Typical Business Questions from Entrepreneurs and
Startups
What does a business plan include?
How do I find out about regulations, certifications, licenses, related
to started my business?
What are the projected trends for my market niche?
What are the fastest growing industries in the Boise area?
What are the NAIC or SIC codes for a particular market?
Who are my competitors and how many are there in my geographic market
area?
Who are my customers and what's their demographic profile?
What are some typical for sales, expenses, profit margins, etc. for
similar businesses?
How do I identify a supplier for xyz product?
How to I locate a specific business or product?
Tutorials for Business Research
The information on this page comes from a variety of
free tutorials. I encourage you to visit them since this list does not include
everything they offer.
A business plan is not required but is strongly encouraged for all
businesses whether they are seeking financial assistance or not. A plan
can:
Assist in acquiring funds from banks or other lending institutions
or organizations to use for startup or expansion.
Assists owners with realistically preparing for the first few years
of operations. It is easier to anticipate future needs and keep the
business focused if there is a business plan in place.
By creating a business plan the participant can evaluation whether
their business concept is viable. By the time they have worked through
all the sections they will have a very good idea about whether it will
work or not.
Major Parts of a Business Plan include:
Executive Summary
Business Description
Market Analyses
Management Team
Operations
Critical Risks
Financial Projections
Appendix - supporting documentation, which is referenced in the
plan, intellectual property documents, letters expressing interest or
reviews of the product or service, resumes of key personnel promotional
brochures, competitor price list or other information.
ONLINE RESOURCES: Databases
Encyclopedia of
Associations, National(Gale) A comprehensive list of
national organizations described briefly, with names, addresses,
and telephone numbers.
Associations keep track
of industry data for
their members and may have valuable information on an industry
that would not be found in standard business sources. Also
available in print (see below)
First Research
An invaluable resource for small business owners and job
seekers. Over 800 in-depth industry profiles with industry
trends, statistics, essential contacts and trade associations,
updated every 90 days. No remote access. In-library use only.
Small Business
Resource Center (Gale): Includes the 10 volume set of Business Plans Handbook, as
well as information to help users learn how to start, finance or
manage your small business. Resources include how to guides,
association contacts, articles and websites.
SBDCNet National Information Clearinghouse (includes
business planning info but much more) http://sbdcnet.org/
PRINT RESOURCES
Business Plans Handbook:a compilation of actual
business plans developed by small business throughout North
America R OV
658.4012 BUSINES 1995
Encyclopedia of Associations, Regional, National,
International A comprehensive list of
national organizations described briefly, with names, addresses,
and telephone numbers.
Associations keep track
of industry data for
their members and may have valuable information on an industry
that would not be found in standard business sources. R OV 061
ENCYCLO 2005
Small Business Sourcebook Information designed to facilitate the start-up, development
and growth of specific small businesses, as well as similar
listings for general small business topics. Entries are provided
on a state-by-state basis; also included are relevant U.S.
federal government agencies and branch offices. Part of the
Small Business Resource Center database listed above. R OV
658.022 SMALL B 2005
Local Organizations that Provide Assistance
Use our online Small Business Resource Partners brochure
[website
or PDF brochure version] to locate contact information
for organizations like SCORE, Idaho Small Business Development
Center, the Chamber of Commerce Small Business Success Center
and many others.
Business Classification
Briefly, using a business classification number to do research about a
particular type of business is more accurate than using something like
Yellow Page headings. Most business research will require you know or
determine the NAICS or SIC classification code.
NAICS, (rhymes with "brakes") North American Industry Classification System, was
created in 1997, and has been revised in 2002 and 2007. It replaces SIC
classification, which is still being used.
Both systems provide numbers to be
assigned to a business based on the product or service the business
provides. A business may have a PRIMARY code, as well as multiple
SECONDARY codes.
There are several ways to determine what a businesses NAICS code
might be. You can convert an SIC code into a
NAICS code by using this Census web page:
www.census.gov/epcd/www/naics.html
You can use this free web site
www.naics.com and
search by keyworld.
