Do a quick search for important entrepreneurs. Do you see any wrinkles on those faces? You sure don’t—some of them might even still have baby fat. Inc. does a yearly list of the top 30 entrepreneurs under 30. Business MBA decided to find out how ten of these young adults are making huge impressions on business and on the world. 

From: Business MBA

As American children, we are told that people are often wealthy because they are hard workers who built empires on boot straps and elbow grease.  As we get older, we realize that there is an even more important component of success in America: connections, and pretending you are successful and lying until enough people believe you.  If you learned this lesson after 2003, “then start a reality show” pops up somewhere in there.  For all our talk of head-down hard work, some of the most recognizable entrepreneurs in America are rank phonies who were handed billions of dollars on silver platters and used it to wipe their ass, saying “I heard Bravo’s into edgy shit like that”. 
 

Simon Cowell

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Simon Cowell was the face of British snark for much of the Aughts.  His put-downs and insults of American Idol contestants are nothing short of legendary, and somewhere in the process he created one of the most popular shows in American history.  American Idol regularly puts its time slot to shame by garnering viewers by the tens of millions.  The songs and artists that come out of American Idol have produced numerous chart-topping hits and netted Cowell’s label millions. 

If by this point you’re thinking of Simon Cowell as some sort of genius who worked his way up from the mail room to spearhead a titan of a TV show and record label, you’re actually kind of correct.  But that’s only because, by all accounts, Cowell was an insufferable twat for his entire life and the mail room was the only position even his rich and well-connected father could get for him.  Cowell’s father eventually flexed his muscles again, netting Simon as position as an assistant to a high-ranking executive at A&R.   

It is true that Cowell deserves some credit for his successes beyond this point, not the least of which was American Idol.  But to the rest of us who could only get an entry-level position at a record label through clandestine liaisons in the mens’ room, the point remains that Cowell’s monumental arrogance and general douchebaggery would have gotten him precisely nowhere without his father’s intervention. 
 

Rupert Murdoch

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Like most Australians, Rupert Murdoch reminds us why we shouldn’t allow Australians to own property, have equal rights, or infect our dreams with their terrifying wildlife.  Unfortunately, because of several tenants of the Geneva Convention and that annoying concept of common human decency, we’re forced to give these special little denizens of the southern hemisphere an equal shot.  This despite their apparent homicidal bloodlust for the English language.
 
That aside, Murdoch has managed to build a veritable empire of news media, which owns just about everything ever, except those liberal rags.  Valued in the billions of dollars, Murdoch is best known in America for spawning the laugh-fest known as Fox News, and acquiring the Wall Street Journal in order to turn its once-respected opinion page into Karl Rove’s blog.   

But despite the Fox News love of America and hard work, Murdoch was born into the newspaper industry, and groomed to replace his father at the helm of News Limited from a young age.  Following his father’s death in 1951, Murdoch took over operations and gradually steered the business to becoming one of the largest news organizations in the world.  He may have been born with a silver spoon, but Murdoch worked hard to turn News Limited in the bloated, scandal-ridden embarrassment it is today. 

George W. Bush

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George W. Bush is an international man of mystery, going by many names such as “Worst President of all Time”; “The Precocious Scamp We Love to Hate”; and “Generally Not That Good at Business”.  Before he was elected president of Texas and then president of the neighboring United States, Bush had quite a stint in the oil industry.  And by “stint” we mean he made a habit of running a company into the ground, selling it, running the company he sold it to into the ground and generally not giving a crap because his father was president of the United States and their family had gobs and gobs of money. 
 
Okay, so making fun of George W Bush is like shooting fish in a barrel.  Wait, it’s actually easier than that;  it’s like shooting a fish in a Solo cup (and also the fish is a humpback whale).  That doesn’t change the fact that every business venture he embarked upon wasn’t done through hard work or shrewd business acumen.  Nope, they all basically consisted of him getting a bunch of his father’s friends and wealthy Yale alums to pony up a couple million dollars.  Though, in all fairness, this was probably all a good dry-run for the bank bailouts. 

Carly Fiorina

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Probably the only person on this list you’ve never heard of, Carly Fiorina was once considered one of the most powerful and accomplished businesswomen in America.  Fiorina began her career as a management candidate at AT&T, and quickly rose through the ranks, overseeing the spin-off of Lucent.  Remember when their labels used to be on every phone you used in the 90s?  Phones.  Those things with the cords that go into the wall that you can talk on.

In short, Fiorina was a successful executive and was eventually picked to head HP in 1999, becoming the first woman to head a Fortune 20 company.  It was roughly around this time that Fiorina bought into her own hype and started grandstanding around the lecture circuit while trying to shove a highly unpopular merger with Compaq down the board of director’s throats.  Try to think back to the last time you bought an HP or Compaq computer and you can guess where this story is heading. 

Fiorina managed to get the Compaq deal approved, and both companies proceeded to immediately tank.  The combined company quickly became the largest personal computer manufacturer in the world, and just as quickly lost the title as sales plummeted.  Fiorina had used her considerable power and fame to ascend to HP and work the Compaq deal despite repeated objections from experts in the company (including the son of co-founder William Hewlett), but these traits couldn’t save her from getting booted off the board in 2005.  Almost immediately, stock prices rose and the company quickly regained its status as largest personal computer manufacturer in the world. 

Donald Trump

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It is a testament to Donald Trump’s greatness that in an America filled with Kardashians, Jersey Shore and Michael Bay, he still manages to stand out as a complete and utter phony. 

Trump got his start, like most of the phonies on this list, by investing in real-estate with his rich daddy.  He eventually spun this venture into retarded catch phrases and gigantic money-losing phallic emblems to himself.  After promoting himself and losing hundreds of millions of investors dollars, Trumps favorite activity is talking about how much money he has.  This started way back in the 90s, when Trump started bragging about being worth a cool billion, despite having less money then you probably do now.
 
Forbes recently valued him at around $200 million in net worth, which is certainly no figure to shake a stick at.  Donald Trump, however, has no problem shaking his stick at that number, brazenly claiming that he’s worth $7 billion.  With a “b”.  According to Trump, all those extra zeroes are the result of his “brand” which he values at around $3 billion and the rest of us value at “oh ew. ewwwww. grooooosssss.” 

To round the shameless self-promotion off, Trump decided recently he wanted to be the almost-republican nominee.  He shot to the top of the running with his ceaseless attacks on Obama’s claims of citizenship.  When asked about the quasi-racist nature of his ultimately failed campaign, the Donald kept it classy and replied, “I’ve always had a great relationship with the blacks.”

What does it take to be the World’s Youngest CEO? Marbles, apparently. A lot of marbles. At the age of 8, British “Marble King” Harli Jordean has recently been dubbed the World’s Youngest CEO, stripping 14 year-old Indian animation queen Sindhuja Rajaraman of her title. No joke, folks: The two youngest CEOs this year aren’t even old enough to have their driver’s licenses. But all CEOs have their own personal drivers anyway, right? With an almost 10-year gap separating the young guns from the younger guns, the other three entrepreneurs on our Top 5 Youngest CEOs list each come in under the age of 30.
 

