressures other entrepreneurs are facing and make strategic adjustments in their own businesses.

Evan

Last week I mentioned the release of My.AllTop.com (Add YoungEntrepreneur.com To Your AllTop!). Shortly after I launched the post I emailed AllTop founder Guy Kawasaki and got the following reply minutes later:

Evan,

Why thanks. You’re very kind. Have you seen that you can create custom Alltop pages now? Please create one and spread the word:

http://adjix.com/p3j7

I will tweet this for you.

All the best to you,

Guy

Considering that Guy has over 100,000 Twitter followers (@guykawasaki) and all the help Guy has given me in the past, it was the least that I could do.

So I have now created my own AllTop page. You can check it out at http://my.alltop.com/evancarmichael -  all I have right now is the AllTop Blog which is added by default and, of course, the YoungEntrepreneur.com blog.

My question to you is, who else should I add?

If you go to http://alltop.com/ and do a search by different categories let me know which blog under which category I should add. For example, you can say VentureBeat from http://startups.alltop.com/. I’ll add every suggestion that gets commented in this format within the next week.

Evan Carmichael

If you have a blog and want to learn how to make it better you should check out Darren Rowse’s 31 Days to Build a Better Blog challenge.

Darren is the creative force behind two of my favorite blogs, ProBlogger and TwiTip. ProBlogger is a must read for any blogger as it traces Darren’s steps as he transitioned from having a day job to becoming a full-time blogger. TwiTip is a relatively new blog that focuses on getting the most out of Twitter.

I remember when Darren first ran the Better Blog project in 2005 I was just getting serious about building my website and wanted to turn it into a money making machine that I could live off of. Thanks to the great resources that Darren and the participating bloggers revealed I improved my online IQ dramatically over that month.

It’s great to see that the project is back on this year and I’m sure it will be bigger and more valuable than ever considering how popular blogging has become and what a following Darren now has!

Here is how Darren explains the project:

“Each day from 1st April until the 1st May I will make a post here on ProBlogger that is part of the challenge.

Posts will be designed to each have two aspects to them:

1. A teaching component (theory)
2. A practical component (a task/homework)

The idea is that often teaching remains in the realm of theory and doesn’t actually prompt those digesting it to DO something. This project is more about DOING than learning. I hope you will learn, but to be honest if you’ve been blogging for a while some of what we’ll cover many will have heard before – but this project will give you a framework and hopefully some inspiration to put what you know into action.

Some of the tasks will be similar to previous years tasks and some will be new (some things never change so there will always be some overlap). Some tasks will be more relevant to some bloggers than others so you may not choose to do all of them but they will be on a variety of areas of blogging including writing content, interacting with readers, finding new readers, design, tools etc.

This 31 days are designed for beginner and newer bloggers but many of the tasks will be relevant to intermediate and more advanced bloggers also.”

If you want to participate you can sign up here. I’ve already signed up and look forward to getting started!