Or if you find an existing
business that is in an industry you are researching you can use
ReferenceUSA
database to determine the NAICS and SIC codes. ReferenceUSA allows
users to search by both NAICS and SIC codes, as well as, Yellow Page
headings.
Encyclopedia of
Associations, National(Gale) A comprehensive list of
national organizations described briefly, with names, addresses,
and telephone numbers.
Associations keep track
of industry data for
their members and may have valuable information on an industry that
would not be found in standard business sources.
First Research
An invaluable resource for business owners and job seekers. Over 700
in-depth industry profiles, updated every 90 days. No remote access
(available onsite at all BPL locations).
ProQuest business databases:
ABI/INFORM Dateline(Funded by
LiLI) Search a unique resource focusing on hard-to-find local and
regional business news coverage of large corporations, privately held
companies, local start-ups, executive profiles, marketing, finance, and
industry news. Provides access to business information not typically
found in national news sources. Contains news and analysis, information
on local markets, and more gathered from major business tabloids,
magazines, daily newspapers, wire services, and city, state, and
regional business publications. Coverage: 1985-current
ABI/INFORM
Global(Funded
by LiLI) Most scholarly and comprehensive way to explore and understand
business research topics. Search nearly 3000 worldwide business
periodicals for in-depth coverage of business and economic conditions,
management techniques, theory, and practice of business, advertising,
marketing, economics, human resources, finance, taxation, computers, and
more. Expanded international coverage. Fast access to information on
60,000 + companies with business and executive profiles. Now includes
The Wall Street Journal. Coverage: 1971 - current
ABI/INFORM
Trade & Industry (Funded
by LiLI) Search more than 1200 business periodicals with a trade or
industry focus. Provides the latest industry news, product and
competitive information, marketing trends, and a wide variety of other
topics. Contains publications on every major industry, including
finance, insurance, transportation, construction, and many more.
Coverage: 1971 - current
Hoover's Company Records(Funded by
LiLI) Up to date proprietary editorial content covering more than
40,000 public and non-public companies, 600 industries, and 225,000 key
executives. Profiles include: company overview, history, competitors,
rankings, financials and more.
Snapshot Series(Funded
by LiLI) The Snapshot International Group Series of 4,600 reports is
designed to provide an instant overview of a market. The data is
supplied in both graphical and tabular format for ease of interpretation
and analysis.
Other ProQuest
Business Databases (Funded
by LiLI) Accounting and Tax Periodicals, Asian Business and Reference,
Banking Information Source, Computing, and Telecommunications.
ReferenceUSA
We have both a the Business and Residential module. You can search by
business name or create a
custom search based on your criteria, which can include geographic
location business size based on sales or employees, and many other
criteria.
Small Business
Resource Center (Gale)
Learn how to start, finance or manage your small business. Resources
include sample business plans, how to guides, association contacts,
articles and websites.
Stat-USA
A service of the U.S. Dept. of Commerce, it is THE site for the U.S.
business, economic, and trade community. Provides authoritative
information from the Federal government. Includes Globus and NTDB
(National Trade Data Bank).
http://www.stat-usa.gov/ No remote access - requires user name and
password to log on. Ask a librarian for access.
ONLINE RESOURCES: Websites with local and regional statistics
BizStats - www.bizstats.com Another source for industry financial ratios. They also link to
reports at
BizMiner.com which are for a fee.
Boise Valley Economic Partnership www.bvep.org Find packaged demographic and statistical reports on various
segments of the Boise valley population and business community.
Also see the Business Assistance Resource Guide
www.bvep.org/business-assistance.aspx- multiple categories
to choose from, including Demographic Data, and they all provide links
to other resources.
Boise Valley Prospector (sponsored by BVEP) http://www.boisevalleyprospector.com/ Created to assist with locating available real estate property for
business. Find 3 packaged reports for both Ada and Canyon counties,
located in the last category "Community Profiles" on the bottom left.
Reports are Demographic Report, Consumer Expenditures, Business and
Workforce.
EconData.Net: Your Guide to Regional Economic Data on the Web
http://econdata.net
A portal page to free database resource.
