Business Plans

Starting Out-Business Plans

• Search Gale Virtual Reference Collection
   
  • Business Plans Handbook  Vol. 1, 1995
  • Business Plans Handbook  Vol. 2, 1996
  • Business Plans Handbook  Vol. 3, 1997
  • Business Plans Handbook  Vol. 4, 1997
  • Business Plans Handbook  Vol. 5, 1998
  • Business Plans Handbook  Vol. 6, 1999
  • Business Plans Handbook  Vol. 7, 2000
  • Business Plans Handbook  Vol. 8, 2001
  • Business Plans Handbook  Vol. 9, 2002
  • Business Plans Handbook  Vol. 10, 2004
  • Business Plans Handbook  Vol. 11, 2006 & MORE    
     
  • Encyclopedia of American Industries 4th ed., 2v, 2005
  • Encyclopedia of Management 5th ed., 2006
  • Encyclopedia of Small Business 2nd ed., 2v, 2002
    
     
• Netlibrary Ebooks
  • How to Write a Business Plan (eBook) by McKeever, Mike P.Berkeley, Calif.: Nolo, 2000.62921 http://www.netlibrary.com/summary.asp?id=126072
  • How to Prepare a Business Plan (eBook)
    Sunday Times Business Enterprise Guide; Rev. 4th Ed.by Blackwell, Edward.London, Sterling, VA Kogan Page, 2004.http://www.netlibrary.com/summary.asp?id=134767   (British business plans)
  • How to Write a Business Plan (eBook) by McKeever, Mike P.Berkeley, CA Nolo, 2002. http://www.netlibrary.com/summary.asp?id=78303
  • How to Write a .com Business Plan : The Internet Entrepreneur's Guide to Everything You Need to Know About Business Plans and Financing Options (eBook) by Eglash, Joanne. New York:McGraw-Hill Professional, 2000. 54226
  • Online Business Planning : How to Create a Better Business Plan Using the Internet, Including a Complete, Up-to-date Resource Guide (eBoook) by Gorman, Robert T. Franklin Lakes, N.J. The Career Press, 1999.25133

• http://www.bplans.com/sp/
• Small Business Association
• SCORE's Business Plan templates & other
• Tutorial for Business Plans
• http://www.answers.com/main/business.jsp
• How to Prepare a Business Plan , 4^th ed.,  2004

Product Industry and Outlook Research - Is there growth or need for products or services

• Business Source Complete -   (EBSCO)
  • Industry Surveys - use SPC special passwords | FIND Industry Reports
• Encyclopedia of American Industries. 
• Occupational Outlook Handbook - use for career & industry futures
• Research Your Industry through Trade Associations – Inc. http://www.inc.com/marketing_and_advertising/advice/22070.html/
• Industry Outlook - http://www.ita.doc.gov/td/industry/otea/outlook/index.html
• Monthly Labor Review -- http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/welcome.htm

Locating Companies That Sell Products - how are they doing?

• Hoover's   SPC Database
• Business Source Complete  (EBSCO) SPC Database
• Lexis Nexis Academic SPC Database
• Reference USA
  Comprehensive national business and residential directory. Provides detailed information on over 14 million business establishments.

Use Google.com, Yellow Pages, Superpages.com (businesses) or other preferred search engine to locate company information:

• to find who sells products
• to look at individual companies web page for information
• Thomas Register  (company catalogs)  http://www.thomasregister.com/

Doing Research On Specific Companies

• Library Databases
  • Hoover's   SPC Database
  • Business Source Complete  (EBSCO) SPC Database
  • Lexis Nexis Academic SPC Database
  • Reference USA
    Comprehensive national business and residential directory. Provides detailed information on over 14 million business establishments.
• Websites
  • BigCharts  -- http://bigcharts.marketwatch.com//
  • Annual Reports on Companies -- http://www.reportgallery.com/
  • Hoovers Online --http://www-2.hoovers.com/
  • Edgar Company Filings - http://www.sec.gov/edgar/searchedgar/webusers.htm
  • Wall Street Research Net

Pricing

• Thomas Register  (company catalogs) -  http://www.thomasregister.com/
• Existing products in stores::
  • Walmart --http://www.walmart.com
  • JC Penney --http://www1.jcpenney.com/jcp/default.aspx
  • Claires (hair products) --http://www.claires.com/site_map.asp
  • Target – http://www.target.com
• Google or Yellow Pages  -- Company homepages or catalogs for pricing, locations, new product development, etc.

