You can learn a lot from small business owners who have been there before you. Sure, every small business is different, but there’s a clear advantage to getting tips from the experts. We’ve gathered some of the best and most varied of this advice for the beginning of 2012. We hope the links here will give you new direction and new vitality in the coming year.

Top Business Trends

Learn from the experts. Podcast host Deborah Shane interviews small biz leaders Rieva Lesonsky, Melinda Emerson and our own Anita Campbell about some of the top trends in small business today in this small biz panel. Metropolis

How to raise money for your business. Whether your company is large or small, some basic fundamentals of fundraising remain the same. Entrepreneur Asheesh Advani shares some basics at the annual Entrepreneur’s Growth Conference Jan. 11. Entrepreneur

Top sectors for growth? Looking for the top sectors for business growth either as part of a plan to expand into a new market or to start a new venture. Here are some top markets that are performing well. Inc.com

Resources for Entrepreneurs

Seven important marketing links. These links are a treasure trove explaining everything from when to tweet to tips on e-mail marketing and much more. Take time to explore each one today. Copyblogger

Things to look out for when hiring. You may have come to view hiring as something of a crap shoot. How can you know the best people from an interview or resume. Here are some tips that will help you avoid bad choices. Small Business Trends

Advice from the Trenches

Tips for the online business. Yes, more and more businesses are moving online these days taking advantage of the opportunities for cheaper marketing and lower costs. But beware of these risks that even online businesses face. Youngentrepreneur

A recipe for success. Jason Fried of 37 Signals has plenty of advice to impart in this video interview about how his company became a preeminent provider of collaborative software. Here’s a business owner who, in many ways, has not played by the standard rules. Entrepreneurs Unpluggd

Technology Tips

Using the cloud for online data. Your social media and Website presence have become as important as everything else in your business. So why don’t you back them up the way you do other important business information? Here’s a tip critical to your online business future.Smallbiz Technology

Your Business Strategy

How to think long term. An important part of planning for your small business’s future is to make sure you consider the possible results of each action you take today. Taking a short sighted view can often lead to disastrous results down the road. Personal Branding Blog

Become your own boss by this time next year. If you’ve thought about starting your own small business but up until now haven’t taken the plunge, don’t worry! This guide could have you on the road to becoming your own boss within the next 12 months. Small Biz Lady

Courtesy: Small Biz Trends