Business blogs are everywhere! The reason why is simple. Content is consumed by millions every day in the very same way that coffee is. However, for very different reasons. Coffee tastes great with a few shots of caramel in it. But any artificial sweeteners smeared all over your content source of choice, just plain sucks.
Seriously, though…
Some people prefer audio content like radio, podcasts, audiobooks, and streaming services. Others prefer the written word that is made available to us through books, newspapers, magazines, and blogs. I prefer a mix of everything that I have listed here, depending on my mood and my current environmental circumstances. Since you are reading this, it should be very obvious that I am a blogger and I draw my personal inspiration through a variety of sources, which includes other blogs.
I am going to share the top 5 business blogs that I follow with a short description as to why I feel that these are vital for my business development.
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“I Will Teach You To Be Rich” – iwillteachyoutoberich.com
This is just one example of several sites managed and run by Ramit Sethi. If you are unfamiliar with him, Google him and you will see the online empire that he has created. I believe he got his start as a financial blogger and he has gone on to build multiple sources of serious passive income. I am a fan of watching people that are significantly more successful than I am. He is undeniably one of them! He is years ahead of me and there is a lot to learn from how he approaches his business and his email list. I am a subscriber of his list and I am a big fan of how he regularly engages the reader. I have started to implement some of the very same strategies to increase the size and the level of engagement of my own email list.
2. “John Barrett Leadership” – johnbarrettleadership.com
John is a good friend, mentor, and all around high achiever. This site is full of great blog posts and books for the expansion of your mind and your belief in yourself. I like this site for its focus on leadership and coaching. Both of these areas are very important to me and to what I am trying to accomplish. From my startup coaching clients to my own virtual team, the continuous need to grow as a leader is unending. Check out John’s social channels also for frequent leadership quotes, ideas, and encouragement.
3. “Smart Passive Income” – smartpassiveincome.com
This is a phenomenal community that was one of the first that I tapped into after I began my own podcast. Pat Flynn is the host and creator of this site and all of its resources. In addition to an incredible blog, he has several podcasts, books, courses, and other resources designed to help people increase their online marketing success and subsequent passive income revenues. Pat gives the reader an incredible insight to his financial journey, through his financial reports portion of his website. It’s pretty cool and you can quickly check it out here.
4. “Gary Vaynerchuk” – garyvaynerchuk.com
Gary Vee is known as the “king of social media,” for good reason. He has leveraged the accessibility of social media and built a massive following and influenced a lot of people along the way. Gary is big on creating value and taking action. These are both things that I place a heavy focus on in my own personal brand. Gary is known for his “no-frills” style and he is all about results and not so much about flash. I respect the authenticity and the hustle! If you search any social channel, you will easily find Gary and you will see how large his following has become. Social media gives us the opportunity to create influence with people all over the world and most take that for granted.
5. “Story Brand” – storybrand.com
This is a bit of a curve ball because this content comes in the form of an email rather than a traditional blog. Donald Miller founder of Story Brand entered my radar with his incredible podcast. He and his company exist to help other businesses “clarify their message.” Marketing is incredibly important for anyone who wants to stay in business and wants to target the right target market. It is easy to spend a lot of money on marketing, so shouldn’t you get the most for your money? This is why clarifying your message is so important. I routinely clean up my branding and try to practice the strategies that these guys teach. So far, so good!
For me, these 5 business blogs allow me to stay sharp and challenged in the following areas:
- Email list building and engagement
- Leadership
- Passive Income/podcast excellence
- Social media
- Marketing/branding
What blogs do you follow and why do you like them? Let me know in the comments!