Being an iPhone-type, I don’t take advantage of many of the
popular Google apps my fellow entrepreneurs use. Such as Google Docs (I use
MS-Word), Google Sheets (I use MS-Excel) though I do use Google Drive and
Google Maps.
This got me thinking, what top secret hidden resources does the
all-knowing Google have that every entrepreneur should use – including those of
us using iPhones, or other non-Android-based tech?
Here are my top secret hidden gems – that every entrepreneur should
know about.
Google Trends
Whether you are brainstorming a new product, or starting a
new business, if you want to see what is trending on Google (and the Internet
for that matter), check out Google Trends. You can see what’s trending locally,
nationally, and internationally, in various categories.
Entrepreneurs searching
for a new business idea, or if you want to check and see what is trending in
your market or industry – this is the place to go.
Google Correlate
Once you’ve found what’s trending, you can use Google Correlate to get the metrics behind that trending data. You can correlate
current trends to actual publicly available data, to see if there are any
patterns. For example, you may find that the new product or service you want to
launch typically trends in warm, dry summer weather – or that it is popular
with balding men under twenty – and many other useful stats which any investor
will be wowed by when you go looking for capital.
Google Public Data Explorer
Speaking of using Google to gather data, Google Public Data Explorer is an amazing resource of publicly accessible government and
non-government data from around the world. Want to find out the current
unemployment rates for your neighborhood? Not only will you get the latest
figures, it breaks it down visually, with charts and graphs, so even your
five-year-old could understand it. This is a phenomenal tool for any business
owner trying to break into a new market, or someone creating a completely new
business – and as with all the tools here it’s FREE.
Google Scholar
Once you’ve exhausted the public treasure chest of info,
check out what academics from around the world are working on. Chances are,
there is a university or college somewhere around the world doing deep thinking
on your market, sector or business lines. Google Scholar is a great place for
entrepreneurs to track down published academic papers on just about everything.
You could use this resource to validate a business idea, or if you need a quote
from someone with lots of letters after their name to entice customers that
your cure for some horrible disease actually has some merit.
Some of the
academic journals restrict their free access to their students and staff, but
allow you to pay for a subscription to their journal.
YouTube Trends Dashboard
Quick – what’s the number one search engine in the world?
Okay – we all know it is Google, but the second most popular search engine is
YouTube, which is also owned by Google. If you’re in the digital world, or want
to see what is currently trending on YouTube, check out the YouTube Trends Dashboard. You can see what’s trending on the popular video search site
locally, nationally, and internationally.
Google News
Stuck trying to figure out what the next big thing will be?
Catch breaking news from around the world on Google News. Google News shows the
trending news stories on Google – often these are the top trending items on
Google.
As with all of Google’s trending feeds, you can break this down by
local, national and international news trends, or by specific categories, such
as business, the environment, technology and politics.
Got a cool hidden Google, or otherwise unknown resource that
you think every entrepreneur should know about? Please let me know in the
comments below or by tweeting me @jordanhgreen.
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