The Ultimate List: 40 Social Networking Sites Specifically for Small Business, Entrepreneurs, and Startups
We all know of the huge social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook. They’re great for large scale connections and discussion.
But, as entrepreneurs and small business owners sometimes it’s nice to connect with other like minded individuals in a smaller, more focused setting.
If that sounds like what you are looking for in a social network, the below list is for you.
We’ve scoured the Internet looking for social networking sites specifically for small businesses, entrepreneurs and startups, and found 40 we feel are worth a look.
1. LinkedIn
LinkedIn, The grandaddy of business social networks. LinkedIn strengthens and extends your existing network of trusted contacts
2. Meet The Boss
Meet the Boss is a business networking tool for business executives around the world, across all vertical industries. Content is all in English.
3. PartnerUp
PartnerUp is an online networking community that entrepreneurs and small business owners use to find the expertise and resources they need to start and grow a business. Members can connect with potential partners, advisers, and business resources.
4. Qapacity
Qapacity is a business-oriented social networking site and a business directory founded in March 2008 and launched in February 2009. User are given a set of tools to promote their business online, to keep their clients and business partners up-to-date with their work and to reach new clients.
5. Ryze
Ryze.com is a free social networking website designed to link business professionals, particularly new entrepreneurs.
6. Talkbiznow
Talkbiznowis a comprehensive interactive business networking site for business professionals.
7. XING
XING is a social software platform for enabling a small-world network for professionals.
8. Yelp, Inc.
Yelp is a local business review and talk networking site, including user reviews and recommendations.
9. FledgeWing
FledgeWing is an online community aimed at entrepreneurial university students launched in February 2009.
10. The Funded
TheFunded allows entrepreneurs to research, rate, and review venture capital sources worldwide
11. Cofoundr
Cofoundr is a private social network for entrepreneurs, programmers, designers, investors, and other individuals deeply involved with starting new ventures.
12. Perfect Business
PerfectBusiness helps entrepreneurs launch and grow their businesses. Our resources include easy-to-use tools and resources, plus a network of entrepreneurs
13. Biznik
End your isolation and invisibility with Biznik, the local, independent entrepreneurial community where collaboration beats competition.
14. StartupNation
StartupNation provides real-world business advice to people who want to start a business and who want to grow their small businesses.
15. Entrepreneur Connect
Entrepreneur Connect is the social network where small-business owners can create a profile, explore the community, share ideas and make connections. This site is not intended for mass self-promotion, but rather should be a positive destination where entrepreneurs can exchange real advice and make lasting connections.
16. Young Entrepreneur
Young Entrepreneur Forums – your online discussion forum to share and talk about Entrepreneurship
17. Blogster
Blogsteris a resources for free weblogs. Offers tools, tips, and opportunities to share.
18. Konnects
Konnects is a social media platform that is embedded on the site of an online newspaper or publication to bring engagement to the organization’s site.
19. Upspring
Upspring is a business networking, local Internet marketing, local advertising, product promotion, and online marketing services
20. Fast Pitch
Fast Pitch is a Social Network for Business Networking Professionals to market their business, press, blogs, events and networks.
21. E.Factor
The E.Factor is a vibrant, global community for Entrepreneurs. E.Factorhelps you build your business, find financing, network with like minded entrepreneurs
22. BizToo
BizToois a Global Co-Operation and Social Network of entrepreneurs worldwide. BizToo helps entrepreneurs make the contacts
23. Go Big Network
Go BIG Network helps connect companies with investors.
24. Black Businesswomen Online
A Social Network for Black Business Women and Women Entrepreneurs
25. Networking for Professionals
Networking for Professionals offers online networking and business events. Get Connected today, both online and in the real world.
26. Spoke
Spokeoffers on-demand business to business contact information for sales people, marketers, and recruiters enabling Sales Lead Generation, and Business List building.
27. Ning
Ning is an online service to create, customize, and share a social network.
28. Unstucture.org
Unstructureis an open discussion platform for business professionals, bloggers and contemporary thought leaders to discuss and debate action ideas that would aid the evolution of business. Unstructure consists of an online discussion forum (where you are currently), an annual physical event and a book of insight and action ideas for businesses of the future.
29. Home Based Business Network
The Home Based Business Network is an online community and resources for starting a home based business, featuring home business profiles, blogs, forums, videos, ideas, and more!