Harli Jordean

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8 year-old Harli Jordean “has been obsessed with marbles ever since he was six,” according to his mother, Tina. Amazingly, this little nugget had a hobby for two years and is now the World’s Youngest CEO. Is anyone else out there starting to rethink career choices? After accruing a notable collection of marbles and later becoming frustrated by the lack of selection online, Harli and his family developed their business  (which revolves around the whimsical “Land of Marbles, where everybody has Marble MANIA”), and are now selling specialty marbles for up to $1,000 US dollars. According to Marble King’s website, Harli, who is the fedora-clad face of the company, aspires to one day “become an active co-owner and to actively take his throne, to take the leadership in running the business.” So essentially, this kid gets to live large by playing with marbles all day until he’s old enough to start balancing the books. Or old enough to hire someone to do that for him.
 

Sindhuja Rajaraman

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Coming in at a close second is 14 year-old Sindhuja Rajaraman, who is the CEO of Seppan, a successful animation company in Chennai, India. Despite being bumped from the top spot on this list earlier this year by Harli Jordean, Sindhuja still remains the youngest CEO recognized by the National Association of Software and Service Companies. And all of Seppan’s success has stemmed from yet another child with a hobby. “It all started five years back when I wanted to take my mind off studies and do something new,” she says. She credits her father, a cartoonist, as her inspiration – He taught her the art of animation that has propelled her into short-film creation. Yet despite spending the majority of her day in the Seppan offices, Sindhuja claims to be raking in a smaller salary than any of the other 10 employees. Perhaps the only CEO who is paid less than the employees, she notes. But don’t get it twisted: she still wants to play with friends and go to film school and stuff. She just has to prioritize a little (a lot) differently than the average teenage girl.
 

Adam Goldstein

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With nearly a decade between the ages of numbers two and three on our list, Adam Goldstein is still far from old (and just as close to the possibility of retirement) at the ripe old age of 23.  As the CEO of Hipmunk, a travel start-up with an adorable and aeronautically adorned chipmunk mascot, Goldstein and co. are giving better-known travel search engines like Kayak and Orbitz a run for their money.  Hipmunk “takes the agony out of flight search,” and shows users their best bet via one of the most visually appealing timeline interfaces on the web. They rank flights not only based on lowest price, but on the overall “agony” of the trip, which includes travel time and total stops. It also supports both city names and airport codes, and inserts train travel options, which are often time the cheapest (albeit longest) way to go – You know, for those of us who just can’t seem to plan ahead. 
 

Jared Hecht

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GroupMe’s Jared Hecht slides in at number four, hot on the heels of Goldstein at age 24.  Hecht’s company, which was recently acquired by Skype (for $85 million a year, no less), is, at the most basic level, seamless group text messaging. When faced with the difficultly of rallying the troops at the ever-cellularly-elusive music festival, Hecht and his partner Steve Martocci conceived a text service akin to group email chains. Every group receives a unique phone number upon sign-up, and each text sent by a member of said group is broadcasted to everyone on the chain. Thanks to GroupMe, at least one of your friends is bound to meet you at the port-a-pottys after the Cut Copy set.
 

David Karp

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Tumblr’s David Karp brings up the rear of our list at 25 years old, barely edging out  Globals Incs.’s Suhas Gopinath, who took the top spot last year. According to the NY Observer, “Mr. Karp is tall and skinny, with unflinching blue eyes and a mop of brown hair. He speaks incredibly fast and in complete paragraphs.” But sorry ladies, he’s got a girlfriend that pretty much meets this same description. Karp started Tumblr, a short-form blogging platform, to create something  “much more free-free, much less verbose” than typical blogs. Basically, if you don’t like to write but still want to create a home for our online personality (that isn’t the increasingly-invasive FaceBook), Tumblr makes it easy for you. High expression, low commitment. Just how we like ‘em these days.

The history of the international fraternity of Freemasonry is riddled with secrets. Attempting to make a definitive account of its beliefs, rituals and influence would prove to be an extremely difficult, if not impossible, task. By their very nature, the Freemasons are a mysterious group, and although in the 21st century they claim to be “less a secret society and more a society with many secrets,” they do not relinquish covert information to non-members readily. What is known about the Freemasons is that a phenomenal number of great innovators, thinkers and influential individuals have been, upon closer inspection, members of this shadowy organization. The following inventive and original minds all, in their own ways, changed the world — and they were also all members of the Freemasons.

10. Vannevar Bush (1890 – 1974)

American engineer, scientist and developer of the first electronic analogue computer Vannevar Bush is perhaps best remembered as the author of the revolutionary essay “As We May Think.” Published in 1945, it envisaged much of the technology we take for granted today, including personal computers, the Internet, hypertext, online encyclopedias, and speech recognition software. In 1939, Bush — a Worshipful Master in Massachusetts’s Richard C. Maclaurin Lodge — was appointed president of the Carnegie Institution of Washington; as such he assumed considerable influence with the US Government in military and scientific research. Bush was involved in the development and proposed use of the atomic bomb. And, as the alleged head of the “Majestic 12” — the purported code name of a secret committee of scientists, leaders and officials formed by President Harry Truman — Bush is rumored to have investigated UFO activity in the wake of the Roswell incident, the supposed crash of an alien aircraft in New Mexico in 1947. The secrets his fellow Lodge members may have heard are almost too immense to contemplate.

9. Sandford Fleming (1827 – 1915)

Sir Sandford Fleming was a Scottish-born Canadian inventor and engineer. Perhaps best known as the man who, in 1851, designed the first Canadian postage stamp, Fleming is also often credited with the invention of standard time zones. Amongst his many achievements, Fleming was chief engineer of the cross-continental Canadian Pacific Railway. Knighted by Queen Victoria in 1897, Fleming was also a Freemason. Freemasonry helped Fleming in no small way, providing him with links to many influential members across the international fraternity. His proposal of world time zones was supported by many powerful masons, most notably the fourth Governor General of Canada, 9th Duke of Argyll John Campbell. Fleming’s engineering genius also helped to bring about the trans-Pacific submarine telegraph cable, which some have dubbed the “Victorian Internet.”

8. John Theophilus Desaguliers (1683 – 1744)

The French-born astronomer, scientist, natural philosopher and priest Rev. John Theophilus Desaguliers has been credited with the invention of the planetarium and is also remembered as the man who took steam engine design a step further though the addition of a safety valve. Influenced by Sir Isaac Newton, whom he was an assistant to, the Oxford-educated Desaguliers chose to settle in England. Desaguliers was also an extremely prominent Freemason and a major force both in collating the early history of the society and in attracting noblemen to the world’s first known Grand Lodge — the Premier Grand Lodge of England. Mystery shrouds his connection with Freemasonry up to 1719, but in that year he was elected the third Grand Master, and after serving in this post he subsequently held various prestigious positions within the Fraternity — in his adopted home as well as in Europe. Desaguliers, who appears to have invested far more time in science and Freemasonry than he did in the Church of England, has been called the “Father of Modern speculative Freemasonry.”

