Below are Web sites, blogs and podcasts that have earned The Solopreneur Life Seal of Approval.

Accounting and Finance

GetRichSlowly.org. This is a hugely popular blog, and with good reason. GRS is packed with sound information that you can put into use right away. The emphasis is on personal finance, but much of it is applicable to solopreneurs.

Greenleaf Accounting. Deb Howard Greenleaf’s blog has become a must-read for me. Deb is an accountant whose specialty is small business, and I rely on her posts for tips and reminders, plus IRS and legislative news that could affect me. Deb also writes guest posts for The Solopreneur Life.

Branding

If you want to take the do-it-yourself route with your branding, then you need to use Pamela Wilson’s BigBrandSystem.com Web site. The beauty of Pamela’s advice is she’s able to take sophisticated ideas and turn them into practical advice.

How to Name Your Business. This is a superb article at Entrepreneur.com on naming.

Charity

CharityNavigator.org. I found Charity Navigator when I was trying decide on a charity for The Solopreneur Life to support. America’s premier independent charity evaluator, Charity Navigator works to advance a more efficient and responsive philanthropic marketplace by evaluating the financial health of over 5,500 of America’s largest charities. Charity Navigator’s rating system examines two areas of a charity’s financial health—how responsibly it functions day to day as well as how well positioned it is to sustain its programs over time.

Computers

CultofMac.com. There are a LOT of Mac blogs, and I’ve subscribed to most of them. Cult is the one that I’ve kept. I’m a Mac fan, but not a hopeless geek, and Cult strikes a nice balance between news, reviews, and how-to’s.

Maccast.com. This is a Mac podcast from Adam Christiansen, who delivers news, tips and product reviews and recommendations. I really enjoy Christiansen’s delivery style—it’s smart and friendly.

Copywriting

Copyblogger.com. I used to recommend Copyblogger.com, but I don’t anymore because so many bloggers read their articles and follow their advice. The result is that a lot of blogs now sound the same, and you don’t want to do that. You need to find, and use, your own voice.

HarrisonAmy.com. You could spend a lot of time on the Web and not find a better-written site than HarrisonAmy.com, which is published by Amy Harrison of Brighton, England. Her blog provides advice on how to improve your marketing copy. But that’s an inadequate description. That’s like saying Lee Strasberg was an acting coach. Amy’s writing is so spirited and persuasive, it makes me want to close down my site and concede that I am not worthy. Amy is a former screenwriter, and her ability to take an audience by the hand is very obvious. I suggest you subscribe to her RSS feed now.

Finance

SmallBusinessFinanceForum.com. Nicole Fende does two great things at her site: she helps you find more profit in your business, and she explains finance in terms that even I was able to understand.

Fun

thxthxthx.com. A college professor of mine gave this writing advice: “Be brief. Be brilliant.” Nobody does brief and brilliant better than Leah Dieterich, creator of thxthxthx.com.

Marketing

HubSpot.com. HubSpot is an company that sells highly-regarded inbound-marketing software, and its Web site shares free expert information on things like search, lead generation, and conversion.

Ittybiz.com. The tagline for Naomi Dunford’s blog is “Marketing for Businesses Without Marketing Departments.” Her advice is rock-solid and her writing style is one-of-a-kind.

Motivation/Inspiration

ChrisGuillebeau.com. Guillebeau’s site is called The Art of Non-Conformity. Guillebeau is an interesting guy—he writes about personal development, entrepreneurship, and his frequent world travel. His positive vibe is constant.

Passive Income

The Smart Passive Income Blog. The first time I saw this Web site, I spent an entire evening poring over it. It’s packed with ways to generate income through your Web site. But a warning: it can be depressing to read about how much money he makes.

Personal and Professional Growth

ZenHabits.net. Leo Babauta’s blog is one of the most popular on the planet. It’s a great one for solopreneurs because so much of Babauta’s advice is presented in the context of business and career. With so many cultural messages of how to do things faster, zenhabits.com teaches me how to slow down.

Productivity

Productive Flourishing. This site is run by the amazing Charlie Gilkey. Charlie helps people organize their lives so they can be productive, happy and healthy. I am so impressed by the high level of empathy and caring that Charlie possesses, and the wisdom that he shares.

Public Relations

PRInYourPajamas.com. Elena Verlee, a certified professional coach for entrepreneurs and an extremely accomplished PR pro, publishes this Web site. It’s a great source for public relations how-to information and it’s packed with do-it-yourself resources.

Social Media

SocialMediaExaminer.com More than 56,000 subscribers can’t be wrong. Social Media Examiner’s depth and breadth of social-media analysis is very impressive, and much of the content is geared to small businesses. If social media is part of your marketing, then this site is a must.