Online Networking Sites Helping Entrepreneurs

A new breed of online networking sites are setting out to help you become an entrepreneur!

Have an idea for your own business, but need help getting off the ground? There's a way to hook up with experts anywhere in the world and get the advice you need to get moving.

You might say engineer, turned entrepreneur, Charles Locklin had a 'bright' idea. "It's almost like a standard Christmas light, but it's got a control box that we can change the color," he said.

His idea - rope lights that change color to match any mood or holiday. They're basically Christmas lights you leave up all year round.

Locklin knew he had a product but had no idea how to turn his product into a viable venture. To help he turned to the business advice website Score.org.

Locklin e-mailed his needs and the site matched him with mentor Al Grossman who is a retired lighting company owner in another state.

"He knew what he was doing with the components, but he didn't have any marketing skills," Grossman said.

First the two communicated by online chat, and then eventually had face-to-face meetings. Grossman helped Locklin hash out a business plan and even figure out how to import products from China.

Locklin says, "A ny kind of knowledge from somebody else, who's been there and done that, it's invaluable."

Score.org is just one of nearly a dozen websites aimed at budding entrepreneurs looking for help. "These new websites - they make it easier than ever before to do," says Rieva Lesonsky with Entrepreneur Magazine. "It breaks all geographic boundaries."

With the freedom of the internet an individual can scour the country for the best expert for them, a component that's critical according to Lesonsky. "There's a lot of things that as a neophyte entrepreneur you're not going to know that some expert can come in and give you the key to success."

The websites vary. Some are for anyone, others target women, and others cater to high revenue industries. Some sites feature forums where you post questions for business people to answer and others match you with mentors.

Personal Chef Dana Cox found a mentor online to help with her business.

Cox filled out a profile on MicroMentor.org and eventually hooked up with a fellow small business owner who had experience marketing specialized services. "It was good to have someone to be accountable to. Your friends and family will say, 'Oh, that's a great idea, you should do that. They won't necessarily push you a step further," she said.

There are a few things you should do before deciding on a mentor: * Before deciding on a mentor, be sure to check out the person's background * Make sure you're comfortable working together * Protect your business ideas with a non-disclosure agreement * Be aware that most advice is free

Locklin didn't pay a dime for the help he received and now his future is bright. The novice entrepreneur expects to sell more than a million lights this year.

According to the Small Business Administration, more than 50-percent of workers in the United States are employed by small businesses. Economic downturns like the one we're going through now are historically the biggest times for small business startups.

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