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ENTREPRENEURSHIP & SMALL BUSINESS


BizOffice Small and Home Based Business Resources

•  Sponsored by SHBBL, Inc.
•  Provides links to small business and home-based business products and services, including opportunities, financing, franchises, news
•  “BizOffice Library” offers hundreds of articles on starting and managing businesses
•  “Forum & Letters” provides over 500 downloadable business forms and letters
•  “SmallBiz Events” provides access to seminars/events, allowing for online registration


Business Bureau (UK)

•  Sponsored by Advance Internet Services
•  Provides entrepreneurship and small business links for accounting, finance, employment
and recruitment, human resources, first-time businesses, and related topics
•  Discussion groups available
•  This is a British website, but many of the links have applicability for American users


Business.gov

•  Sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration
•  “The official resource to help business quickly find compliance information, forms and contracts from multiple government Web sites”
•  “A definitive, one-stop source to compliance assistance resources from all Federal Regulatory agencies”
•  “Includes a ‘Business Resource Library’ that provides links to business information and services from across Federal, state and local governments”
•  “Business Areas” links to numerous guides for 13 topical areas which affect many businesses (government contracting, information security, licenses/permits, workplace health/safety, et. al.)
•  “Industries” links to guides for 17 industry sectors
•  “State Compliance Resources” for each state provide assistance with documents/forms for state taxes, state business “portals,” licenses; also links to regional business centers and local government
•  Outstanding; the best resource for locating and obtaining official documents/forms/guides from the American government at all levels; it is easy to navigate and does an admirable job of providing direct access in one place to resources which heretofore required extensive (and sometimes frustrating) searching


ENTERWeb: The Enterprise Development Site

•  Sponsored by Jean-Claude Lorin
•  Online since 1996, “ENTERWeb is an annotated meta-index and information clearinghouse on enterprise development, business, finance, international trade and the economy in this new age of cyberspace and globalization.” With a “main focus” on “micro-enterprise, small business and medium enterprise development both in developed and developing countries”
•  Directory of links to over 800 sites in categories pertaining to numerous aspects of business development, management and commerce
•  Each link is annotated and given a rating, making it convenient to evaluate
•  Links may be browsed alphabetically or geographically, in addition to topically
•  Also available in French
•  Outstanding; although this site’s primary focus is on the development of small/mid-sized businesses, many of its links are very useful for a wide variety of business topics; easy-to-navigate, with excellent annotations; highly recommended


Entrepreneur Career Guide

•  Created and maintained by Kathryn Hake
•  This sub-page of the “Vocational Information Center” web directory links to over 200 sites for entrepreneurship/small business
•  Sites are categorized for the following topics: starting a business, tax- related information, business plans/forms/templates, growing/managing a business, business ethics/law, safety/health, related topics (math/calculators, schools/training, clip art/images/photos)
•  Sources utilized include sites from academia, libraries, government agencies, publishers, professional associations/organizations
•  Includes significant commercial content
•  No annotations
•  Focus is overwhelmingly domestic, with minimal links to international resources
•  Links to “Web Resources” for over 40 topic-specific career areas and over 30 vocational education/general career areas
•  Outstanding; this resource provides an excellent selection of sites for entrepreneurship and small business (and many other career areas), is very user-friendly and most links appear to be current


Entrepreneur’s Reference Guide to Small Business Information 3rd ed.

•  Compiled by Robert M. Jackson, Business Reference Services, Library of Congress
•  This extensive guide (56 pp.) discusses resources for the following entrepreneurship/small business topics: “Getting Started,” “Raising Capital,” “Managing Your Business,” “Marketing,” “Human Resources,” “Doing Business with Government,” “International Opportunities”
•  Beginning with an excellent introductory essay, this guide provides commentary on print resources from the mid-1990s, primarily concentrating on book, periodical and government sources; includes handbooks, statistical resources, dictionaries, indexes, directories
•  Minimal links to internet resources
•  Includes “tips” on constructing productive subject searches in online library catalogs
•  Includes an extensive index
•  Excellent examination of print resources in this field from the nation’s pre-eminent library


