[The VOICE] Entrepreneur Roundup: Porn Addict, November, James Harden & Hurricane Sandy

A lot is going on in the world of startups, business owners and entrepreneurs. Here are some great articles you should read from the week of October 28, 2012.

CEO Blog Nation

1. Welcome to November (via CEO Blog Nation): November is a great month because brings families together for Thanksgiving and it also it is the 11^th month of the year. As entrepreneurs and business owners begin closing out the year there are many great reasons to love November.
2. [ANSWERS] – Essential Skills for Entrepreneurs (via Rescue a CEO): CEO Blog Nation and Rescue a CEO asked entrepreneur what they believed were the essential skills that entrepreneurs and business owners needed.
3. Spend Time with Your Customers to Stand Out (via Rescue a CEO): It is essential that every business understand exactly how important it is to ensure their customers are satisfied long after a sale has been made.
4. What You Can Learn from the James Harden Deal (via Progreshion): Entrepreneurs and business owners that are growing and building their business can learn three lessons from the Oklahoma City Thunder and the trading of James Harden.
5. [ANSWERS] What is the Best State to Be an Entrepreneur? ( via Rescue a CEO): CEO Blog Nation and Rescue a CEO want to know what the best places in the world are to be an entrepreneur or business owner.
6. The Men Who Built America Coverage #menwhobuiltamerica (via Hearpreneur): The Men Who Built America chronicles the lives of Cornelius Vanderbilt, John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, J.P. Morgan and Henry Ford. CEO Blog Nation and Hearpreneur have covered the series by hearing from popular social networks like Instagram and Twitter.
7. Why Did You Start Your Business Week of October 28th (via Hearpreneur): Entrepreneurs and business owners explain why they started their business.
8. Vocabulary for Entrepreneurs: Hustle (via Teach a CEO): Arguably the word hustle might be one of the most polarizing terms that is used often when it comes to business and startups.