7. King Camp Gillette (1855 – 1932)

It can be reasonably claimed that the American innovator King Camp Gillette changed the world when he launched the cheap, disposable safety razor to a grateful public in 1901. Yet the founder of the world famous Gillette brand (now a business unit of Procter & Gamble), who was known for his business acumen and innovative marketing strategies, was also a Freemason. Little is known of Gillette’s personal experience within the Fraternity, but his political ideas are well documented and must surely have been shared among other members. Gillette was a “Utopian Socialist,” and envisioned a single public-owned corporation that controlled the entire world’s industry. He also imagined a giant US-wide city named Metropolis that would be powered exclusively by Niagara Falls. King Camp Gillette: dreamer; inventor; Freemason.

6. Traian Vuia (1872 – 1950)

The Romanian inventor, engineer and aviation pioneer Traian Vuia was one of the earliest innovators in flight technology. In 1906, his self-propelled, fixed-wing aircraft – complete with landing wheels – managed to fly 39 feet, approximately 3 feet off the ground. What is less well known is that the aeronautics genius was a member of Romania’s Masonic Order, which had grown steadily more organized following the unification of its lodges in 1880. It has been reported that, in the wake of World War I, Vuia was part of a small group of Freemasons who traveled to the Peace Conference in Paris to facilitate links with the Paris Ernest Renan Lodge — and in turn, between the governments of the two countries. As a world famous innovator and designer, Vuia’s value to Romania and his lodge was priceless, while journalists who were part of the French fraternity ensured Romania got good press at the conference.

5. Antonio Meucci (1808 – 1889)

It is widely held that Alexander Graham Bell was the inventor of the telephone. However, it is also claimed that inventor, revolutionary thinker and unconfirmed Freemason Antonio Meucci had devised the principles of the telephone when Bell was still an infant, and had a working model by 1859 — long before Bell and others. Unfortunately for the Italian, due to technical omissions relating to vocal sounds in his patent — which was filed five years before Bell’s — he never gained the credit for his work; until recently, that is. In 2002, the US Congress officially recognized Meucci’s work in the development of the telephone. The rumors of Meucci’s involvement with the Freemasons appear to be largely down to his close friendship with the great military hero Giuseppe Garibaldi, the unifier of Italy. Garibaldi was an active Mason and arrived in New York around the same time as Meucci. The two shared ideas, and it seems likely that Freemasonry played some part in this exchange.

4. James Bowie (1796 – 1836)

James “Jim” Bowie, legendary frontiersman, pioneer, battle hero and reputed joint designer of the Bowie knife (with a little help from his brother, Rezin), is something of a folk hero in American cultural history. Bowie’s fame was born of violent circumstances. Having been shot and stabbed in the famous brawl known as the Sandbar Fight, Bowie killed the sheriff of Rapides Parish, Norris Wright, with an unusually long knife. It’s said that this became the basis for the design of the now-famous hunting knife. While many different manufacturers have produced their own versions of the blade, Bowie can lay claim to being the original inspiration for the design. Among his many other roles — including a slave trader and land speculator — Bowie was an esteemed member of L’Humble Chaumiere Lodge No. 19 at Opelousas, Louisiana. Yet just as his life appeared to be at its most settled and comfortable, his wife and children were killed in a cholera outbreak. He then fought and died alongside fellow national icons Davy Crockett and William Travis at the Battle of the Alamo in 1836.

3. Samuel Colt (1814 – 1862)

The American industrialist and inventor Samuel Colt is best known for popularizing the revolver that eventually led to the Colt Single Action Army, otherwise known as the Colt .45. He applied for his first patent at the age of 18, and his dream of perfecting the ‘impossible gun’ never faded. An engaging and pioneering character in the world of munitions and other fields, Colt once made a living as “the celebrated Dr. Coult,” lecturing on chemistry and performing demonstrations of the effects of Nitrous Oxide on willing audience members. Like his manufacturing rival Daniel Leavitt — who patented the first revolver after his own — and another great firearms exponent, Richard Gatling, Colt was also an active Freemason. Colt’s name will forever be associated with the gun, and interestingly his products were of great use to fellow Masons Benito Juárez, Simon Bolivar, Giuseppe Garibaldi and Sam Houston in their various violent revolutionary activities.

2. The Montgolfier Brothers (Joseph-Michel Montgolfier (1740 – 1810) and Jacque-Étienne Montgolfier (1745 – 1799))

The celebrated French inventors the Montgolfier Brothers — arguably the earliest important names in the history of aviation — performed the first manned ascent of a hot air balloon in 1783. Based on experiments with bags made of paper and fabric and a naked flame, their paper-lined silk balloon was lifted 6,562 feet in the air. In the same year they successfully transported first animals (a sheep, a rooster and a duck) and then later human passengers, the first one being Jacque-Étienne himself. Less is known about the brothers’ lives as Freemasons, but like Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier — who made the first untethered manned flight in a Montgolfier balloon — they were active members of the Fraternity.

1. Benjamin Franklin (1706 – 1790)

Benjamin Franklin, the great statesman, scientist, political theorist and philosopher, is without doubt one of the most important inventors and public figures in American history. The creator of the Franklin stove, bifocal glasses and the glass harmonica also believed in generously donating his genius and never patented his work. He was a true Renaissance man, and possibly his greatest gift to civilization was the lightning rod, which led to a greater understanding of the nature of electricity. Franklin was active as a Freemason from at least as early as 1731, when he was initiated into St. John’s Lodge in Philadelphia. Appointed Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania in 1934, he was heavily involved in Masonic work his entire life, and edited and reprinted Scotland’s Rev. James Anderson’s Constitutions of the Free-Masons in the same year as his high appointment. This was the first Masonic book in America and effectively linked the “Antient” and the “Modern” world. Franklin, known as the “First American,” was instrumental in the creation of modern America and, in doing so, brought the secrets of Freemasonry to a new nation. Or at least to its chosen few.

Those trying to start their own business love looking to other successful entrepreneurs for advice and guidance. It’s only natural to expect that someone with infinitely more success than you would have something intelligent to say, but emulating that knowledge may not always be the best idea. Here are the pros and cons of 13 business tips provided by famously successful entrepreneurs.

Andrew Carnegie

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“And here is the prime condition of success, the great secret. Concentrate your energy, thoughts and capital exclusively upon the business in which you are engaged in. Having begun in one line, resolve to fight it out on that line; to lead in it. Adopt every improvement, have the best machinery and know the most about it.” – Andrew Carnegie

On one hand, this is a great (albeit somewhat obvious) piece of advice. Being the leader in whatever niche your business specializes in is always the ideal. Having the most up-to-date equipment (and being able to use it well) is one thing that keeps the business ahead of the curve, and ahead of everyone else.

However, sometimes knowing when to stop is important as well. If you’ve invested millions of dollars in something that’s only seen a profit of one or two million over the course of many years, it may be time to stop spending money on top of the line equipment or new ‘improvements’.

Thomas Edison

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“I never perfected an invention that I did not think about in terms of the service it might give others… I find out what the world needs, then I proceed to invent.”
- Thomas Edison

Edison was a nice guy and a genius. Many successful business owners are neither. Although this outlook is both progressive and one that drips of success, being an evil greedy person can be pretty lucrative as well. If you’re too stupid to think of something that would perform for the betterment of society or improve people’s lives even in a small way, you can always own a Burger King franchise or leverage the insecurities of the American people (i.e. being a life coach, selling counterfeit diet pills), to make a decent amount of cash.

