Small Business Information Sources
Revised October 2008
Revised by Elizabeth Mezick, November 2005
Revised by Martha Cooney and Angela Cornwell, October 2004
GENERAL GUIDES AND HOW TO MANUALS:
| Adams Businesses You Can Start Almanac. |
(Bus. HD 62.5 .J657) |
| Provides brief profiles of 500 new business ideas including details
on start-up costs and potential earnings. |
| |
| Are You An Entrepreneur? The Characteristics and Skills Needed to Start Your Own Business. James Freeley. |
(Bus. HD 62.5 .F744) |
| A very practical guide to help the aspiring entrepreneur understand
what he/she needs to be aware of before starting a business. The
"Entrepreneurial Style Profile" will provide insight into the characteristics
of a successful entrepreneur and help to evaluate each person's own strengths
and weaknesses. |
| |
| Encyclopedia of Small Business. 2 vols. |
(Bus. HD 62.7 .H553) (Also available online) |
| A one-stop source for valuable and in-depth information on a wide range
of small business topics including: advertising media on the web, business
start-ups, employee compensation, financing, franchising, health insurance
options, home-based businesses, internet commerce, product development,
tax planning, and much more. |
| |
| The Entrepreneur Magazine Small Business Advisor. Second edition. |
(Bus. HD 62.7 .E568) |
| This practical, user-friendly guide tells you everything you need to
know about setting goals and objectives, assessing risk, finding the right
location, financing, marketing, pricing, taxation, insurance, and much
more. |
| |
| Growth Company Starter Kit. Coopers & Lybrand. |
(Bus. HD 62.5 .G7) |
| Provides simple-to-use, comprehensive checklists of what is needed to
start and grow a successful business. |
| |
| The Harvard Entrepreneurs Club Guide to Starting Your Own Business. |
(Bus. HD 62.5 .H3739) |
| Specifically written for student entrepreneurs, this book covers such
important areas as identifying and targeting your market, locating and
landing financing, writing the business plan, and legal considerations.
In addition, it provides success stories of real student entrepreneurs. |
| |
| How to Set Up Your Own Small Business. American Institute of Small Business. 2 vols. |
(Bus. HD 62.7 .H683) |
| Covers all aspects of setting up a small business including market research,
site selection, financing, law, advertising, bookkeeping, insurance, business
plans, franchising, accounting, and more. |
| |
| The Sage Guide: Setting Up and Managing Your Own Business. |
(Bus. HD 62.7 .S22) |
| Tips and advice, from a small start-up that became a multi-million dollar
success, on how to manage your business better. Covers thoughts, dreams,
and aspirations; planning, research and finance; property, people and practicalities;
administration, production and communication; managing manpower and money;
marketing; international trade; and managing change. |
| |
| Small Business Profiles. Suzanne M. Bourgoin, Ed. 2 vols. |
(Bus. HD 62.7 .S595x) |
| Presents detailed start-up instructions, including timely and accurate
cost and profit figures, for a wide assortment of business opportunities.
Includes information on financing, marketing, advertising, licenses, certification,
and franchise opportunities. |
| |
| Small Business Sourcebook. Amy R. Suchowski and Theresa J. MacFarlane, Eds. 2 vols. |
(Bus. HD 2346 .U5 .S66) |
| This two volume set is an excellent source for finding information on
small business. Volume One profiles 194 specific small businesses,
listing sources of start-up information, reference works, statistical sources,
professional associations, trade periodicals, trade shows, etc. Volume
Two provides sources of information on such general small business topics
as accounting, business plans, credit, insurance, wholesaling, etc.
Also provided is a good listing of state programs. |
| |
| Small-Time Operator. Bernard Kamoroff. |
(Bus. HD 62.5 .K353) |
| This is a very practical, step-by-step guide to handling the business
side of your small business. The guide will show you how to keep
your books, raise capital, establish a partnership, and do your taxes. |
| |
| Your Own Business: A Young Entrepreneur's Start-Up Guide. James Freeley and John Matthews. |
(Bus. HD 2346) |
| Very similar to Are You An Entrepreneur? by the same author,
this book explores the basics of starting a business. Structure of
U.S. business, entrepreneurial characteristics, developing a business plan,
and new business ideas are some of the topics discussed. |
| |
BUSINESS PLANS:
| Business Plan Example. Kris Solie-Johnson. |
(Bus. HD 30.28 .S65) |
| An easy outline for writing a business plan is provided and a complete sample business plan for
a sandwich shop is presented. |
| |
| Business Plans Handbook. Kristin Kahrs, Ed. Multiple vols. |
(Bus. HD 62.7 .B865) (Also available online) |
| A compilation of actual business plans developed by small businesses
and arranged by type of business. Also contains a list of Small Business
Development Centers located throughout the U.S. and a business plan template
that you can use for your own business plan. |
| |
| Business Plans that Work: A Guide for Small Business. Jeffry A. Timmons, Stephen Spinelli, & Andrew Zacharakis. |
(Bus. HD 30.28 T5766) |
| Each chapter
introduces a different component of the planning process and illustrates concepts by highlighting an actual
company in the launch stage. |
| |
| Business Plans that Work for Your Small Business. Susan M. Jacksack, Ed. |
(Bus. HD 62.7 .B867) |
| A step-by-step guide through the business planning process. Includes
five real business plans to use as blueprints. |
| |
| Business Plans to Game Plans: A Practical System for Turning Strategies into Action. Second Edition. Jan B. King. |
(Bus. HD 30.28 .K559) |
| This book goes beyond creating a business plan. Among other things,
it will help you develop vision and mission statements; set goals for your
company and business plan; determine if you need more capital, more people
or new products for growth; and determine is sales are as profitable as
possible. |
| |
| The Total Business Plan: How to Write, Rewrite, and Revise. Second edition. Patrick D. O'Hara. |
(Bus. HD 30.28 .035) |
| Covers the basics of writing a business plan. Includes information on
finding money sources and formatting the business plan. Provides sample
business plans. |
| |
| Total Business Planning: A Step-by-Step Guide with Forms. E. James Burton and W. Blan McBride. |
(Bus. HD 30.28 .B84) |
| From small, start-up businesses to large, multiple-product businesses,
this directory describes and explains all the steps in the planning process.