ESRI - Community Tapestry
http://www.esri.com/data/esri_data/tapestry.html ESRI's market segmentation system, classifies U.S. neighborhoods
into 65 segments based on their socioeconomic and demographic
composition. Segmentation explains customer diversity, describes
lifestyles and life stages, and incorporates a wide range of data such
as demographic, business, and market potential data. Search by zip code
for a free overview.
State and Metropolitan Data Book 2006
http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/smadb.html The State and
Metropolitan Area Data Book features more than 1,500 data items for
the United States and individual states, counties and metropolitan areas
from a variety of sources. Information in the State and Metropolitan
Area Data Book covers the following topical areas: age, agriculture,
births, business establishments, communications, construction, cost of
living, crime, deaths, education, elections, employment, energy,
finance, government, health, households, housing, immigration, income,
manufactures, marriages and divorces, media, natural resources,
population, poverty, race and Hispanic origin, residence, retail sales,
science and engineering, social services, tourism, transportation, and
veterans.
State of the Cities Data System http://socds.huduser.org/ Another source for retrieving a wide range of government statistics
include, crime, employment, building permits, populations and more. It
is database driven - the user selects the criteria and geographic
location for produce a grid or chart with the appropriate data.
ONLINE RESOURCES: Websites from the Federal government
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Industries at a Glance
http://www.bls.gov/iag/home.htm
Industry statistics and trends from an employment perspective. Provides
a "snapshot" of national data quick overviews. Summaries from 12 major
economic "supersectors".
Census Bureau
http://www.census.gov/
The Census Bureau is THE authority for all things statistical.
Some resources that relate specifically to business are:
Building Permits Data
http://censtats.census.gov/bldg/bldgprmt.shtml
Building permit statistics on new residential and nonresidential
construction for individual municipalities. Updated monthly.
County Business Patterns
http://www.census.gov/epcd/cbp/view/cbpview.html
County Business Patterns (CBP) produced by the U.S. Census Bureau
"is an annual series that provides subnational economic data by
industry." The "series is useful for studying the economic activity
of small areas; analyzing economic changes over time; and as a
benchmark for statistical series, surveys, and databases between
economic censuses."
The CBP allows the entrepreneur to analyze local business
establishments. Think of the CBP as a business establishment
counterpart to the population census analysis of families and
individuals. "Establishments" are not necessarily stand-alone
companies, but more often "outlets" for franchises. No names of
franchises, however, appear in the tables. Although the CBP series
began in 1946, only the last 15 years currently appear on-line.
The series provides data on the following for all counties in the
United States and the District of Columbia:
total number of establishments
mid-March employment, first quarter and annual payroll
number of establishments by nine employment-size classes by
detailed industry
Economic Census Conducted
every 5 years on the years ending in 2 and 7, and while it takes
several years for collected data to be tabulated and released, the
census is a good and fairly recent indicator of economic activity in
the United States. Beginning with the 1997 Economic Census can be
found online at
http://www.census.gov/ . Select the "Business & Industry"
heading, or select American FactFinder in left menu to access data.
(Not all 2007 statistical data has
been released - much of the info is from 2002.)
Local Employment Dynamics (LED)
http://lehd.did.census.gov/led/led/led.html
A new tool, which exists as a partnership between the Census Bureau
and many state labor market information agencies. LED supplies
statistics on employment, job creation, turnover, and earnings by
industry, age and sex. It is an excellent tool that shows where
people live and where they work, and this information is helpful for
city and transportation planners, businesses, policy-makers, and
others.
Manufacturing, Mining and Construction Statistics http://www.census.gov/mcd/ Notice the Construction section on this page. This is what
may be most useful for our types of questions we get. Under the
New Residential Construction link is a database for Building
Permits which can drill down to county and place (like Boise).
Also statistics for housing Starts and housing completions.