Harvey S. Firestone

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“Capital isn’t that important in business. Experience isn’t that important. You can get both of these things. What is important is ideas.” – Harvey S. Firestone

Indeed, ideas are essential to a great and incessantly thriving business. Just look at Apple: they had the ideas for all these great products, which were created and in very high demand. Then, they had the idea to release ‘versions’ of each product, trickling out new features which should have been in the original versions but were withheld in the name of making more money. On top of that, they have specially designed each product to malfunction or break entirely within just a year or two of purchasing it, forcing the buyer to pay for repairs or spend hundreds of dollars on a completely new whatever-it-was that broke.

On the other hand, ideas can be totally unimportant if you don’t have money or a track record of success to back them up. Just look at Creaky Boards and every other independent artist who ever had a song stolen. Then again, we’re talking about business and not music. In that case, there are always cases like Urban Outfitters consistently stealing other artists’ designs for their own shirts. This is only a small example of larger businesses crushing their competition by simply stealing from them. In the American justice system, the one with the most money usually wins.

John H. Patterson

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“To succeed in business it is necessary to make others see things as you see them.” – John H Patterson

It’s true, but Patterson left out the idea that a successful business often convinces people to believe or agree with something that doesn’t reflect the values or beliefs of those selling it at all. People are constantly bombarded with ads that sell the idea of happiness through consumerism. Stay connected 24/7 (every moment ever) with AT&T and stay happy. Losing weight can be fun, easy, fast, and you can still eat lots of cake while you do it! Using this Neutrogena age-defying cream will make you look younger and less wrinkly, which will make other people less frightened to speak with you, increase your self-worth and decrease your fear of leaving the house. By the way, McDonald’s is now serving ‘healthy’, ‘fresh’ smoothies and salads!

Bo Bennett

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“For every good reason there is to lie, there is a better reason to tell the truth.” – Bo Bennett

This is simply not always true. Sometimes lying can help you untie a knot you’d rather not cut, and sometimes it’s just easier to avoid hurting another person’s feelings. Lying can also be helpful in legal matters, such as when you stab your ex-wife to death but also really want to continue trying to further your athletic career.

Zig Ziglar

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“Success is the maximum utilization of the ability that you have .” – Zig Ziglar

Sometimes, the maximum utilization of the ability one has is just being a general failure. Unfortunately, not everyone was born with the potential to be great. Some people are crappy at just about everything. It doesn’t mean they shouldn’t try to be successful or do what they like. Then again, Ziglar did say that success was doing the best you can, and not necessarily being any good at it.

David Ogilvy

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“In the modern world of business, it is useless to be a creative, original thinker unless you can also sell what you create.” – David Ogilvy

Of course it makes things a whole lot easier if a person can successfully market and sell their genius idea or product. However, it shouldn’t be discouraging if you’re an idea person without a lot of strength in sales-related areas. Finding a partner can be extremely difficult because people tend to be invested in themselves more than any business venture, and trusting as well as depending on another person to pull their weight can be a scary and sometimes disastrous thing. But once a reliable partner is found, it can be the most valuable relationship those two people may ever discover. If the two hands can create a machine in which they work simultaneously, one supporting the other, both depending on one another to move smoothly and successfully, the business can be unstoppable.

Lauren Amarante

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“If you’re not in an uncomfortable situation every single day, then you’re doing something wrong.” – Lauren Amarante

A successful business is forced to deal with many obstacles. While the concept of this quote — and of dealing with unhappy issues head on — is clear, it’s also okay to have a day or two pass without an intermittent desire to ram your head against a wall. Some days can be good, but most should be beneath the weight of solving new problems and expanding the business, which can be an issue in itself.

Juliette Brindak

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“If you can find people who think that what you’re doing is great, they’re going to do everything in their power to make it a success.” – Juliette Brindak

A great team is a team that believes in your business in the way that you do, and therefore feels invested in enhancing its success. Employees, investors and friends are much more likely to help you and your business if they think it’s a really great idea with a lot of potential. At the same time, be careful who you trust with more personal details and don’t be too eager to give away responsibility to a party just because of their enthusiasm; do background checks, get to know people, and feel comfortable trusting them first.

Confucius

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“Choose a job that you like and you will never have to work a day in your life” – Confucius

You may love your job so much that you never even think about pursuing anything else, ever, but doing something that you genuinely love doesn’t cut out the unpleasantries of work. Especially in a new business, the business owner will have to conquer tasks they really do not like. Part of being successful is having flexibility and the willingness to put time and effort into all aspects of a project — whether you like them all or not. Besides, resolving to dedicate time and effort to unappealing tasks can only strengthen your knowledge and ability.

Will Smith

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“Being realistic is the most commonly traveled road to mediocrity.” – Will Smith

Yes, refusing to use your credit card for the sake of your business because you won’t be able to pay it off right away may be a boring choice that requires no risk and, therefore, has no big payoff. Denying your business other things it may need to stay ahead of the curve for the sake of money or staying low-risk is not going to end in a multi-million dollar payoff. However, it is sometimes a better idea to be ‘realistic’ rather than blow all your funding on a genius whim, or rashly investing in a last-minute chance that would have waited while you got a little more educated about it and the stipulations surrounding spending that money.

Zig Ziglar

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“Money won’t make you happy… but everybody wants to find out for themselves.” – Zig Ziglar

Just tell that to the millions of poor people who slave away on minimum wage jobs, sometimes two or three at a time, whose meager salaries hardly support their families. The concept of this quote is solid: don’t have money be your only goal. Having a lot of money but being forced to do something you hate isn’t going to make you happy, and money as the main objective doesn’t exactly make a productive work environment either. While keeping that in mind, it’s also important to note that money would definitely make many unfortunate people a lot happier for the simple reason that their quality of life would improve from struggling to making ends meet.

Jack Ma

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“Forget about your competitors, just focus on your customers.” – Jack Ma

He has a great point. Customer service is key. When a customer has a great experience with your business, they’ll want to share that information with their friends. Word-of-mouth is the most valuable type of advertising there is; firstly, it’s free. Second, no one trusts billboard ads, commercials, or catchy taglines as much as they do their own friends and families.

However, it’s also important to consider your competitors. Looking at what they’re doing may give you new ideas about improved products, let you see what has already been done, what works and what isn’t working. You can look at their customer service ratings and see what people do and do not like about their services. Although it won’t solve all your problems and copying another company is definitely not the idea, examining the competitors can give you important insight and help you to avoid certain mistakes before you make them.

 
Thanks to American Express OPEN for making this article possible as part of the Big Break for Small Business program. Visit FaceBook.com to learn more about the Big Break contest. Enter your small business for a chance to win a trip to Facebook headquarters for a one-on-one business makeover and $20,000 to grow your business with social media. See Official Rules for complete details.

Everyone who’s been successful knows that more often than not the success comes down to a combination of hard work and luck. Ideas and skill are important too. But ultimately it’s the people who increase their chances of success through perseverance and hard work who are successful. Of course there are some people who owe their success more to luck than anything else (and we’ll look at ten of those people later in this article). The fact is we’re always going to have to let some of the puzzle pieces fall into place. We can’t micromanage the world. We can’t perfectly execute every detail down to the sub-atomic level of reality. What we can do as business people, is to create the best possible set of circumstances to achieve our goals, and then to let luck work itself out from there.