Entrepreneurial Resources

•  Sponsored by Marcus P. Zillman, director of the Virtual Private Library™
•  “A Subject Tracer™ Information Blog developed by the Virtual Private Library™”
•  Directory of links to 100 websites for the following entrepreneurship-related resources: “gateways”/portals, educational institutions, “think tanks,” government agencies, directories, professional/trade associations/organizations, journals, employment, commercial enterprises, population-specific resources
•  No annotations
•  Outstanding; this is a great mix of educational, professional and commercial resources for anyone starting a business enterprise (or expanding one)


Entrepreneurship Research Studies

•  Sponsored by the Horn Library, Babson College
•  Discusses the print, database and Internet resources available in the Horn Library
•  While this site has some content which is useful to anyone interested in entrepreneurship, its primary emphasis is on research-level resources: conference proceedings, “working papers” and research in progress, case studies, journals, indexes to articles/books/dissertations
•  Much of the information available here leads the researcher to academic sites which list bibliographic information concerned with articles/papers/case studies sponsored by the source; full-text content is usually not included (some is fee-based)
•  Includes “Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research,” a research summary of the papers presented at the annual conference of Babson’s Center for Entrepreneurial Studies
Outstanding; this is one of the best sites for keeping abreast of academic efforts in entrepreneurial research
•  Also links to additional Horn Library pages Entrepreneurship, Society and Environment and Technology Entrepreneurship; both of these provide excellent insight into researching these sectors of entrepreneurial endeavor


Fambiz.com

•  Sponsored by NetMarquee, Inc.
•  Links to articles on a wide variety of family and small business sites
•  Provides access to 26 topical areas, including asset protection, family stores, sibling rivalry, and inter-generational issues
•  Currently links to 28 institutes/programs in academia
•  Searchable by browsing or keyword
•  Currently the most useful family business site on the Web


Public Libraries Briefcase

•  Maintained by the American Library Association, Business Reference and Services Section (BRASS)
•  This series of resource guides provides advice and links for a variety of business topics, many of which have applicability to researching entrepreneurship, including business plan development, online resources for small businesses, public records research, building business connections, federal procurement, U.S. demographics, importing information
•  There are currently 17 guides from 2002 to the present; all guides have been revised in 2007
•  All guides are clearly written and should be useful to general users
•  Excellent; a very useful series for anyone interested in concise, practical information


Reference for Business

•  Sponsored by Thomson-Gale
•  This is a free online directory which consists of information culled from a variety of Thomson-Gale’s reference products
•  Contains over 600 articles on numerous topics from the “Encyclopedia of Small Business”; also offers “…actual business plans written by entrepreneurs in North America who are seeking financing for their business”
•  Also includes over 600 profiles of prominent international business/industry leaders, and SIC-based profiles of over 400 manufacturing industries and over 500 service industries
•  Outstanding; an excellent resource for small business (and general business) information


Resources for Entrepreneurs

•  Sponsored by Gaebler Ventures
•  This guide links to advice/articles and resources for a wide variety of entrepreneurial situations
•  Contains over 270 practical articles on 22 areas of entrepreneurship and small business, including finance, planning, incorporation, start-ups, franchising
•  “Entrepreneurial Resources by State” links to government agencies/resources, development centers, incubators, venture capital firms and additional pertinent information
•  Also links to “definitive list of great resources for entrepreneurs,” population-specific resources, incubators (by state), franchise opportunities
•  Significant commercial content included
•  Outstanding; a great place for practical information and quick access to a state’s resources


Small Business Administration

•  Sponsored by U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)
•  Best federal site for connecting with governmental resources for starting and managing small businesses
•  Includes agency special programs and initiatives, including financial, technical, and managerial links
•  Links to local SBA offices
•  Site search form allows keyword searching


Small Business Advancement National Center

•  Sponsored by U.S. Small Business Administration and University of Central Arkansas
•  Provides links to sites for the following topics: Family business, marketing, business plans, small business demographics, development, finance, industry profiles, and additional sites
•  The sections on international business (country profiles) and industry profiles link to documents which are somewhat dated; nevertheless, some data can still be useful for background information
•  Also provides links to conference proceedings, software resources, newsletters, and national and international associations and organizations