State and Metropolitan Data Book 2006
http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/smadb.htm The State
and Metropolitan Area Data Book features more than 1,500 data
items for the United States and individual states, counties and
metropolitan areas from a variety of sources. Information in the
State and Metropolitan Area Data Book covers the following topical
areas: age, agriculture, births, business establishments,
communications, construction, cost of living, crime, deaths,
education, elections, employment, energy, finance, government,
health, households, housing, immigration, income, manufactures,
marriages and divorces, media, natural resources, population,
poverty, race and Hispanic origin, residence, retail sales, science
and engineering, social services, tourism, transportation, and
veterans.
USA Counties http://censtats.census.gov/usa/usa.shtml features over 6,000
data items for the United States as a whole and individual states
and counties from a variety of sources. Files include data published
for 2007 estimates and many items from the 2000 Census of Population
and Housing, the 1990 census, the 1980 census and the 2002, 1997,
1992, 1987, 1982 and 1977 economic censuses.
FedStats
http://www.fedstats.gov/
FedStats provides access to the full range of official statistical
information produced by the Federal Government without having to know in
advance which Federal agency produces which particular statistic. With
convenient searching and linking capablilties to more than 100 agencies,
FedStats links to the full breadth of Federal statistical information.
You can go through the topic links A-Z to find small business, and this
will include economic indicators, establishments & employees, state
profiles, and the full text of The Small Business Economy.
SBA's Office of Advocacy Research and Statistics, Office of
Economic Research
http://www.sba.gov/advo/research/
This is a one-stop shop for business statistics and an excellent
jumping-off point to information about business performance and reports
about the state of business.
PRINT RESOURCES
Almanac of Business & Industry Financial Ratios 2009 - more
detailed info than Industry Norms and Key Business Ratios but still not
as complex as our book RMA Annual Statement Studies. Organized by
NAICS codes.
(View sample page)
R 338.5 ALMANAC 2009 (Ready Reference)
* Benchmark information that provides comparison data
* Amount of Competition
* Marketability
* Amount of Risk
* Industry Trend
* Historical Profit Trend
* Ease of Replication
* Location and Facilities
* Industry Resources such as Associations and Publications with
Web sites
* General Information providing industry data, surveys, and
comments
* Fascinating facts about many different businesses and
industries
Editor & publisher market guide
Contains data on communities with daily newspapers. Ranks MSA's and top
cities and counties by cost of living, disposable income,
electronics/appliance sales, etc. Profiles communities and gives census
figures on population, age and ethnicity and population projections.
Last section profiles Canadian communities. R 658.8 EDITOR 2005
Encyclopedia of
Associations
The only comprehensive source for detailed
information on more than 22,500 nonprofit
American membership organizations of national
scope. Every entry offers a wealth of valuable
data, typically including the organization's
complete name, address and phone number together
with the primary official's name and title; fax
number, when available; founding date, purpose,
activities and dues; national and international
conferences; and more.
R OV 061 ENCYCLO 2008 (Ready Reference - 3
volumes)
Industry Norms and Key Business Ratios
http://kbr.dnb.com/login/KBRHome.asp(Dun & Bradstreet
publication) - provides information similar to RMA Annual
Statement Studies but people often find the it easier to understand and
use. Organized by SIC codes.
Available at Albertsons Library, Boise State,
Ref HF5681.R25 I53, latest 4 years are in the Reference Collection
(View sample page)
* Key Business Ratios measure the
relationship between financial values in a company's balance sheet
and income statement. They offer a way to evaluate the performance
and stability of a business when you're looking to:
* Industry Norms for these ratios
provide a side-by-side comparison of a business with it's industry
peers. These norms can help you spot important trends, identify
strengths and weaknesses, or serve as a benchmark for evaluating
company risk.
Lifestyle Market Analyst (SRDS) This guide is designed as a
"reference source for anyone doing preliminary market analysis at the
local, regional, or national level". It includes lifestyle information
on interests, hobbies, and popular activities in each geographic and
demographic market.
