Happy Entrepreneur Day! In case no one got you a card or sent you flowers to give thanks for your work moving the U.S. economy forward, take some pride in the words of President Barack Obama, who, in proclaiming the first-ever National Entrepreneurship Day, said that "entrepreneurs embody the promise that lies at the heart of America."

With that in mind, we at Portfolio.com wanted to send our own message to the nation's entrepreneurs, to salute those who venture out of the box every day, deconstruct it, come up with a better idea, sell it, and go on to found the next big thing. But we realize that the road to entrepreneurial success is hardly a smooth one, and to avoid some of the bumps along the way, we asked our colleagues, friends, and Twitter followers how they can best support entrepreneurs.

“If you ask a handful of entrepreneurs about how to help small businesses today, the overwhelming answer might be access to capital,” writes Cavanaugh L. Gray, who, at 36 years old, counts himself a lifelong entrepreneur and educator. He operates the Entrepreneur Café in Chicago and Carbondale, Illinois.

Bill Clark, 33, CEO of MicroVenture Marketplace, Inc., in Austin, Texas, agrees. The best way to show entrepreneurs that they matter, he writes, is by “investing in their companies when they need funding. It is easier than people think. You can go to several crowd-funding sites and invest small amounts of money to support them.”

If direct funding—even at the seed level—is not an option, Jennifer Fender of MainStreet Corporation, a business advising firm in Toronto, Canada, suggests providing scholarships for fellow entrepreneurs that may be in a vulnerable situation. Even though Fender is Canadian and, therefore, not covered by Obama's proclamation, we still think she's got a good point to make. She mentions “women who have escaped abusive situations and are in shelters and want to a start businesses, college students who graduated and are faced with huge debt and want to become entrepreneurs, or young entrepreneurs who are just starting out” as candidates her firm considers for scholarship opportunities.

But it’s not just the young or unfortunate who need help. When Jean Newell saw her 35-year career in real estate come to an end, she didn’t heed the warnings of experts who told her she wouldn’t be able to compete against big business. Instead, the now 63-year-old inventor proceeded to self-market her wearable organizer bag for multiple electronic devices, and even went the QVC route and sold her wares online. On the side, she shares her experience at the Florida Small Business Development Center in Melbourne and trains unemployed boomers on how they can create opportunities.

Part of supporting entrepreneurs also involves helping find opportunities for them. “The best way we can show entrepreneurs that they matter is by writing a simple testimonial,” writes Robin Morgan, 40, partner at public relations and marketing firm 32Flavors PR, based in Saratoga Springs, New York. Noting that testimonials have no expiration date and serve as proof that we believe in an idea, she adds, “of course we can tell our friends about a new and innovative business that we want to support, but putting in writing the reasons of why you chose to work with someone is so much more meaningful.”

Ask the entrepreneurs themselves what they need, and beside the financial support, they all could use some extra encouragement, words of wisdom, and old-fashioned TLC.

“Building a business is an uphill battle, and most days I find myself still super enthusiastic and driven, but then there is the odd day that it's not so easy,” writes Emily Lutzker, 41, CEO of OpenInvo, a New York City company that connects creatives with companies. "I work long hours, skip meals, battle with forgotten birthdays and neglected friends, get stressed out wondering how I'll come up with the money for my bills, and I'm dying for a day to recharge, but I am so engrossed in building my company.” She adds that getting exposure and making connections rate among her top needs.

Balancing life and a budding, or thriving, entrepreneurial venture can be tough, say those who do it every day. One way of getting perspective is to connect with customers and clients. “If I am having a rough day or am down in the dumps, all I need to pick me right back up is simply [to look at] customer feedback,” writes Brent Thomas, 31, who runs BikeWrappers, out of San Francisco. “When I get a message from anyone telling me that they love the product or give me any kind of feedback (both good and bad), it gives me a quick reminder that the company is all about the customers and making them happy and reminds me what I am working for.”

While customers can help refocus an entrepreneur’s drive, some government support wouldn’t hurt. Tammy Gentry, 42, owner of CMD Gifts in Sagamore Hills, Ohio, writes that “as an entrepreneur, I would appreciate stories about how others are making it, what their struggles have been, and how they’ve overcome them. I'd also like to see the leadership in America talk about business and capitalism with a positive and encouraging voice. When the leadership talks about business, capitalism, and corporations negatively, it's deflating to small-business owners who are just trying to make it.”

Lutzker agrees, noting that “on a larger scale, we need the tangible understanding of the policymakers that building businesses from the ground up is the best way to enliven the economy.”

Tim Bradbury, former VP for Digital at Portfolio.com's parent company American City Business Journals, who is creating a new business built around data, wants to personally advocate for more federal support infrastructure. He’d like to have a “lunch date with the mayor or governor so they hear firsthand what real policy and actions should be taken to stimulate small-business growth and subsequent hiring.”

Being able to grow—and hire as little as one to five people—can take a tremendous amount of pressure off an entrepreneur, even if it’s just for the afternoon. “How about a kick-ass assistant for a few days? One who knows how to speak bureaucrat,” offers Christine Mason McCaull, 43, co-founder of ClickMarkets, a consulting firm in Boyes Hot Springs, California, and an occasional contributor to Portfolio.com. She’d also like a “cell-phone battery that charges itself, or a 90-minute massage.”

Whether it be a word of encouragement, financial support, help with brainstorming, or a timely introduction, entrepreneurs out there need our attention. Benish A. Shah, 28, director at Global Executive Board, a branding company based in New York City, urges people to “be a connector, show these people that what they do matters, and that they are striving for the right dreams. Just a little push from you can go a long way."

Do you have other ways you'd like to see your entrepreneurial efforts supported? Offer them in the comments below. Now, where's that National Entrepreneurship Day cake we were looking forward to?

---

Romy Ribitzky is an associate editor at Portfolio.com.