When I started out my online business I didn’t know what I was doing. I had some technical skills and I had a dream: to work for myself. I took a lot of stabs in the dark. The learning curve was steep. And I failed a whole lot. But I persevered and learned what works and what doesn’t work. The perseverance allowed me to learn how to improve my chances of “getting lucky.” And eventually I got “lucky” with a few small successes. And then duplicated the “luck” a few times and got even more lucky. It turns out that in business, “luck” can be controlled.

Because of the huge respect I have for the “luck” aspect of success, I decided it would be fun for BusinessPundit to put together a list of accidental discoveries that made people rich. And here’s that article:

Sometimes the most lucrative business discoveries come about by sheer chance. Here we bring together ten resourceful men whose incidental discoveries are a template for budding entrepreneurs looking to make a quick buck. While these finds may have come about by accident, it is no coincidence that they went on to generate huge profits. Each discovery exemplifies how with ingenuity, prudent investment in R&D and a bit of good fortune, companies and individuals can make billions. Most of these discoveries found many applications, which, with some skillful marketing, were able to take the world by storm. They offer valuable lessons in business that can help anyone to start a company.

10. Frank Epperson – Popsicle

Eleven-year-old Frank Epperson became part of American folk lore when on a cold winter’s night in 1905 he left a mixture of soda powder and water on his porch with a stirring stick inside the glass. He had unknowingly created the ice lollipop. But it was not until 18 years later, in 1923, while running a lemonade stand that he began to produce his frozen treats under the name ‘Eppsicles.’ Later the name was changed and by 1924 he had patented the ice lollipop and founded the Popsicle Corporation. The following year, he set up royalty arrangements with the Joe Lowe Corporation and sold his patent. By 1928 Epperson had received royalties on more than 60 million Popsicle sales. The year of his death in 1983, Unilever paid $155 million to Empire of Carolina Inc. for the Popsicle brand.

9. Harry Coover – Super Glue

At the height of WW2, American chemist Harry Coover and his research team at Eastman Kodak set out to make clear plastic gun sights using the highly adhesive chemical cyanoacrylate. They failed and instead were stuck with Super Glue. The idea took hold and by 1958 superglue was sold as a commercial product, while under Dr Coover’s direction the R&D team at Kodak helped introduce 320 new products, resulting in a $1.8 billion to $2.5 billion sales growth. However, the company was never able to fully capitalize on his discovery after it sold the business to National Starch in 1980. Dr Coover also developed the glue for medical use and during the Vietnam War it was used as an aersol treatment for wounded soldiers. Today it has applications in surgery and to stop bleeding ulcers. Dr Coover was awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation by Barack Obama in 2010 and by the time of his death last month, he held 460 patents.

8. William Henry Perkin – Mauveine

English chemist William Henry Perkin was just 18 when in 1856 he stumbled upon the synthetic dye mauveine while trying to produce a medicine for malaria. He quickly patented the process and the following year built the world’s first organic chemical factory at Greenford Green, near London. The dye proved immensely popular and was considered the height of fashion when Queen Victoria wore a mauve silk gown at the Royal Exhibition in 1862. By the late 1860s the dye, also known as aniline purple, had lost its appeal, but Perkin had already made his fortune. Soon after he turned 36, he sold his factory and was able to live off the profits and buy a much bigger home laboratory where he devoted himself to research.

7. Roy Plunkett – Teflon

American researcher Roy Plunkett was experimenting with gases for Freon refrigerants for Dupont in 1938 when he inadvertently left a sample out overnight. By morning, it had frozen to a whitish wax. But rather than consign the lump to the trash, he tested it to discover some of its very unusual properties. By 1945 it was trademarked as Teflon and Dupont managed to find a wealth of applications for its latest profit maker, from kitchenware to cable insulation. Plunkett stayed with the company and at the time of his retirement in 1975, he was director of operations for Freon products. Teflon has since earned billions for Dupont. It goes to show how prudent investment in R&D, combined with a spot of luck, can help businesses generate mass profits.

6. Leo Hendrik Baekeland – Bakelite

Belgian chemist Leo Baekeland became the patriarch of the plastics when in 1907 he developed the polymer Bakelite, used in radios telephones and kitchenware. He had been searching for a replacement for shellac, a varnish for coating and preserving wood products. When he thought he had come close, he heated his shellac-like substance in an iron pressure cooker, his “bakelizer”. With that, plastic was born and in 1910 Baekeland founded the General Bakelite Company. The plastic was marketed as “the material of a thousand uses,” and it comes as no surprise that his discovery drew imitations, leading Bakelite products to carry logos of authenticity. Academics say Baekeland was not the original ‘accidental discoverer.’ Adolf von Baeyer had experimented with phenol and formaldehyde in 1872 to produce a lump with the same properties, which he threw in the trash. Though Bakelite, no doubt made Baekeland wealthier, he was already a made man following his earlier discovery of Velox, a paper processing technique, which he sold for around $1m. Asked by friends why he entered the polymers industry, he reportedly replied: “To make money.” He got his wish and sold the company to Union Carbide in 1939. But, as though proof that money can’t buy you love, he fell into decline, became reclusive and started eating all his meals from cans after falling out with his son. Bakelite became unfashionable from the ’50s onwards, but products made from the polymer have enjoyed a small revival more recently as retro commodities.

5. Robert Chesebrough – Vaseline

Twenty-two year old Brooklyn chemist Robert Chesebrough was in Pennsylvania in 1859 and looking to establish himself in the oil industry. He was down an oil well when he discovered a gooey substance known by workers as ‘rod wax.’ Chesebrough noticed how the workers would use the goo to heal cuts and burns. The entrepreneurial-minded chemist took a sample home for experimentation. Soon he managed to extract a usable petroleum jelly and in 1872 he patented the process before setting up business. By the late 1880s Chesebrough was selling Vaseline to Americans at the rate of one jar per minute. International operations began as early as the 1870s when his company opened an office in London with subsidiaries in Spain and France. By 1911, it began opening plants and factories in Europe, Canada, and Africa. Chesebrough died in 1933, but his company continued to reap the rewards of his discovery for decades. Shortly before Chesebrough-Ponds was sold to Unilever in 1987, it was generating over $75m dollars in profits.

4. Joseph McVicker – Play-Doh

Before it became the beloved children’s toy it is today, for 22 years Play-Doh was a wallpaper cleaner. In 1954 American Joe McVicker was working for Kutol, the company producing the dough-like substance when his sister-in-law approached him with an idea. She had taken some of the non-toxic cleaner to the nursery where she worked. The kids went wild and McVicker immediately saw a commercial opportunity. He added colorants and gave the dough a pleasant almond scent. He soon established his company, Rainbow Crafts, as a subsidiary of Kutol. Thanks to his business acumen, McVickers secured a TV ad campaign for his product, a deal unheard of for a start-up company at the time. Kutol continued to sell cans of wallpaper cleaner for 34 cents, but sold Play-Doh, the same stuff, for $1.50 a can. Play-Doh propelled Kutol’s sales from under $100,000 in 1954 to $3m within just four years. In 1960 McVicker filed for a patent and split Rainbow Crafts from Kutol. He was shipping a million-plus cans a year when he began exporting to Europe in 1964. Soon after, General Mills offered McVicker $3m for his company, the equivalent of $18m today. He accepted.