Across the Web

1. How a Small Business Can Recover from Hurricane Sandy and Other Natural Disasters (via Forbes): A quick summary of resources for business owners that have been affected by the disaster.
2. Tips for Small Businesses Post Hurricane Sandy (via Small Business Trends): Hurricane Sandy left an estimated 8 million households and small businesses without power and caused what is likely to be billions of dollars’ worth of damage. If your small business has been impacted by hurricane Sandy, there are steps that you can take to quickly get up and running again.
3. 72 Percent of Freelancers And Consultants Say They’re Entrepreneurs (via Small Business Trends): In findings from the 2012 Freelance Industry Report, Ed Gandia surveyed 1491 freelancers and 72% of those polled see themselves as entrepreneurs (note that majority of those surveyed fall into the writing, designing and technology skills that Susan mentioned above as well as some of the consulting skills in marketing, business planning to name a few).
4. Startup Execution Transcends the Idea from Day One (via Startup Professionals): A startup begins with a great idea, but all too often, that’s where it ends. Ideas have to be implemented well to get the desired results. Good implementation requires a plan, and a good plan and good operational decisions come from good people. That’s why investors invest in entrepreneurs, rather than ideas.
5. 5 Little-Known iPhone and iPad Apps for Startups (via Entrepreneur): Apple has put together a collection of apps designed to help any new business owner work faster and more efficiently.
6. Gary Vaynerchuk on Turning Customer Complaints into Opportunities [VIDEO] (via Entrepreneur): The serial entrepreneur explains why you should be thrilled when consumers bash your brand.
7. Watch Our Google Hangout With Stars of ‘Shark Tank' [VIDEO] (via Entrepreneur): The Shark Tank stars talked about entrepreneurship and pitching investors, while they dished some secrets of what it's like behind the scenes of the popular reality show.
8. 3 Ways to Kick Start Your Business in 2013 (via Entrepreneur): It's Q4, time to pull your head out of 2012 and start thinking about upping your business game in the coming yea.
9. 10 Best Countries for Women in 2012 (via Forbes): Forbes released its annual list of the 10 best countries for women last week, and the United States is noticeably missing from the list.
10. 7 Tips On Selling Yourself from the OxiClean's “As Seen On TV Pitchman” (via Fast Company): TV pitchman Anthony “Sully” Sullivan offers advice on how to sell yourself.
11. Why Social Media Marketers Should Shelve Holiday Hard-Sell (via Fox Small Business): Marketers are facing a conundrum this holiday season, a new study suggests. Consumers want to see more deals on social media than brands have been offering.
12. 9 Rules for Serving the Difficult Customer (via Open Forum): The real cost of dealing with these irate customers can be significant in terms of capacity, stress and dollars. Satisfying an angry, rude, or condescending customer does not have to be difficult. Here are nine rules that can help you turn difficult customers into happy clients.
13. Does Entrepreneurship Education Still Matter? (via Open Forum): Today, entrepreneurship education at the nation’s colleges and universities is booming.
14. LinkedIn Company Pages: 5 Things You’re Probably Not Doing (via Social Media Today): If you want to use your Company Page to generate leads or referrals, it’s time to take advantage of the feature-rich LinkedIn Company Page.
15. Why B2B Marketers Might Want to Cozy Up to LinkedIn Ads (via Hubspot Blog): So to attract new business, especially if you’re a B2B player, you need alternative ways to reach customers. For B2B companies, increasingly, that means shifting some ad dollars to LinkedIn, the networking site for professionals that has garnered 175 million users (40 million in the U.S.) since 2002.
16. Small business hiring improves for first time since May, but only slightly (via Washington Post): Hiring by small businesses last month improved for the first time since May, according to a monthly survey by the National Federation of Independent Businesses.
17. How to Create a Positive User Experience with Online Video (via She Takes on the World): When filming your online videos, the aim is to create a positive experience for your viewers, and keep them engaged with you and your key messages.
18. Small Businesses: Check Out A Contest or Competition for Funding ( via Small Business Trends): There are lots of ways to fund growth, but a quick source of funds and resources can be a competition or contest.  Check out our hand-picked list of quality contests specifically for small businesses.
19. Do You Have an Emergency Plan? 4 Disaster Preparedness Tips for Businesses, Homeowners and Renters (via SBA): Tips for Businesses for Emergencies.
20. The Best Way to Get Unstuck (via Seth Godin): Don't wait for the right answer and the golden path to present themselves. This is precisely why you're stuck.
21. Some Businesses Choose Not to Grow (via New York Times): One of the biggest decisions business owners face is whether to try to expand their businesses.
22. Are You a Startup Porn Addict (via Under 30 CEO): Startup porn, simply put, is a collection of entertaining, stimulating, and worthless activities that distract an entrepreneur from focusing on what really matters, hindering future achievements.
23. How Marketers Can Take Advantage Of Apple’s iOS 6 (via Marketing Land):  This new release includes a number of great features that marketers can take advantage of to increase their reach and presence online. In this article, you’ll learn what an iOS is, how iOS 6 is different, and how you can utilize these changes to improve your marketing.
24. Using Cash Mobs to Support Local Businesses (via Black Enterprise): A new type of flash mob has appeared and it’s not about synchronized singing or dancing, instead it’s all about synchronized spending & support for local businesses. Cash mobs are flash mobs to boost businesses.
25. Specialization Doesn’t Limit Your Business – It Grows It (via BlogTrepreneur): In our evolving economy, the ability to diversify your business model can mean life or death. However, it may be more beneficial, in the long term, for a company to specialize.
26. Preparation is Good Manners (via Chris Brogan): The importance and benefits of preparation.
27. Using Your Personal Bank Account for Your Business?…Think Again! (via CorpNet): Too many small business owners make the mistake of using a personal bank account for their business. While it may seem like a silly formality to open a business account, using your personal account can affect your legal liability. If you’re still using your personal bank account for your business, here’s what you need to know.
28. Blogging As Part of Your Marketing Strategy (via Danny Brown): Highlight of the four key points that you can take away for your own blog and marketing combination.

Image courtesy of Victor Habbick / FreeDigitalPhotos.net