30. Freelance Face
The Freelance Face is the freelance social network. By freelancers, for freelancers.
31. Blellow
Blellow is a community with a focus on productivity. It’s a place for freelancers and professionals to collaborate, find work, and solve problems
32. StartUp
StartUpis a fast growing small business, startup, social network.
33. Ecademy
Ecademy offers online networking for business, offline networking events and global networking groups.
34. Focus
Focus is a business destination where business professionals can help each other with their purchase and other business decisions. Share expertise in functional areas of business. Numerous categories – small business, HR, Finance, Sales, Marketing, Etc.
35. JASEzone
JASEzone is a professional community where you can find potential clients and business partners.
36. Ziggs
Ziggs is a professional connection portal. They have in one index over 1 million profiles.
37. Black Business Space
Black Business Spaceis a commUNITY of business owners, and entrepreneurs.
38. Jigsaw
Jigsaw offers an online business card networking directory. Easily establish contacts with each other.
39. YouNoodle
YouNoodle is a place to discover and support the hottest early-stage companies and university innovation.
40. Raise Capital
RaiseCapital is the premiere online destination for entrepreneurs to showcase their business ideas and capital needs directly to investors.
Bonus Site:
Once all that hard work networking pays off, you’ll want to join:
Affluence.org
Affluence.org is a private social network where wealthy individuals connect, share information and engage in meaningful conversations. Affluence.org also provides exclusive, high quality content and advice from experts on subjects such as art, technology and travel.
Membership in Affluence.org is free but requires a verifiable minimum household net worth of $3 million
Your Turn
Did we miss any? Let us know in the comments below.
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Matt,
A great list. Some I didn’t know about. Thanks for the work that went into this list. iBank dot com is a matchmaking service like go big network. They match lenders with borrowers just in case anyone needs a small business loan.
Rob
Great list ! However 40 sites is alot! I would suggest you find the 3 to 5 most valuable sites for you or your business and work them effectively.
James Todd
Publisher: BuildMySiteforFree.com
@James
Great point…we’d never suggest to anyone they join all 40 of these sites, we just wanted to provide a list to choose 2-3 that work the best for you and as you say “work them effectively”
Matt
Social networking site for busy women. Women can list up to 5 business listings for free. Network with other business women.
Hi! You missed Sprouter.com!
Hey Matt,
You missed Sprouter, a new startup that facilitates real-time conversation and collaboration between entrepreneurs around the world. It uses the Twitter 140-character model to ask entrepreneurs what they’re working on, and also has additional functionality like events, threaded conversations, and the ability to claim a hashtag with a topic or event page. The team is currently working on an iPhone application, integration with Twitter, and a whole bunch of other fun features! Hope you’ll take a look and include it in any future roundups.
Cheers,
Erin
Community Manager
Sprouter
@Erin
That’s a new one to me…looks great!
#41: Sprouter
Sprouter enables collaboration and networking between entrepreneurs globally.
@Donna
Another one we are adding to the list!
#42 Shes Connected
Shes Connected, the brand new destination for today’s busy woman.
Now managing daily activities, planning events and co-ordinating your commitments is easier than ever!
I use Crunchbase a lot and find it very useful.
We have a great resource for entrepreneurs with growth company ambitions that need quick access to a filtered, screened list of web sites that will assist in all aspects of forming, and planning a high growth business, and raising money from angels and VCs.
#43 Crunchbase
CrunchBase is the free database of technology companies, people, and investors that anyone can edit.
#44 The Startup 411
The Startup 411 is the Entrepreneur and Angel Investor database of the best information for investments and raising capital in start-up companies.
Check out http://www.makemillionstogether.com a new global business networking community. A multidimensional business networking platform providing corporate executives, entrepreneurs, service providers, professional practitioners, inventors, investors, job seekers, employers and employees with the ultimate vehicle to grow ideas and opportunities into financially profitable realities. I welcome any thoughts about this new site. Thanks
Great list! Hugely helpful for upcoming entrepreneurs.
Does anyone know of any social networking sites that are geared towards local business owners? I know there’s Yelp, but looking for something that better allows me to network more w/local business owners (and not necessarily folks reviewing the businesses). Thanks!
Great list. Looking forward to put my hands across the ones i missed out. Will surely explore those sites.