3. Arthur Fry – Post-it note

American scientist Arthur Fry was given a gift from God on a Sunday in 1973 when he came up with the idea for the post-it note while singing in his church choir. The 3M researcher had earlier attended a seminar by retired company scientist Spencer Silver. Silver had discovered a unique adhesive but had yet to find a commercially viable application. Fry’s eureka moment came when the scrap paper he had used to bookmark his hymnbook continuously fell out causing him to lose his page. He thought of Silver’s adhesive. “If I could coat it on paper,” he said, “that would be just the ticket for a better bookmark.” He began experimenting and with his new product sent messages to his boss. It was then he discovered that its best application was as a note. It took another seven years before the product was launched nationally after reservations from management, but today more than 400 post-it products are sold throughout 100 countries worldwide, with some 6 billion post-it notes sold every year. Fry earned a promotion for his part and is now enjoying a comfortable retirement.

2. Percy Spencer – Microwave Oven

American engineer Percy Spencer was experimenting with a device used to detect enemy planes during WW2 when the microwaves transmitted from the radar melted a candy bar in his pocket. He began testing with popcorn and eggs and invited a colleague to witness his findings. The colleague saw how the egg would shake as it heated. As he marveled at this spectacle, the egg splattered over his face. Spencer began a secret project codenamed “The Speedy Weenie,” meaning quick hot dog. By the late 1940s, Raytheon secured a patent for the use of microwaves to cook food. For the first decade microwaves were large and expensive, but by 1975, 14% of American households were cooking by microwave. Spencer, who held 150 patents during his lifetime, became Senior Vice President and a senior member of the Board of Directors at Raytheon. His legacy helped the microwave manufacturer turn over $25bn last year.

1. George de Mestral – Velcro

Finally, a valuable lesson in resourcefulness. Swiss engineer George de Mestral was taking a morning stroll through the countryside in 1941 when he noted how hard it was to remove the flowers of mountain thistle from his trousers and his dog’s coat. He examined the burdock burrs under a microscope and saw hundreds of small hooks that explained the thistle’s adhesive properties. With his scientific background, de Mestral set out to invent an innovative new fastening system. Ten years later, Velcro was born. De Mestral obtained a patent in Switzerland and his product began to hit the shelves throughout Europe by the late ’50s. However, it took some time before he would see a return on his efforts. Velcro was not popularized until the ’70s when NASA astronauts began to use it for space suits and to secure food pouches. De Mestral was selling over sixty million yards of Velcro per year before he sold the company and worldwide patent rights to Velcro SA, a Swiss company (later Velcro International). Before he left he gave the company executives some sound advice: “If any of your employees ask for a two-week holiday to go hunting, say yes.” According to his wife he lived on royalties and profits from his Swiss factory for the remaining 30 years of his life.

Wanna be an entrepreneur? Think it’s a glamorous gig that will change your life for the better?

Carol Roth will set you straight. Roth, a longtime business adviser and former investment banker, has made a career out of helping businesses succeed through endearingly frank and applicable advice. In a floppy economy full of wannabe business owners, Carol has turned her attention to entrepreneurs–what helps them succeed and, equally importantly, why they fail. I caught up with Carol to learn more about her unique take on entrepreneurship.

BP: What are some of the main reasons that people fail at entrepreneurship?

I have a saying that if you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail. So many people go into business because they are in lust with a business idea. I call it business beer goggling.

They basically see something as a new idea and it looks really good. Then, all of a sudden they wake up one day and go, “Oh boy! That wasn’t what I thought it looked like.”

I think people are in lust with the idea when they’re creative and trying to fill a hole. They go in with the wrong mindset, not really understanding what it takes to run a business, not taking the time to stack the odds in their favor, not pursuing opportunities that have enough upside. Those are the things that make them fail–or some people don’t like that word, so we’ll say “fail to succeed”–in business.

BP: It sounds a lot like a relationship.

It is. I would say they have similar principles. Don’t date anyone before you get married. You would never do that unless you were in Las Vegas and there was a lot of alcohol involved.

People don’t take the time. They want to rush in. They want to marry their idea. They want to put all of their money into a business opportunity, and they haven’t taken the time to test it out. I use that analogy all the time. It would be like marrying a bad kisser because you didn’t take the time to test that out before you committed to marry it.

BP: How can people take the time to test, or prepare in the way that you say, without losing their enthusiasm for the idea?

I think what happens is, a lot of times, they do lose the enthusiasm for the idea, which gives you the feeling that if you’re not going to be excited and passionate about this over the long-term, you shouldn’t pursue it.

But there are a couple of ways that you can test out the businesses. One is really simple and this is usually the eye-opener. You can actually go work in somebody else’s business for a couple of months, on nights or weekends, or you can even quit your job and work there full time.

I had a woman who came to me and wanted to open a restaurant, as about every third person does. She was really passionate. She was in the banking industry and financial services and had been through all kinds of roller coasters over the past couple of years. She just wanted something that she thought was going to be better suited for her.
So she was going to open a sandwich franchise. I said, “Great! How much time have you spent in the restaurant industry?”

“Well, I eat there every day,” she said.

“Well, that doesn’t really qualify you,” I said to her. “Do me a favor. Nights and weekends, go get a part-time job at your local franchise. See if you like it. See if you’re any good at it. See if you can get yourself promoted. Pretend you’re Nancy Drew and take a magnifying glass to learn all the ins and outs and the things that might be stumbling blocks for you and let’s reconvene.”

I really only think it lasted three months and she came back to me and said, “If I never see another $5 foot long again in my entire life, it will be too soon.” It’s because she had really glamorized what it meant to own this restaurant and to have this supposed freedom. When she got to see it up close, the enthusiasm did wane.

Had she said, at that point in time, “you know what, this verifies it. This is great. I learned that you really need to be focused on quick turn time or servicing the customer.” Then she would have been in a really great position. But no, she went right from lust to let’s get married. That’s not a good thing.

Another really great example, and again it happens to be a restaurant, but the Rainforest Café. The gentleman who started that–it’s a big theme restaurant that really looks like you’re in a rainforest–built a prototype for the concept in his backyard, before he built it out. He had people come over to see if it was cool and a place they would go to. He evaluated what kind of food they wanted. He really tested it on a small scale and on a limited budget before he invested the millions and millions of dollars it took to open up the first unit.

I think the key is if you can go through it on somebody else’s dime and someone else’s location, fantastic. If you can set aside a budget, even if you’re baking cupcakes, bake them for your friends and family and people in the neighborhood first. And don’t just see if you can just sell them once because everyone has friends or family that will buy something from you once because they feel bad for you.

Do they call you up the next day jonesing for them; “Oh my God. I can’t stop thinking about those cupcakes,” or do they never call you again? If they never call you again, then guess what? Your cupcakes maybe aren’t so good and you shouldn’t go into business.

