40 incredibly useful startup blogs you should read right now
Entrepreneurs and startup founders wear many hats because it is expected of them. They start out with organizing the company, then act as the first salesman, fund-raiser, paymaster, quartermaster, logistics, project manager, tech guy, and many others.
For technology startups, the founder is also sometimes the CTO and/or lead programmer, as well as the accounting and finance person. With a product in the pipeline, the founder also has his hands in the creative aspects such as product design, marketing, and branding.
Besides the day-to-day management and operations, an entrepreneur is also expected to be the go-to person when it comes to the fund sourcing.
Entrepreneurs Having the Necessary Skill Sets
The all-around nature of the entrepreneur is mainly because there is nobody else to do the job. Either the job has not yet been filled, contracted out, or there is not enough capital to cover a full-time employee for the role.
To keep up with the requirements of the job, the entrepreneur has to know something of everything. This can be accomplished by being involved with the right people who’ve had enough practice and excellent work experience, by working with the right people such as professionals/consultants, or even by outsourcing some business functions to a third-party provider.
Moreover, they can also keep their skill set updated with the latest trends in startups by picking up new and valuable skills. Fortunately, there are a lot of blogs aimed at the entrepreneur, which can greatly help startup founders keep up with the latest trends and learn new skills necessary for the job, or roles necessary for the business.
Below are 40 blogs about or related to startups that you should be following and reading split into four categories:
1. Startup (General): These blogs range from generic business blogs to tech-centric and industry-specific startup blogs. Read the following for your daily dose of entrepreneur inspiration.
2. Venture Capital and Finance: Arguably, the best sources of advice about startups are entrepreneurs who have worked and are working with startups. Subscribe and interact with these VC bloggers to learn how you can successfully run your own business.
3. Marketing & Sales: As a startup founder, one of your primary concerns is making a business out of your solution or service. While you can hire an agency or an employee with marketing and sales capabilities, it pays to know the current trends, rules, and best practices in these fields.
4. HR & Management: One of the biggest challenges for startup founders is attracting and managing competent employees. Luckily, there are many HR and management blogs specific to startups you can subscribe to.
Startup (General)
1. OnStartups
OnStartups is a blog by Dharmesh Shah, co-founder of Hubspot and currently its CTO. He also founded Pyramid Digital Solutions prior to working on Hubspot.
OnStartups is dedicated to startup software companies and the entrepreneurs who started them, with content focused on their unique problems and the trends affecting them.
2. QuickSprout
QuickSprout is run by Neil Patel, co-founder of Crazy Egg and Hello Bar. He is a multi-awarded and high-profile online influencer.
This blog discusses common problems encountered by startups and their online presence. The articles on QuickSprout are interesting, readable, and very helpful for startups, especially when it comes to getting followers and converting them to sales.
3. SaaStr
SaaStr is run by Jason Lemkin and Danielle Morrill. Lemkin is a venture capitalist and has founded two companies. Morrill is the COO of SaaStr, co-founder, and CMO of SocialPandas, and has been connected with 5 startups.
SaaS is short for “software as a service,” and is a blog focused on software delivery via the cloud. The discussions on this site are very helpful for companies providing SaaS or cloud computing services.
4. forEntrepreneurs
This is a blog started by David Skok, who is a five-time co-founder and venture capitalist. This has become Skok’s way of sharing his experiences with other startups and entrepreneurs.
forEntrepreneurs is an online resource and magazine for startups of all kinds, and has been voted the number 1 website for entrepreneurs by Inc. Magazine, and ranked 2nd on the list of 100 Best Websites for Entrepreneurs by Forbes Magazine.
5. CBinsights
If you’re highly interested (and invested) in the startup business scene, you’d better subscribe to the CBinsights newsletter.
What’s great about this particular newsletter is that it’s not your usual entrepreneurial and motivational e-zines. CBinsights tracks emerging industries and features disruptive startups that will not only get the ball rolling but also connect you with venture capitalists.
The CBinsights newsletter has nearly 200,000 subscribers on the lookout for the next big thing in the startup scene. If you’re seriously considering taking a leap into the entrepreneurial arena, subscribe today and stay updated.
6. AllBusiness
AllBusiness is one of the largest resources for small- and medium-scale companies. It has been recognized by mainstream financial media for its content, products, and services.
It prides itself on having a pool of experts who write about their expertise, with topics ranging from tech, sales and marketing, finance, HR, and other business concerns for the entrepreneur.
7. Quartz
Quartz is a news site that features a broad range of topics including startups, economy, technology, and finance.
What separates Quartz from other news sites is its bot-app version that sends you tidbits of news, links, and photos of topics that are relevant to you, directly to your inbox.
You can decide whether you’re interested to read the update or not. A session usually lasts for a few minutes, making this a perfect source of world news for entrepreneurs who want to be updated daily but have very hectic schedules.
8. StartupManagement
StartupManagement is by William Mougayar, a four-time entrepreneur, startup strategist, and a VC advisor. StartupManagement looks at startups from the point of view of the manager or owner with articles meant to help the entrepreneur hurdle startup problems.