See local area  information (below) who you can market to

• American Marketing Association
• Export.gov - marketing research from US government
• Market Research Guide - http://www.nypl.org/research/sibl/consumer/
http://www.knowthis.com/tutorials/marketing
information_for_market_research.htm
• SBA Marketing Basics - excellent overview
• Tradeport.org -Country Information. California's Gateway to international trade site.  Marketing, import/export, etc.
• Business Source Complete -   (EBSCO) 
  • Search for articles on new consumerism trends

Operations Costs For Area Costs & Regulations for Doing

• Demographics, Lifestyles, Trends and Attitudes (to establish climate for doing Business)
• Cost of Doing Business & Regulations in Certain areas
   
• Pinellas County & Tampa Bay Business Climate
  • Pinellas County
    • Marketbook - how people spend their money (St. Petersburg Times)
      • Marketbook - how people spend their money
      • Income - what people make
      • Demographics   (description of people who live in county)
    • Pinellas County Planning
      • County description  - growth and climate
      • Gateway to the Future Report - advertising and who works in central Pinellas area
      • www.city-data.com - great information by zip code
    • Zoning
  • Tampa Bay area
    • Tampa Chamber Of Commerce 
    • Tampa Bay Business Journal - http://tampabay.bizjournals.com/tampabay/
• Florida
  • Florida -  Starting a Business
  • Zoning laws for Pinellas - http://www.pinellascounty.org/Plan/default.htm
  • Tampa Bay Business Journal - http://tampabay.bizjournals.com/tampabay
• National
  • www.city-data.com - great information by zip code
  • Population Reference Bureau
  • US Government OSHA -  http://www.osha.gov/html/a-z-index.html
  • Bureau of Labor Statistics
  • Fedstats  |  Fedstats Reference Shelf - local govt.
  • GPO Accesss (Government Documents)
  • Information Please Almanac
  • Tax Administration - State Comparisons
  • Statistical Resources on the Web  |  Statistical Sites on the Web
  • USA Statistics In Brief (US Census info)
  • U.S. Census Bureau  | U.S. Census Bureau Factfinder.census   (business & government expenditures
  • http://www.city-data.com/
• International
  • 2000 CIA World Factbook
  • Background Notes - Geographic Regions
  • Al Bawaba -- Middle Eastern site in both Arabic & English
  • Bucknell Russian Studies
  • CIA World Factbook
  • Country Indicators
  • Country Library
  • Country Studies
  • Country Info from Economist
  • Country Trade Reports
  • Electronic Embassy
  • International Chamber of Commerce, World Business Organization
  • Internet Resources for Latin America
  • Portals of the World
  • Tradeport Library
  • WorldInformation.com

Government Sources/ Statistics/Laws

• Economic Census Us Census
• Industry Reports
• OSHA   http://www.osha.gov/    - Occupational Safety & Health Administration
• U.S. Census Data --http://www.census.gov/
•   Statistics database from US government  which contains important of demographic and economic information. Bottom of Formm
• US Business Adviser -- http://www.business.gov/
• Bureau of Labor- Bureau of Labor Statistics -- http://www.bls.gov/ 
• US Dept. of Labor - http://www.dol.gov/ -minimum wage, etc
• US Government OSHA -  http://www.osha.gov/html/a-z-index.html

International Capstone Projects

• Databases for Research
  • Business Source Complete - Complete country profiles.
    • Government & Elections
    • External Foreign Relations
    • Policy & Business, Economy & Performance
    • Trading Partners
    • Population & Employment
    • Consumer Price Index
• International Websites
  • Short Summaries
    • 2000 CIA World Factbook  - basic summary
    • Background Notes - Geographic Regions
    • Tradeport Library
  • Detailed Reports - Economic Focus:

    • BuyUSA – U.S. Department of Commerce  http://www.buyusa.gov/home/export.html (Doing Business Guides: 2008 Country Commercial Guide for U.S. Companies)

      • Doing Business In ---
      • Political and Economic Environment
      • Selling U.S. Products and Services
      • Leading Sectors for U.S. Export and Investment
      • Trade Regulations and Standards
      • Investment Climate
      • Trade and Project Financing
      • Business Travel
      • Contacts, Market Research

    • Country Studies - http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/list.html (The Library of Congress) Searchable large reports of The Country Studies Series: description and analysis, historical setting and the social, economic, political, and national security systems and institutions of countries throughout the world.

    • Overview, Social Welfare, Health Care, and Education
    • Economy, Labor, Government, Financial system,
    • IMMIGRATION/REPATRIATION
    • Index of Economic Freedom  Heritage.org is a Wall Street Journal sponsored organization. The 2008 Index of Economic Freedom covers 162 countries across 10 specific freedoms such as trade freedom, business freedom, investment freedom. www.heritage.org/Index
    • World Bank http://www.worldbank.org/ - see Country section

  • Country Info from Economist
  • Country Trade Reports
  • Portals of the World
  • WorldInformation.com
• International Companies in Gale Virtual Reference Collection