It’s these really small things you can do to test something out on a limited budget in a defined period of time to really stack the odds of success in your favor.

BP: I remember when I first started my own business. I kind of got thrown into it. I got laid off from a job the same week I closed on a property and was taking care of somebody’s nightmarish kitten. I was just going nuts. I just felt like I had no alternatives. So I bought a book on how to freelance and I just started doing it. I had no idea what I was doing.

I know there are some people who have become entrepreneurs in similar situations. I know also that a lot of people tend to freak out once they lose their jobs. How do you reconcile that very strategic, rational, “OK, Let’s try it,” mindset with the desperation that drives a fair amount of entrepreneurs?

I think that there is a difference between making money to supplement an existing situation and making a long-term investment and career decision. So absolutely, if you need to pay your mortgage or put some food on the table and there’s a way you can do that, then you do that for the short-term, but eventually, you’re going to need to make a decision on whether you’re going to invest in that path or go back to find a job. That’s when it’s time to be strategic. You definitely don’t want to do it in a state of panic, because chances are, you’re going to make a poor decision.

You probably know from being in this situation, that we’re not just talking about the startup costs for business; you have to be willing to operate it and live for a certain period of time. For a lot of businesses, it can take a couple of years for it to really get going.

Some people are fortunate and they can make some money real quickly. But a lot of times, people aren’t necessarily looking for the product or service or there’s a long sale cycle and not everybody’s ready and raring to go as a customer the day that you’re ready to hang your shingle out.

I think that if you’re in this panic of desperation, you might have to go down this path temporarily. You might do something on the side to make some money or you might even take up lesser jobs to make some money, while you pursue whatever it is you ultimately want to do.

The one thing that really kills me that people always tell me is, “Oh, well, my job is not secure.” Well, neither is your business. They say, “Well, I have to go and I have to convince all these companies to hire me.” Well, you also have to convince all your customers to buy from you on a regular basis.

I think that there was a perception of job security in the past and now people are realizing that nothing is a given. Now they’re just sitting there and going, “oh, well then I can take control of my own business.”

The reality is that you still don’t have control. At the end of the day whether it’s a company or a business, the customers are in charge. And so, I think that there’s a little bit of irrational thinking there. That leads people onto that path without realizing that they have to encounter the same challenges but now their bosses all have different agendas.

BP: Is there a certain kind of person that’s most likely to fail at entrepreneurship?

Yeah, I create a framework that I call ‘The Entrepreneur Equation’ from my book of the same name. I go through motivation, and timing, opportunity and personality.

I always say, if you don’t have the personality for it, it doesn’t matter if you’re motivated by the right reasons, or the opportunity is the best one in the world. If you’re not the right person and then regardless of the rest of it, it’s not the way to go.

There are a probably two different ways that I would categorize that. One is the very scientific test that I call, ‘Are you Santa Claus, or are you an Elf?’ And the thing about Christmas, it takes one Santa Claus that has the vision, and lots of elves to do the execution day in and day out.

Starting a business is very much like being Santa Claus. You have to wear multiple hats, you have to organize lots of different tasks and be good at doing different things. You don’t’ really get to focus on any one thing. And oh, by the way, if the presents don’t get delivered, you get blamed.

If you are somebody who doesn’t really want to do that, but you want to focus on one thing, or you really like to take direction, but you don’t like to take the ball and run with it, or you just like to really go deep into something, or you like to be behind the scenes, then you’re more like an elf. And if you’re more like an elf, then you shouldn’t be running a business, you shouldn’t be playing Santa Claus.

So, Santa has a good chance of success, and an elf shouldn’t quit their day job. I think that that’s one thing right up front.

The other thing is that personality traits can change over time. If you think about entrepreneurship, there has to be the ability to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. You have to be able to tolerate risk. You have to be willing to ride a roller coaster on a day–to-day basis. And really do different things, whether it’s financial risk or just kind of not knowing what’s ahead of you, because some people really just don’t like that.

If you don’t like that, you’re going to be miserable as a business owner, because that is very much what you’re going to endure on a day to day basis. So if you’re the one that just likes the routine, likes to know what’s ahead of you, likes the predictability, great. Good. Know yourself, and know that this is not going to be for you.

BP: What are some of the difficulties that females face in entrepreneurship?

A lot of women go into business based on creativity and passion. It’s something that is, you know, is cute or creative, but they don’t necessarily have a goal for their business. They don’t really know what they want it to be. They’ll end up with what I call ‘jobbies’, which is a hobby that’s disguised as a job or a business.

Or think of a job-business, which is just nothing more than a business which is entirely dependent upon them. And then, if they go on vacation, their business doesn’t make any money.

I think that for women, it’s really important for them to set goals and intentions for the business, and really make some decisions as far as what it is that they want to do. I see so many women over and over again with jobbies, who basically have invested tons and tons of money in a website and business cards and a built up a bunch of inventory for something that really isn’t a viable business, just because they have a creative brainstorm. They don’t really take the time to think about the goals, and to see if it was a viable business and come up with a plan behind it.

If you really want to really build something, if want to be somebody who employs other people and helps the economy grow, and really make a name for yourself, then you have to do something totally different. And I think that just having that intention is so critical because you can’t come up with a plan to get somewhere if you don’t know where it is that you want to go.

Official bio: Carol Roth helps businesses grow and make more money. An investment banker, business strategist and deal maker, she has helped her clients, ranging from solopreneurs to multinational corporations, raise more than $1 billion in capital, complete hundreds of millions of dollars in M&A transactions, secure high-profile licensing and partnership deals, create brand loyalty programs and more.

Carol is a frequent radio, television and print media contributor on the topics of business and entrepreneurship, having appeared on Fox News, MSNBC, Fox Business, WGN TV Chicago (video) and more. She is also signed to LA-based t.v. production company Snackaholic who is currently developing a television show around Carol’s life as a business expert and personality. Carol’s Unsolicited Business Advice blog at CarolRoth.com was recently named as one of the Top 10 small business blogs online.

Before you decide to join the ranks of America’s self-employed, find out if business ownership is right for you. Try these 6 steps.

Know your motives.
Are you bored, wanting to be free of a boss, or eager to jump on the bandwagon of a hot technology? These are not valid reasons to start a business. But if you’re focused on solving a customer problem, believe you can do better than anyone else, and are dying to work long hours, wear many hats, and balance responsibilities, you have the right start-up mindset.

Meet the people.
If you equate business ownership with solitude and freedom from annoying coworkers or managers, you’re in for a surprise. Entrepreneurs spend most of their time dealing with people — investors, professionals such as lawyers and accountants, suppliers, and customers.

Prepare yourself.
Ever managed employees and vendors? Do you know your industry inside and out, including aspects such as accounting and marketing? If you don’t have all the entrepreneurial skills you need, acquire them before starting your business. Spend time working in a similar company, shadow a business in your industry, or accept an internship.

Check your checkbook.
Be honest about your relationship with money. Do you have money to invest? Are you able to lose it all? Will you rely on others? Do you avoid financial risk at all costs? Are you “good” with money? How you handle money now will influence the type of financial manager you’ll be.

Know your competition.
Is your market saturated with successful businesses? Is your industry littered with bad businesses? Is anyone doing what you want to do? If not, why not? To brand your business and woo investors, you’ll need to understand why and how you can outshine competitors.