Small — Great list, thanks!
Ron — check out Merchant Circle — small business networking via locale. Might be just what you are looking for.
Judi
@ohyesshecan
Great post, Matt. It’s nice to have these sites all in one place.
I think Partnerpedia would also fall into your list of networks. It’s a B2B social network and channel enablement solution where professionals can collaborate for free. https://www.partnerpedia.com/
Great aggregation — I have an addition and a question.
For those who haven’t heard, http://www.Gist.com is both a tool and a network (in public beta, I believe).
Can anyone make out whether it’s worth doing anything on Plaxo any more?
pt
#45 Partnerpedia
Partnerpedia is an independent online community that enables partner-to-partner networking.
#46 MerchantCircle
MerchantCircle is the largest social network for local business owners. Services include free online business listings, free marketing tools
@Paul
Gist looks interesting…any thoughts on whether we should add it as a social networking site? Seems to me it’s more of an organizer type of site.
Matt
@Matt, you’re right — it is a type of organizer, along the lines of Plaxo, just smarter.
Excellent! Thanks for the top list of social networking sites. I’m excited to find them. I’m not familiar with most of the sites listed. Thanks again.
these are great sites. I’ll try them all.
What about http://www.makemillionstogether.com ? I’ve heard they are a new interesting business networking site….
Great list. I’d like to submit BidModo http://www.bidmodo.com to the list. We are all about matching small business owners and entrepreneurs with qualified service providers that compete for their business. It’s free to business owners all the time and right now we are in public beta and it’s free to business owners. We’d love your feeback as well. Big fans of SmallBizbee – u guys are rocking it.
LG
Hi Matt,
There is also Silentale, a tool that can really help multi-connected professionals to stay in control of all the information related to their contacts and conversations (i.e. their personal CRM)
Silentale automatically consolidates the different profiles of your contacts across emails, twitter, linkedin, facebook, etc, and indicates how many messages you’ve exchanged with them, whatever the channel you used.
Not only you get a constantly updated 360° view of your network, but you’re able to immediately see if you’ve already communicated with someone and in the latter case, explore your entire communication thread, search for keywords, retrieve attachments, etc.
Silentale is a Saas service and is available via a web interface and a series of extensions (eg. Firefox and soon the iPhone).
It is in private beta and still available for free to testers. If you or one of your readers is interested in trying out Silentale, just send us a tweet @silentale and request an invitation code.
Laurence (@lbret) of Silentale
This again proves the conundrum of the world. Too many choices has created a debacle. The head says: Is there more? Yet time and resources says that we can’t consume everything on the resources buffet. This one is a perfect example of how you can offer something great (which the article is) and potentially ’cause a pause’ for an entrepreneur who is still learning the ropes.
This is definitely BizSuger, syrup, and molasses rolled into one.
If I may be so kind as to repay the favor for your research? Let me know.
In the meantime I am bookmarking and will share in workshops.
Perfect subject, great article and then the icing with everyone chipping in. Bummer that I can’t add one more.
@michaelhartzell
@Michael
You make a great point…we are inundated with information to the point of overload (social networks included), and this excess of information can result in “analysis paralysis” – you get so caught up trying to figure out which one is the best, or what you should be doing, that you end up doing nothing.
Pesonally I would not recomend more than 2-3 social networks for anybody. I’m thinking a “big box” network like Twitter, or Facebook, a “professional networking catch all” like LinkedIn, and then a smaller focused niche network like the ones above.
I blog, Twitter, and use Facebook as a promo/connection tool for my business. That’s it – I couldn’t possibly add another.
Glad you liked the resource, appreciate you coming by!
Matt
@Lynn
I’m on the fence about BidModo…seems like an interesting tool, but more of a brokering of services than a social network. Admitedly I didn’t spend much time with it, but is there a social component?
Thanks,
Matt
#47 Make Millions Together
Today, on Make Millions Together members can collaborate to find, vet and contact corporate executives, entrepreneurs, service providers, professional practitioners, inventors, investors, job seekers, employers and employees and use those contacts to grow ideas into ever more profitable businesses.
Matt – you are spot on. I was so excited about the list I kind of misread it (that was after RT’ing 2-3x LOL). BidModo is not really a fit for the Social Networking spirit of this list – we’re like cousins of them – we are a small business and entrepreneur marketplace / matching service. My bad – my apologies.