9. TechCrunch
TechCrunch is a popular curating/bookmarking site for tech-related articles. Their startups sub-directory is all about startups.
Although technically speaking, TechCrunch does not focus on small businesses, its articles are more helpful to small businesses than to enterprise-class companies. TechCrunch is a favorite among online marketers and tech companies.
10. Startup Lessons Learned
Startup Lessons Learned is a blog by multi-awarded entrepreneur, Eric Ries. He is the creator of Lean Startup Methodology and is also a writer and programmer. After retiring in 1998, Eric has become a successful venture capitalist as well.
The lessons he refers to in the blog title are not just from the successful startups, but mostly from the companies he started but failed.
11. LinkedIn Pulse
LinkedIn is a popular social networking site for professional connections. Their /today/ sub-directory is all about the latest news and articles about entrepreneurs and startups.
While LinkedIn is more famous for professional networking purposes, it is also a great resource for startups and entrepreneurs. The articles on LinkedIn Today are written by some of the most successful and respected businessmen and recognized experts in their own fields. LinkedIn allows you to follow or connect with these influencers.
12. CrunchBase and CrunchBase Daily
CrunchBase is a great platform wherein you can discover startup and innovative companies, as well as people who built them. Millions of business people, venture capitalists, and analysts use this platform, and so should you if you’re in the entrepreneurial arena.
On the other hand, CrunchBase Daily provides daily nuggets of business stories on various industries. Unlike other websites, these daily stories, which are less than 100 words are perfect for skimming with your morning coffee.
If you want to learn more about a certain story, CrunchBase Daily includes links to the TechCrunch site where the full and longer story is published.
13. e27
When e27 was being created by its founders, they set out a goal to make it a platform that will give every startup a winning chance. Fast forward to today, e27 is now one of the leading news sources of anything related to technology and startups in Asia.
The website has also evolved into a community of people who can become your mentors, partners, investors, colleagues, and customers.
e27 also regularly organizes events in Asian countries to share industry trends, regulations, and best practices.
14. Seth Godin
Seth Godin is an American author, entrepreneur, public speaker, and a legendary marketing blogger. His blog is witty, sometimes irreverent, and gives a view outside the box that makes you stop and think.
The blog is a resource for fellow internet marketers and startups. Despite internet marketers knowing that they are going against the tide, Seth Godin says it’s okay.
Venture Capital and Finance
15. Both Sides of the Table
Both Sides of the Table is the blog of two-time entrepreneur and venture capitalist Mark Suster that founded BuildOnline and Koral.com, where the latter was acquired by SalesForce in April 2007.
Suster is one of the most influential bloggers about venture capital (VC).
16. LessAccounting
The Less Accounting blog is aimed at educating users about Less Accounting, the company, and its services. Along the way, entrepreneurs get to understand how to run a business and how to use their accounting software. The blog is also a good example of self-promotion and content marketing.
17. Venture Hacks
Venture Hacks is run by Babak Nivi and Naval Ravikant. Nivi is an entrepreneur and co-founder of AngelList while Ravikant is a co-founder of AngelList and Epinions.
Venture Hacks is the blog of AngelList that presents “good advice for startups.” AngelList is a website dedicated to helping startups with their funding, as well as their manpower requirements. Venture Hacks is where they post interesting startup content.
18. Startup Funding Book
The Startup Funding Blog starts off where The Startup Funding Book left off. It is a blog run by Nicolaj H. Nielsen and co-authored by Tomasz Gidzgier.
Both of them have co-founded a number of companies in Sweden and other parts of the world. The pair is passionate about venture capital and startups, and they share their insights and experiences with other entrepreneurs and startups.
19. FreshBooks
Freshbooks is a cloud-based accounting software aimed at small- and medium-sized companies. As a SaaS, Freshbooks uses their website to attract business, and at the same time, also serves as a content marketing platform for small- and medium-sized businesses, startups, and entrepreneurs.
The articles mainly revolve around operational, financial, and accounting problems of small companies.
20. TomTunguz
Tomasz Tunguz is a venture capitalist and partner at Redpoint. He blogs about startups, cloud computing, and starting companies.
The blog posts are about startup questions on fund raising, benchmarks, management best practices, and team building.
21. Steve Blank
Steve Blank is a multiple-time entrepreneur and founder, and an author of his startup experiences. He wrote a book titled “Four Steps to the Epiphany,” which launched the Lean Startup movement.
He regularly posts about a series called “Entrepreneurs are Everywhere,” where he discusses startups with successful guest entrepreneurs.
22. FeldThoughts
Feld Thoughts is a blog for startups by entrepreneur and venture capitalist, Brad Feld. He is the director of Foundry Group based in Boulder, Colorado, co-founder of Mobius Venture Capital and Techstars, and founder of Intensity Ventures.
Feld has also invested in software and internet companies across the United States.
Marketing & Sales
23. Copyblogger
Copyblogger has been teaching copywriting on blogs and online marketing for about ten years, and is known as the “bible of content marketing.” It was founded by Brian Clark who has been into internet marketing since 1998.