Test your scalability.
Successful businesses rely on automation and delegation. Will you be able to teach other employees to do your work? If your business relies on your brain and skills alone, you might have a successful job, but not a successful business.

Official bio: A popular media personality on Fox News, MSNBC, and WGN-TV Chicago, among others, Carol Roth has an award-winning blog at www.CarolRoth.com. Her new book is The Entrepreneur Equation: Evaluating the Realities, Risks, and Rewards of Having Your Own Business (BenBella Books, March 2011).

But we no longer just learn from official academic sources. In this day and age we learn just as much from blogs and citizen journalists and yeah, even controversial events like Wikileaks. The world has become much more dynamic. Sometimes this is confusing. Sometimes it’s hard to know who’s telling the truth. But really, this decentralization of information makes it easier for the truth to emerge through collective analysis and consensus rather than being pushed down our throats by the elite.

So we were glad to see a recent ranking of business and entrepreneur blogs that focuses on the teaching role that they play. You know, the tangible, real-world, practical advice they provide. While BusinessPundit was not included on the list, we are happy to see many of our friends acknowledged for service they offer to the online community as a whole.

Here are the top 10:

1. Blogtrepreneur
2. Breaking Free
3. Church of the Customer
4. Daily Dose
5. DanteLee.com Blog
6. e360 Blog
7. Erica.Biz
8. I Will Teach You To Be Rich
9. Mixergy
10. Quick Sprout

The original list has twenty five blogs that are all worth getting to know. Go here to visit: Top 25 Business and Entrepreneurship Blogs of 2011

Virtual assistant
Help clients out by providing secretarial, technical, or creative support from your home office.

Providing content
Blogs, websites, even magazines need content to stay fresh and relevant. Put your writing, photography, or other artistic skills to work for pay.

Freelance programmer
Everyone needs a programmer. You’re especially relevant and valuable if you can program mobile apps.

Affiliate marketing
Drive traffic to big sites like Amazon and eBay, or even to smaller sites via online ads and your website, then get a commission in return.

Reselling products
Buy a bunch of products at one price, set up a website, and resell them to interested buyers for profit.

Ebooks
Ebooks in every topic are a hot commodity. You could either get them written and sell them via your website, or write them yourself.

Home study courses
Learning a new skill is as easy as getting online, and if you have a specialty, it’s a good time to turn it into a home study course that you can sell for profit.

Reports
Research a topic that people just can’t find a solution to, package it into a report, then sell each report for money.

Educational videos
From fixing dishwashers to understanding myopia, people are hungry to learn online. Help them with your educational videos.

Selling software
From Internet security to marketing support, everyone with a computer is looking for some kind of software. Help them find it by selling it on your site.

Day trading
If you’re willing to rise early, study markets, and put in winning bets, this three-hour-a-day job could be for you.

Google AdSense websites
Create one or more blogs or websites, and make money by showing Google AdSense ads.

Selling ad space
Build a website, increase traffic to it, and advertisers will be knocking on your door to pay you for ad space.

Flipping domains
See a potentially hot domain name that hasn’t been taken yet? Buy it up and flip it for profit.

Online auctions
Yes, buying up someone else’s junk at garage sales, then selling it for a premium on eBay still does work.

Data entry
Everyone needs data entry, but few are willing to do it. If you’re one of those few, you can find contract jobs online.

Paid online surveys
Marketers will pay as much as $300 per day for in-person surveys. Online surveys will net you less, but if you do enough of them, you can make yourself a handsome little nest egg.

Network marketing
Proven products always need more sellers. Find a niche you like, put up a small amount of money upfront, make lots of phone calls and online inquiries, and watch the profits roll in.

Selling your handiwork or crafts
If you consider yourself an artsy-craftsy person, add the fruits of your labor to Etsy.com and transform them into dollars.

Flipping websites
Take someone’s flailing website off their hands, polish it up, and find a buyer who wants it.

Naming domains
If you’re good at naming things, try your hand at domain naming for profit at PickyDomains.com.

Writing software reviews
If you geek out on new apps, programs, and other software, writing reviews on SoftwareJudge.com can make you money.

Writing Google AdWords ads
Everyone wants good AdWords ads, but not everyone can write them well, as any Google search will demonstrate. Prettifying AdWords ads can make you a profit.

Write sponsored posts on your blog
Companies everywhere are dying for social media exposure. Get enough user traction on your blog, and make moola writing paid posts through an agency like PayPerPost.com.

Social media expert
If you have a real aptitude for gaining a following on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook, outsource those skills to companies as a social media expert.

Write an ezine with a paid subscription
If you have valuable content to offer, consider writing an ezine, then charging users to read it. This is an especially promising strategy as the age of the tablet rears its head.

Online research
Lots of people and companies need research done, but not everyone has the time to do it. Pimp your skills as a researcher-for-pay.

Flipping blogs
See a potentially huge blog that’s been neglected by its owner? Snap it up, fix it up, increase traffic, and flip it to a buyer for a profit.

Transcribing
Transcribing audio content can be a slow, time-consuming process, and the truth is, there’s just not that much good transcribing software out there. This could be your niche.

Recruiting
Becoming a freelance recruiter can offer handsome benefits, especially if you do it at the executive level.

Consulting
Pitch yourself as an expert in your field and harness your connections to consult for a living.

Life coach
Do you like to motivate people? Got business acumen? If so, exchange your skills for cash as an online life coach.

Online travel agent
Although lots of travel planning is now automated, you can still make money as a specialized travel agent, either for a travel portal or on a consulting basis.

Selling products
If you have something to sell, there’s a place for you to sell it, from Craigslist to eBay to Amazon to all kinds of specialty sites.

Dropshipping
Be the middleman between a customer and a wholesaler by shipping goods that a customer orders from said wholesaler–and marking them up in the process.

Graphic design
Put your artistic skills to use by designing posters, ads, business cards, and more.

Web design
Outsource your skills to the legions of companies and individuals looking for a new or improved website.

Selling used books
Selling used books on sites like Amazon.com and, if you sell the right books, quite lucrative.

Internet marketing
From blog guest posts to Facebook to newsletters, Internet marketing requires know-how, but you get paid bucks in return.

Accounting
If you’re a CPA, jump online to bring in more business.

SEO
What use is a website if a search engine can’t find it? Put your search maestro skills to use by becoming an SEO expert.

Apartment/roommate locator
Use your real estate acumen to find people the perfect apartment or home to rent, or even hook them up with a roommate.

Bookkeeping
Record financial transactions for clients, or work in billing.

Collections
Work as a bill collector from home.

Make how-to videos
Make quality how-to videos and sell them for profit.

Payroll services
Take care of payroll administration for businesses that can’t do it in-house.

Cartridge refill
Have people mail you their empty ink cartridges, refill them at home, and mail them back.

Software beta testing
Become a beta tester for the many software companies putting out new products.

Vitamin sales
Tinctures, creams, and anything with the word anti-aging on it has a hot market. Gear up a site to sell these products online.

Medical claims billing
There are a lot of medical claims that need to be billed–and everyone outsources. Get trained and jump on this for guaranteed bucks.