Speaking of advice, SCORE, the nonprofit counseling group that's partners with the Small Business Administration, recently announced that they're offering a "Small Business Success Podcast Series." While they're as boring as they sound (yes, we've listened), they do cover a range of topics including branding, business plan writing, networking, social networking franchising, sales networking and more. And while they're not exactly pleasant to listen to, they do offer some help.

We checked out to the first podcast in the series, "Marketing Your Biz in a Weak Economy," narrated by marketing expert Julie Brander - and we'll be honest in our review. While it's brutally dry, and the first minute is spent rambling about Brander's credentials (just fast forward over that stuff), there is some usable, but very basic, information about different marketing strategies and ways to get your message out there to the consumers who are shopping. The bottom line is that these podcasts aren't for seasoned entrepreneurs. But for first-time entrepreneurs—particularly someone in the middle of developing their business plan—the podcasts can help instruct you in areas like marketing or other fields where you may not have had prior experience. You won't come away an expert, but you will be better informed.

Interested? You can check out the podcasts here.