Finding a Guru when You Need One

One of the biggest challenges of being a small business person is finding support for the things you want to do. In a large corporation, there's usually some department staffed with subject matter experts on commonly needed areas of expertise. When you're a small business operator, however, you sometimes feel all alone in the world. (Sob!) Sure, there are forums, blogs, and Google, but often you don't have time to spend researching a particular topic to find just the right answer. I've often been more than willing to pay someone for help, just so I won't have to spend a lot of time on some problem. There are several websites that are designed to help you find a guru. The one that I've used from time-to-time is www.guru.com (appropriately). The cool thing about guru.com and similiar sites is that they're reputation-based. In other words, like E-Bay, you can look at the reputation of the expert and read other clients' reviews of his/her work before you make a commitment. They even offer an escrow service where funds aren't released until you're satisfied. Experts are available in many different categories ranging from finance and accounting to legal to I.T.