I was sitting in my chair the other day and the thought popped into my head, “I manage a blog that helps teach people about business, but what has it taught me?” Over the last few days I have dug deep for an answer to this question, and I think I have it below. As I list my points I wonder what your thoughts are, so please leave them as comments because I am truly interested!

1. It has opened doors to me I never thought possible.

I have only been doing this blogging, mostly behind the scenes, for the past 6 months and I have met some extraordinary people! I reconnected with Joey Pomerenke, one of the original founders of YGG, and we are working on a business together. You can also find Joey doing a lot of interviews with some great entrepreneurs that share our values on YGG. I have teamed up with Paul Ocalian, and avid YGG member in creating a new media boutique. What a talented designer, that without YGG, I probably wouldn’t have known.

I have also met a lot of great people through the Brazen Careerist network, which we are a part of. What a great idea that combines so of the best up and coming bloggers that are out there, many of which I have gotten to know lately. All of this thanks to taking a leap of faith and trying out something new to me.

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Tisha Kulak is a writer for Creditorweb.com, where she writes about credit card offers, business credit cards and responsible credit card use.

There are more entrepreneurs moving forward and following their dreams of opening a business and operating a successful business of their own. While many have found success in starting up, most will face the all-important decision of how to continue to finance their businesses, especially if they are still in the early stages and require more capital to continue on. Here are some things to consider when searching for money beyond a personal savings account.

The Business Plan

This is the first consideration you need to make before even approaching anyone for money. You need to have a solid business plan that you understand and feel confident is complete. While you may have begun your operation without one, it is essential that you have a full understanding of what it takes to keep making your business work. People who give you money want to make certain you are not setting yourself up for failure, or at least a lot of struggle.

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Feign “important” text messages.
I’ll admit it – I’ve done it, too. Standing in a room full of unfamiliar faces, attempting to mask the discomfort I feel about not knowing who to approach, or how, I instinctively fish around in my purse for my blackberry, furrowing my brow when I find it, pretending to tend to an “urgent” message.

Whether you’re meeting up with two potential clients, or you’re entering an event with 200 seemingly-random people in attendance, initiating conversations can often be – err – easier said than done (yes - pun intended! ). Talking about how happy you are that it’s nice and sunny outside (or how frustrated you are that it’s raining), or how magically delicious the spicy sauce on the mini crab cake hors d’oeuvres is, can only take you but so far. When advising clients on how to communicate more effectively, one strategy that I recommend is to “put the onus on yourself to make the most effort in conversations.” Now, by effort I do not mean yack everyone’s ear off for hours, however, it’s important to remember that you can only expect to get as much from a conversation as you are willing to put into it. And unless you’re a mime or a monk (or a member of the Halitosis Club of America), conversation is an absolutely crucial part of building meaningful personal relationships and successful businesses.

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