R 658.834 LIFESTY 2006
RMA Annual Statement Studies
(use for financial/business ratios)
Contains composite financial data on manufacturing, wholesaling,
retailing, service, and contracting lines of business. Use it to
compare one company's performance relative to other companies in the
same business line. Organized NAICS codes
R 338.5 RMA Ann
Sourcebook
of Zip Code Demographics
Profiles zip codes using over 70 variables in the areas of population
change & composition and income & spending potential. Profiles include
projections, updates and forecasts. Separate sections give the
predominant industry for each zip code and the dominant consumer group
in each zip code. R 317.3 Communi
2006
Survey of Buying Power
Sales & Marketing Management's annual Survey of Buying Power
provides data to help analyze U.S. markets, whether they're cities,
counties, CBSAs, DMAs, or states.
R 658.84 Sa 32 2005
Standard and Poor's Industry Surveys - R 332.67 STANDAR
Published semi annually. From the S&P website
http://sandp.ecnext.com/coms2/page_industry?referid=IShomeIS : " Includes
players and events impacting over fifty (50) of the largest North
American and global industries. Each report is authored by a Standard & Poor's industry research
analyst and includes the following sections: Current Environment,
Industry Trends, How the Industry Operates, Key Industry Ratios and
Statistics, How to Analyze a Company, Glossary of Industry Terms,
Additional Industry Information References and Comparative Company
Financial Analysis."
Value Line Investment Survey -
R OV 332.6305 VALUE
L RATINGS (2nd floor investment table)
Rating service for equities also includes one page industry overviews
from a investor perspective. Covers approximately 90 industries, which
are updated quarterly.
Locating a Specific Business or Product
The Library has a variety of directories - both print
and online. Here is a selective list of where you might search for a product
or business.
ReferenceUSAdatabase - for companies and individuals
Find the popular "How to Start a Business in Idaho" publication and
well as information about relocating or closing a business. Many
links to online business services and licensing.
New to business or to Idaho? Start with the
Business Wizard. It
will give you a customized Checklist of local, state, and federal taxes and
regulations that affect your business. You will
also find information on licenses and permits that you might
need, as well as information on registering your business in Idaho.
The Resource Wizard
will give you a customized Checklist of funding and other business
development resources in your area.
Federal Online Resources
Some of the featured sites from the WebJunctionRegulations and Compliance page. Visit the page for a complete list.
Business.gov, the official business link to the U.S. Government, is
managed by the US Small Business
Administration (SBA) in a partnership with 21
other federal agencies. This partnership, known as Business Gateway,
is a Presidential E-Government initiative that provides a single access point to
government services and information to help the nation's businesses with
their operations. Business.gov helps businesses save time and money
spent on regulatory compliance by providing quick and easy access to
business laws, government regulations, forms and agency contacts. The
site includes forms, contacts, posters, and even links to state
agencies, as appropriate.
Has a section for business and nonprofits, including getting employer ID
number, export license, state business license, sections for special
situations (vets in business, minority businesses, self-employed),
business forms (forms.gov), and workplace posters.
Regulations.gov, the public face of the U.S. government's erulemaking
initiative, facilitates public participation in the federal
regulatory process by improving the public's ability to find, view, and
comment on federal regulatory actions. Businesses can visit
Regulations.gov to view notices and make comments about proposed federal
regulations.
The Federal Trade Commission's motto is "Protecting America's Consumers"
and the agency provides a great deal of information about regulations in
the areas where businesses and their products interact with consumers.
Warranties, product labels, energy stickers, anti-trust laws, and more
fall under their umbrella.
Explore this FTC page
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/business.shtm for business to learn what
are appropriate business practices, information about telemarketing and
direct marketing, franchises and business opportunities, ecommerce and
more.
OSHA is the main federal agency charged with the enforcement of safety
and health legislation in the workplace. They encourage small businesses
to find and fix hazards to prevent workplace injuries and illnesses, and
they assure the safety and health of America's workers by setting and
enforcing standards, providing training, outreach, and education,
establishing partnerships, and encouraging process improvement in
workplace safety affairs. They function with state partners to keep
workplaces in conformity with standards. OSHA is one program
administered by the US Department of Labor (see below).
