Many of today’s niche social networks provide businesses with the much needed guidance, excellent utilities, several handy tools and useful resources in order to establish brand identity and gain valuable exposure. In one of our earlier posts, we’ve already discussed Entrepreneur Connect and PartnerUp. Here are a couple more of them as part of our series on social networks to help entrepreneurs.

StartupNation: Small-time entrepreneurs can be better prepared for their ambitious business ventures thanks to this online platform. Jeff and Rich Sloan are its creators. According to the duo, their aim is to help those who want to own and grow a business. What are its key features?

• It’s a free service for entrepreneurs by entrepreneurs. The platform strives to act as your one-stop shop for achieving entrepreneurial success.
• StartupNation is keen to position itself as a content & community resource on the Web for smaller businesses, and offers timely articles, dynamic forums, useful blogs, podcasts, on-demand seminars etc.
• Professionals can draw the requisite resources and expertise on it to make informed decisions.  A wide array of topics being debated and discussed on it are those like business planning, branding, marketing and online reputation management and other aspects of Web-based business.
• Apart from the handy information it has on offer, the platform also runs interesting competitions like a dorm-based 20 competitive event. If you are an emerging entrepreneur or are keen to become one, this is definitely the resource that you must not miss out on.

Biznik: This is another exciting platform for those who relish running a business; are in search of more clients and prospective customers; or are seeking more online visibility and credibility. As the site introduction mentions, it’s for those who get most things right in their business, but still not everything. Addressing its target audience, an introductory note adds:

“Biznik is for you if you don’t get enough opportunities to interact with potential partners, and if you have a tough time keeping up with business trends, which affect your domain. Biznik is for you if your business is not spreading fast enough, if you are unsure how to make use of social media for promoting your business, and even you’re thinking to start a new business, but aren’t sure where and how.”

Biznik is for people looking to build real business model. It’s for sharing and spreading your ideas. It’s the platform where meaningful conversations take place about small business and entrepreneurship. “When you are small, collaboration acts as a surer path to success than direct competition,” is the Biznik message.

This is why it prompts members to connect online, and also meet in person to build lasting and mutually beneficial business relationships.