Entrepreneur's 10 Most Popular Stories of 2012 From a new take on networking to insider tips from Richard Branson, Mark Cuban and Marissa Mayer, here are the stories that became our reader favorites this year.

By Hiten Samtani

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

We dived into our data to determine which stories created the greatest buzz. This year's most popular reads provide a myriad of tools and tips for the entrepreneurial journey. They include success secrets from industry titans, guides to navigate the latest in social media marketing, and even the British billionaire's impassioned call for excommunicating the office tie.

Here is a countdown of Entrepreneur.com's top stories of 2012.

10: Seven Secrets of Self-Made Multimillionaires
Sales pro and 'Turnaround King' Grant Cardone examines the habits of the super-rich, and how to make them your own.

9: Richard Branson's 5 Rules for Good Business
Opportunities for disruptive ideas have never been more abundant. Here's the maverick entrepreneur's take on how to make the most of those innovative ideas.

8: Why This Tiny Cube Might Be Your Next Office PC
The grapefruit-size Xi3 comes with useful interactive features and convenient upgrading options.

7: How Google's Marissa Mayer Prevents Burnout
Yahoo's new head honcho suggests three steps to getting you -- and your employees -- back in balance.

6: 10 Little Known Social Media Tools You Should Be Using -- Now
Tools to kickstart -- or supercharge -- your social media campaign.

5: Richard Branson on Office Ties and the Company Dress Code
The British billionaire calls for banishing the tie as the corporate uniform.

4: 100 Brilliant Companies 2012
Entrepreneur's annual look at the brightest ideas, the hottest industries and the most insightful innovators. These are the companies that raised the bar and, in some cases, created it.

3: Mark Cuban's 12 Rules for Startups
The billionaire tech entrepreneur and owner of the Dallas Mavericks offers his best advice, from hiring passionate employees to never hiring a PR firm.

2: Forget Networking. How to Be a Connector
Stride across various worlds to find new friends, acquaintances and future business allies. Here's how.

1: How Pinterest Is Becoming the Next Big Thing in Social Media for Business
Social media expert Jason Falls looks at how the online 'pinboard' can be a powerful marketing and traffic-driving tool.

Hiten Samtani is an editorial intern and contributing writer for Entrepreneur.com.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Business News

AI Could Cause 99% of All Workers to Be Unemployed in the Next Five Years, Says Computer Science Professor

Professor Roman Yampolskiy predicted that artificial general intelligence would be developed and used by 2030, leading to mass automation.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Buying / Investing in Business

From a $120M Acquisition to a $1.3T Market

Co-ownership is creating big opportunities for entrepreneurs.

Buying / Investing in Business

Big Investors Are Betting on This 'Unlisted' Stock

You can join them as an early-stage investor as this company disrupts a $1.3T market.

Business News

Mark Zuckerberg 'Insisted' Executives Join Him For a MMA Training Session, According to Meta's Ex-President of Global Affairs

Nick Clegg, Meta's former president of global affairs, says in a new book that he once had to get on the mat with a coworker.