The Department of Labor fosters and promotes the welfare of the job
seekers, wage earners, and retirees of the United States by improving
their working conditions, advancing their opportunities for profitable
employment, protecting their retirement and health care benefits,
helping employers find workers, strengthening free collective
bargaining, and tracking changes in employment, prices, and other
national economic measurements. In carrying out this mission, the
Department administers a variety of Federal labor laws including those
that guarantee workers' rights to safe and healthful working conditions;
a minimum hourly wage and overtime pay; freedom from employment
discrimination; unemployment insurance; and other income support.
Free Resources and For Fee Resources
Free Resources
Best of the Business Web
database
http://www.jjhill.org/research_online/best_of_the_business_web.cfm Search by subject or keyword to find
business information with this
compilation of sites selected and
reviewed by the Hill Library Business
Information Specialists.
NOTE: The James J.
Hill Reference
Library is a
private non-profit
business reference
library, located in
Saint Paul, MN.
Since 1921, the Hill
Library has housed a
world-class
collection of
practical business
information
resources and is
considered one of
the most
comprehensive
business libraries
in the country.
Business
Source Premier
- EBSCO product
at Albertson's
Library/Boise
State Largest
full-text
collection of
scholarly
business and
trade journals
in the world.
Coverage: 1965
to present. Key
Content: 8,600
journals, market
and industry
reports, country
reports, SWOT
analyses.
Factiva
www.factiva.com Current and
in-depth
business news.
Merged with Dow
Jones. Read
brochure.
Fintel Industry Metrics -
http://www.fintel.us/products/IndustryMetrics.html A database containing financial ratios for small, medium, or large companies, by industry. It provides business owners with a benchmark to compare their business's financial health with industry averages. (Available through J.J. Hill)
Hoovers.comwww.hoovers.com
Brief reports on
more than 13,500
public and
private
companies.
Proprietary
portion of free
Hoover's
website.Key Content:
Quick facts
about major
public and
private
companies.
LexisNexis
Statistical - at Albertson's
Library/Boise
State
MarketResearch.com
- www.marketresearch.com
An aggregator of
commercial
market research
reports from a
wide variety of
well known US
and European
research
companies, as
well as reports
published by
MarketResearch.com.
Can find
information "by
the slice"
without having
to buy the whole
report.
Mindbranch -
www.mindbranch.com
Another
aggregator of
commercial
market research
reports.
Offers reports
from fewer
publishers than
MarketResearch.com.
Standard &
Poor's
NetAdvantage
– at Albertson's
Library/Boise
State
Print Resources List: Titles Mentioned in the "Business
Research @ your
library" guide
Brands and Their Companies
This source lists manufacturers and distributors
from small businesses to large corporations, from
both the public and private sectors, offering
complete coverage of more than 426,000 U.S. consumer
brands; 115,000 manufacturers, importers or
distributors; and companies that are out of business
as well as brands that are no longer in production
or are now considered generic. R OV 658.8 BRANDS (Ready Reference)
Business Plans Handbook A compilation of actual business
plans developed by small business throughout North America R OV 658.4012
BUSINES 1995
Business Reference Guide: for anyone involved in analyzing,
valuing or selling a business Designed for valuing a
business, provides pricing data for over 500 specific business
types. A copy is kept in the Chamber small business library (3rd
floor). Ready Reference R 338.71 Busines 2008
Most entries include the following and more:
* Benchmark information that provides comparison data * Amount of Competition
* Marketability * Amount of Risk * Industry Trend
* Historical Profit Trend * Ease of Replication * Location and Facilities
* Industry Resources such as Associations and Publications
with Web sites * General Information providing industry data, surveys, and
comments * Fascinating facts about many different businesses and
industries
Editor & publisher market guide Contains data on communities with daily
newspapers. Ranks MSA's and top cities and counties by cost of living,
disposable income, electronics/appliance sales, etc. Profiles
communities and gives census figures on population, age and
ethnicity and population projections. Last section profiles
Canadian communities. R 658.8
EDITOR 2005
Encyclopedia of Associations A comprehensive list
of
national organizations described briefly, with names, addresses, and
telephone numbers. Associations
keep track of industry data
for their members and may have valuable information on an industry that
would not be found in standard business sources. R OV 061
ENCYCLO 2005
Industry Norms and Key Business Ratios http://kbr.dnb.com/login/KBRHome.asp A Dun &
Bradstreet publication, which
provides similar information to RMA Annual Statement Studies and easier to use. Based on SIC
codes. Ref HF5681.R25 I53, latest 4 years in Reference Collection,
Albertsons Library, Boise State.