Concrete examples and worksheets are provided. |
| |
FINANCIAL AND LEGAL GUIDES:
| Financial Studies of the Small Business. |
(Bus. HD 2346 .U5 F55a) |
| Often difficult to find information, this directory provides financial
statement data on small business. The data is arranged by type of
business and asset size. This is a good source to use to find financial
ratios for small business enterprises. |
| |
| Financing Business Growth. |
(Bus. HG 4027.6 .H36) |
| Deloitte & Touche, one of the major accounting firms, has written
a handy, highly readable guide on all aspects of obtaining capital for
growing businesses. Use this guide to find out about commercial lenders,
government agencies as sources of capital, corporate venturing, etc. |
| |
| Pratt's Guide to Venture Capital Sources. |
(Bus. HG 65 .G83) |
| This book is a comprehensive collection of articles written by professional
venture investors, and a directory that profiles venture capital companies
by state. This will be a very useful source for those seeking a general
understanding of the venture capital industry as well as specific sources
of venture capital funding. A subject index to venture capital firms
is provided. |
| |
| Legal Handbook for Small Business. Marc J. Lane. |
(Bus. KF 1659 .L36) |
| This handbook provides clear, jargon-free explanations and advice on
the legal aspects of such topics as setting up your business, buying a
business, accounting and taxation, antitrust issues, insurance, employee
relations, using your lawyer, etc. |
| |
| Small Business Legal Kit: Ready-to-Use Forms, Agreements, and Contracts for Small Businesses. J.W. Dicks. |
(Bus. KF 1659 .A65 D53) |
| This book contains forms and contracts that can be used by small businesses.
A completed example, as well as a brief commentary, accompanies each form. |
| |
MARKETING SOURCES:
Marketing information can be invaluable for targeting prospective customers
and positioning your small business. The following sources supply
data on the local, state, and national level.
| The American Marketplace: Demographics and Spending Patterns. Janet Heslop, Ed. |
(Bus. HA 203 .A635) |
| Contains demographic information about the U.S. marketplace. Breaks
population down by various criteria helpful to marketers. |
| |
| The Marketing Sourcebook for Small Business. |
(Bus. HF 5415 .D3475) |
| A very useful source for information on positioning, advertising techniques,
customer relations, locating your business, and much more. |
| |
| Demographics USA: County Edition. |
(Bus. HF 5415.1 .D46x) |
| Supplies invaluable, easy-to-use demographic data at the county level.
Can be used to profile a county in terms of such key indicators as total
population, population by age and sex, households by age, number of persons
and effective buying income, retail sales and establishments by category,
retail sales by type of merchandise, five year projections for population,
households and retail sales, and more. |
| |
| Demographics USA: Zip Code Edition. |
(Bus. HF 5415.3 .D463x) |
| Supplies invaluable, easy-to-use demographic data at the zip code level.