Great list. Its good time for me make good plane and use social networking.
Hi Amazing list – I wanted to add one more a Twitter app that allows you to create “groups” of like minded followers http://twibes.com
You can choose to limit your tweets to just the group or bring in others with a #keyword. The lists Twitter provides are good and Twibes lets you build relationships with your Twibe.
http://TerryLoving.com
Taking the Local out of Small Business
Certainly some new sites for me to consider.I still find Xing odd I have to say. However can you really afford to miss Facebook off now? The second biggest site in the world, if it were a country it would be the 4th biggest in the world. Just a thought. Great list and certainly one for my ‘swipe file’ for reference. Thanks/
Andrew Peel´s last blog ..Ways To Earn Extra Money No. 3
Matt, love this list. I agree with some of the other commenters in that 40 is a heckuva lot of sites to spend time getting to know. That being said I totally appreciate the work you put in to get this list together. Thanks again from your friends at UnderstandingMarketing.
John Sternal
@sternalpr
John Sternal´s last blog ..Small Business Marketing Made Easy With wiBirthdayClub
Fantastic list. I’m not so sure about Yelp with all of the legal issues the owners of that site if facing lately. If just recently read about Foursquare and that looks like a great way to reach loyal customers. My wife who has a home based business is involved in Twitter Moms and had made some good connections off of that network.
You forgot smallbizbee.com
Garry´s last blog ..Social Media For Beginners: 9 Keys to Launch Your Social Brand
I have found one more great social networking site for next generation where you can upload your favourite songs & videoes aprt from photoes , you can leave door post which is similar like tweet,scrap .It is a general social networking site getting popular in Canada, India & Gulf .
http://www.onmybloq.com
This is a great list of sites….Social networking sites are how I have built my business. I seem to do better at marketing my business via the internet, I am a member of all of the major sites like linkedin, peoplestring, etc. I have also joined Social Media Moguls Group, Inc. it doesn’t matter what company you are with, you can go to this site to advertise your product or business FREE! Also, network and find out marketing secrets that most people pay good more for… I love this site!
Denise´s last blog ..Wanda Clayton updated their profile
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I’d like to nominate PledgingforChange.com
Quite new and FREE with lots of things to do and a way to share revenue if you wish to be part of their share program and their vision to make a difference.
Pledging for Change has a unique way for people to start groups or channels that are totally about the group owner and can have quite unlimited rss feeds fed into them.ie your video channels,your blogs, your twitter and so on. This is a really BIG plus as you busy yourself elsewhere on the webs as your channel or group is automatically updated. Granted there is on one-off lifetime nominal charge for a channel but when you see what you can do and what you can make for ROI it’s astounding. And all for a great vision of helping others as well as ourselves. And as an added bonus a channel can be run as a home business too. So as long as your intentions are good you can be part of your very own home business and maybe become one of the great leaders that they are looking for.
I have to mention though, Pledging for Change is not a place to spam or to get spammed. The people on there are lovely and very like minded and there is a certain friendly atmosphere about the whole thing.
I love it anyway so maybe I’ll see you there.
Sue
Sue Jenks´s last blog ..Karen Maskall joined Mark Terry’s group
Great Information! It is really helpful for my site.
http://www.webspiders.com
A Global RIA and Mobile Application Solutions Company
plenty of sites that can help with unsecured business credit out there.
wow great source of info . A new Thai Match Community portal has been emerged. Site has Great potential . Check this out
http://www.matchresort.com
Cheers !!
enjoy surfing
I?think xing.com is one good social networking site for us to contact each other easier and efficient
we have recently started using social networking, and it has helped a lot.
Michael´s last blog ..Shelf Corp Scams
Excellent list of social websites
XtraInvestor is new web community for investors, advisors, companies and investment clubs launched in June 2010.
New members can join XtraInvestor.com only through an invitation from an existing member or may request their membership through the “Sing up” form. There is no charge to create a member profile. The invitation-only membership and the verified real identity of each member enable XtraInvestor.com to avoid spam and disinformation, so common on other investment websites.
40 is a long list…I don’t even know half of it exists. Social networking is really increasing in popularity as a tool for internet marketing and this list probably just tells how far it has gone. This tool is so handy since it just gets the information out to people who need to buy it without much effort.
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