* Key Business Ratios
measure the relationship between financial values in a
company's balance sheet and income statement. They offer a
way to evaluate the performance and stability of a business
when you're looking to:
* Industry Norms for these
ratios provide a side-by-side comparison of a business with
it's industry peers. These norms can help you spot important
trends, identify strengths and weaknesses, or serve as a
benchmark for evaluating company risk.
Lifestyle Market
Analyst (SRDS) This guide is designed as a "reference source for anyone doing preliminary market analysis at the local, regional, or
national level". It includes lifestyle information on interests,
hobbies, and popular activities in each geographic and
demographic market. R 658.834 LIFESTY
2006
RMA Annual
Statement Studies Contains composite financial data on manufacturing,
wholesaling, retailing, service, and contracting lines of
business. Arranged by SIC code, use it to
compare one company's performance relative to other companies in
the same business line. R 338.5 RMA Ann
Small Business Sourcebook Information designed to facilitate the start-up, development and
growth of specific small businesses, as well as similar listings for
general small business topics. Entries are provided on a state-by-state
basis; also included are relevant U.S. federal government agencies and
branch offices. NOTE: also part of the Gale "Small Business Resource Center"
database R OV 658.022
SMALL B 2005
Sourcebook of
Zip Code Demographics Profiles zip
codes using over 70 variables in the areas of population change
& composition and income & spending potential. Profiles include
projections, updates and forecasts. Separate sections give the
predominant industry for each zip code and the dominant consumer
group in each zip code. R 317.3 Communi 2006
Standard and Poor's Industry Surveys Published semi annually. From the S&P website
http://sandp.ecnext.com/coms2/page_industry?referid=IShomeIS : " Includes
players and events impacting over fifty (50) of the largest
North American and global industries. Each report is authored by a Standard & Poor's industry
research analyst and includes the following sections: Current
Environment, Industry Trends, How the Industry Operates, Key
Industry Ratios and Statistics, How to Analyze a Company,
Glossary of Industry Terms, Additional Industry Information
References and Comparative Company Financial Analysis." Sample industry survey: http://www2.standardandpoors.com/spf/pdf/media/TelecomsWireless.pdf R 332.67
STANDAR
Successful Business Research: Straight to the Numbers You
Need--Fast! By popular author Rhonda Abrams. Learn how to find
critical numbers for you business startup or research: market size and
growth rate, how much business a competitor is doing, sales numbers for
products, and more. This book provides "roadmaps to the numbers people
need now, it reveals how to find Internet sites with (usually free)
data, how to navigate them quickly and thoroughly, and then how to
interpret and use the data found." For entrepreneurs, corporate
managers, and business school students 338.0072 ABRAMS 2006 - also in the Reference collection under the same
call number.
Survey of Buying
Power Sales & Marketing
Management's annual Survey of Buying Power provides
data to help analyze U.S. markets, whether they're cities,
counties, CBSAs, DMAs, or states. R 658.84 Sa 32 2005
Value Line Investment Survey Rating service for equities also includes one page industry overviews from a investor
perspective. Covers approximately 90 industries, which are updated quarterly. R OV
332.6305 VALUE L RATINGS (2nd floor investment table)
Ward's business directory of
U.S. private and public companies Lists more than 112,000 companies, 90% of which
are private. Volumes 1, 2 and 3 provide current company
information in a single A-Z arrangement. Volume 4 is a
geographic company listing, offering at-a-glance
evaluations of industry activity through rankings and
analysis. Consult Volume 5 for national rankings by
sales within SIC codes at the 4-digit level; Volume 8
presents these rankings by NAICS codes. Volumes 6 and 7
rank companies in each state by sales within 4-digit SIC
codes and provide brief evaluations of industry activity
of leading companies for each state R
OV 338.7402 WARDS 2008 SUPPL (Ready Reference)