Can be used to profile a zip code in terms of such key indicators as population,
households, effective buying income, total retail sales, and households
by income. An excellent source to use to target your market. |
| |
| Market Share Reporter. Robert S. Lazich. |
(Bus. HF 5410 .M35) |
| An annual compilation of reported market share data for companies, products,
and services. |
| |
E-COMMERCE:
| Electronic Commerce. Gary P. Schneider. |
(Bus. HF 5548.32 .S42) |
| A comprehensive introduction to electronic commerce. Includes how-to and specific company
examples for implementing electronic commerce. |
| |
| E-Business : Strategic Thinking and Practice. Brahm Canzer. |
(Bus. HF 5548.32 .C356) |
| Presents a wide variety of topics important to understanding e-business strategy. Includes chapters on:
developing e-business models, creating the marketing mix, environmental factors that can influence
e-business and online behaviors, ethical, legal, and social concerns, and research methodologies in
e-commerce planning. |
| |
| Gale E-Commerce Sourcebook. |
(Available online) |
| Practical
information for entrepreneurs and researchers, organized
into three sections: how-to topics that serve as a guide
through the workings of e-commerce, providing answers to the major
questions about the launching, development, growth, and
maintenance of an e-commerce enterprise; directory listings of companies,
services, associations, and government agencies
related to e-commerce; and a listing of the top 250 e-commerce companies
worldwide, including rankings by revenue and
number of employees. |
| |
| Gale Encyclopedia of E-Commerce. |
(Available online) |
| Features 470
essays covering the world of Internet commerce and presents
answers to common questions about website
development, financing, advertising, and more. Includes topics and
terms, profiles of the top e-commerce companies,
biographies of e-commerce innovators, and coverage of events and
legislation related to e-commerce. |
| |
| Net Success: 24 Leaders in Web Commerce Show You How to Put the Internet to Work for Your Business. Christina Ford Haylock. |
(Bus. HD 30.37 .H39) |
| A collection of essays describing e-commerce from a managerial perspective. Chapters include topics on
the Internet as it relates to: advertising, direct marketing, merchandising, law, etc. |
| |
| Plunkett's E-commerce & Internet Business Almanac. Plunkett Research, Ltd. |
(Bus. HF 5548.32 .P677x) |
| Provides profiles of Plunkett's Internet 400 Firms, and statistics and trends in e-commerce and web-based
retailing. |
| |
MISCELLANEOUS DIRECTORIES:
| Bond's Franchise Guide. |
(Bus. HF 5429.235 .U5 S66) |
| Gives profiles of over a thousand franchises broken down by category. |
| |
| Encyclopedia of Associations. |
(Bus. AS 22 .E5, Annual) |
| This directory lists and describes the major associations in all fields.
An excellent index by name and keyword provides access to each listing.
Professional and trade associations can be invaluable sources of information,
and can be an important source of contacts in a particular field. |
| |
| Trade Shows Worldwide: An International Directory of Events, Facilities, and Suppliers. |
(Bus. T 394 .T723) |
| This is a comprehensive directory of trade shows that provides information
on whom to contact, the audience the show is intended for, fees, dates,
and locations. Indexes at the back of the book list shows by subject
and by the date they will be held. Trade shows are an excellent way
to network and talk to people in your field. |
| |
WORLD WIDE WEB SITES FOR SMALL BUSINESS
From the Center for Business Research WWW Business Sources page.
LIBRARY DATABASES:
The following databases are available on campus and from home. A University I.D. card with a barcode
will provide access from off campus. Go to the Circulation Desk of the Library to obtain a barcode.
These databases will provide many full-text articles about all business topics and will be especially useful for
finding current small business information.
| Encyclopedia of Small Business |
Small Business databases |
| Part of the
Gale Virtual Reference Library, this provides 600 detailed articles and overviews with how-to
information that entrepreneurs and small business owners can apply to
their own business, meeting all their key information needs in financing, financial planning,
business plan creation, market analysis, sales strategy, tax planning, and human resource issues. |
| |
| Business Plans Handbook |
Small Business databases |
| Part of the
Gale Virtual Reference Library, this is a collection of
actual business plans compiled by entrepreneurs seeking funding for
small businesses in the manufacturing, retail, and service industries.
Includes sample business plan templates, fictional plans, glossaries of
small business terms, bibliographies, and directories of consultants and
other resources. Corresponds to volumes 5-10 of the print version. |
| |
| Business Source Premier (Ebsco) |
Business databases |
| Business Source
Premier provides full text articles for over 8,000 scholarly business journals and
other sources, including full text for more than 1,100 scholarly business publications. Coverage
includes virtually all subject areas related to business. This database provides full text (PDF) for
more than 350 of the top scholarly journals dating as far back as 1922. |
| |
| Business & Company Resource Center |
Company Information databases |
| Use this database to find many current, full-text articles on a specific topic.
The Advanced Search feature is useful for locating targeted data such as company and
industry information, investment reports, company history, and rankings. |
| |
| General BusinessFile |
Business databases |
| Produced by the same company as the Business & Company Resource Center, this
database provides similar information in a somewhat different format. |
| |
| ABI/Inform Global (ProQuest) |
Business databases |
| The ProQuest databases provide a wealth of information in full-text articles.
Use the Advanced Search to locate articles by specific company and/or subject heading. |
| |
| Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe |
News databases |
| This all full-text
database provides many current and retrospective news and business articles. |
| |
| Gale E-Commerce Sourcebook. |
E-Business databases |
| Practical
information for entrepreneurs and researchers, organized
into three sections: how-to topics that serve as a guide
through the workings of e-commerce, providing answers to the major
questions about the launching, development, growth, and
maintenance of an e-commerce enterprise; directory listings of companies,
services, associations, and government agencies
related to e-commerce; and a listing of the top 250 e-commerce companies
worldwide, including rankings by revenue and
number of employees. |
| |
| Gale Encyclopedia of E-Commerce. |
E-Business databases |
| Features 470
essays covering the world of Internet commerce and presents
answers to common questions about website
development, financing, advertising, and more. Includes topics and
terms, profiles of the top e-commerce companies,
biographies of e-commerce innovators, and coverage of events and
legislation related to e-commerce. |
| |
HTML by Robert Delaney
robert.delaney@liu.edu
|