It is one of the most important and influential copywriting resources online, as its approach is instructional and very helpful for writers and non-writers alike.
24. Social Triggers
Derek Halpern’s Social Triggers is an expert social marketer and entrepreneur blog, which gives tips to entrepreneurs and insights on online marketing. Halpern has proven himself in online marketing with successful websites in various niches, including entertainment and fashion.
25. Copyhackers
Joanna Wiebe is the resident writer of Copyhackers. The website aims to improve the copywriting skills of bloggers and online marketers.
Since it recognizes that not everyone is a writer, it helps make writing easier for the internet marketer and helps them understand the psychology of the online visitor as well.
26. Neil Patel
Neil Patel co-founded KISSmetrics, Crazy Egg, and Hello Bar. In his line of work, he has helped companies such as Viacom, NBC, and Amazon in their revenue growth, which made The Wall Street Journal recognize him as a “top influencer on the web.”
In his company blog, he shares personal insights about his journey such as Twitter advertising guides to social media marketing strategies and tactics that really work.
Neil also offers free resources for marketers on his blog, which are good starter kits for startups who have little or no background in digital marketing.
27. ConversionXL
Founded by Peep Laja, ConversionXL is a conversion optimization service which aims to increase website conversions.
ConversionXL is the conversion optimization blog and an extension of the online company, which explains the benefits of analytics and conversions.
28. Vero
Vero is an online email campaign utility designed around optimized conversions. The getVero blog is a way for Vero (the company) to develop its potential client base and educate its users.
As a content marketing channel, the blog also reaches out to its users and advises them how to better use email marketing techniques.
29. Kissmetrics
Kissmetrics is an online analytics utility that helps internet marketers capture and analyze data about their marketing campaigns. The topics on this blog include discussions on cloud computing, online marketing, testing, web design, tools, and data analytics in general.
30. Moz
Moz is an SEO company that started in 2004 and released their first app in 2007.
The blog extends their reach to interacting with their client, as well as helping educate the general population about SEO and online marketing. It is a leading resource and educational blog about SEO and website analytics that enables the visitor to understand why their company is prominent in the industry.
31. Buffer
Buffer is one of the most popular social media tools for posting and automation. The blog features articles on how to best use social media to promote your business.
32. Unbounce
Unbounce is a landing page utility that helps the internet marketer increase their conversion ratio. The articles on the blog are aimed to educate the user about the best way to keep their email leads, and how to increase the email conversion.
33. Hubspot
Hubspot is a popular CRM, marketing, and sales software for internet marketing. The website also has an automated scheduler and social media tracker. It is a full-service internet company that provides cloud computing services to other online companies of all sizes.
The Hubspot blog provides its members new trends and updated topics regarding social media, search engine optimization, and internet marketing.
34. Shopify
Shopify is an online store and an e-commerce site for small- to medium-sized businesses without their own website. The blog helps users maximize their presence with articles on social media, as well as internet marketing.
As a marketplace website, clients can set up online stores and create campaigns with the tools on Shopify.
35. Social Media Examiner
Social Media Examiner is all about marketing on social media. The articles revolve around how an internet marketer can maximize social media for his campaigns and products.
The blog presents interesting and highly informative articles about social media and internet marketing.
36. Zapier
Zapier is an automation site for posting or workflow use. Among online tools for automation and scheduling, it has the most number of compatible websites or channels for automated posting and sharing, or for scheduling posts.
The blog publishes interesting information about automating social media, as well as how to effectively share and link to articles for the internet marketer.
37. First Round Review
First Round Review is an interesting magazine in its own right. It has engaging articles for the internet marketer, tech person, HR, and startups of all kinds. It understands that entrepreneurs can be overwhelmed by the technical side of internet marketing, thus discusses analytics, conversions, social media, tech, and internet marketing.
HR and Management
38. Good & Co
Good & Co. provides an employer-employee matching service instead of a job-seeker and job matching. Prospective employees are profiled and matched with companies that require their services and fit their preferred-company profile.
The blog section of the Good & Co. website follows up on their advocacy of seeking the right employer for the employee-applicant. The articles on the blog relate to HR trends, as well as topics that are of interest to startups.
39. Namely
Namely is an HR software company that markets their software and services. The blog is mainly about Human Resources-related concerns for companies of different sizes.
The blog does not limit itself to HR concerns, as it publishes articles about startups and management in general as well.
40. SmartRecruiters
SmartRecruiters is another HR company blog about various HR topics, as well as tech and small startup concerns.
SmartRecruiters acknowledges that startups have different needs from established companies, thus feature articles that are upbeat, informative, motivational, and positive in their approach to HR concerns and problems encountered by startups.
BONUS: All you need to know when putting together & managing a tech team in our Startup Crash Course 101.
Frederic Joye
Arcanys co-founder
Frederic Joye
Arcanys co-founder
Fred had been working on IT and operational projects in the finance and software industry in Switzerland for 10 years before co-founding Arcanys in 2010. With nearly 20 years of experience in the industry in Switzerland, Hong Kong, and the Philippines, Fred is now leading the worldwide sales and marketing efforts of Arcanys.