Small Business Advisor

•  Sponsored by Information International
•  Great source for keeping on top of small business/entrepreneurship issues with daily business news and marketing tips, weekly tips for accounting, tax, success and stress tips, and bi-monthly intellectual property tips
•  Free monthly newsletter available by e-mail; archived from 1976
•  "Doing Business with the U.S. Government" link provides excellent information and instructions for dealing with this sometimes complex process
•  Provides small business information links to appropriate state agencies
•  Also links to articles, business to business services, checklists, glossary, small business forum


Small Business and Self-Employed One-Stop Resource

•  Sponsored by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), U.S. Department of the Treasury
•  Presents IRS’s tax policies, regulations, appeals procedures, and publications regarding small businesses
•  Discusses a variety of topics which affect/impact small businesses: Starting a business, closing a business, dealing with disasters, avoiding tax scams; also provides industry/profession specific advice
•  Links to state tax information, agencies and workshops
•  Also links to federal/state agencies which provide advice/assistance for small businesses
•  Excellent; best official site for federal small business taxation information


Small Business Development Center National Information Clearinghouse

•  Sponsored by Small Business Development Center (SBDC)
•  Funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration, this network serves as a clearinghouse for local and state affiliates of the SBDC
•  Provides access to small business-related activity in 15 topical areas, including demographics, industry research, e-commerce, and business plans
•  Topical areas contain exceptional links, many of which are not available from topical groupings available from others sites
•  "Industry Research" offers access to 35 manufacturing and service industries, including restaurant management and tourism
•  E-Newsletter, message board, tax forms, and FAQ feature also available
•  Searchable by browsing or keyword
•  In terms of content and navigability, this is one of the most useful entrepreneurship and small business sites on the Web


Small Business Knowledge Base

•  Sponsored by BizMove.com
•  10 broad categories cover such basics as start-ups, e-commerce, financial management and buying a business; sub-categories provided within each category are well-organized for easy retrieval
•  This is a generally useful site, but since it is "commercial" its organization outside the 10 broad categories can be distracting at times


Small Business Resources

•  Maintained by Peter Stevens, Foster Business Library, University of Washington Libraries
•  Discusses the print, database and Internet resources available at the Foster Library
•  Print resources include almanacs, general/topic-specific guides/handbooks, directories, funding sources, statistical sources; many of these may be found in academic libraries or large public libraries
•  Databases are restricted to the University of Washington community; many of these may be found in academic libraries or large public libraries
•  Internet resources link to academic pages, government sites (federal/state), “think tanks,” directories, professional/trade associations, organizations
•  Excellent annotations accompany print citations, databases and Internet resources
•  Also includes tips on constructing the most productive subject searches in online library catalogs
•  Outstanding; this is one of the best academic library guides currently available online; thorough and very well-written
•  Entrepreneurship Resources and Venture Capital Resources are two companion guides which are also outstanding


Small Business State Profiles

•  Sponsored by United States Small Business Administration, Office of Advocacy
•  Provides annual small business profiles for the 50 states and the District of Columbia
•  Each state's profile includes the following statistical information: Number of firms, small business income, industrial composition, job growth, and data on minority and women-owned businesses
•  Also contains link to "Economic Statistics and Research" website, which provides small business information on a national level
•  Retrievable by Adobe Acrobat (.pdf file)


Startup.wsj.com

•  Sponsored by Dow Jones and Company, Inc.
•  Provides links to businesses and franchises for sale, entrepreneurial help, running a business, sources for capital, online business plans, and other topics
•  "Front Page" provides news updates


United States Patent and Trademark Office

•  Sponsored by U.S. Department of Commerce
•  Provides information on a variety of patent and trademark related topics
•  Includes downloadable forms
•  Issues weekly news and announcements


Women Entrepreneurial Resources

•  Sponsored by BusinessJeeves.com
•  Guide for accessing small business financing resources, government procurement contact information and professional associations/organizations
•  Links to federal government sites for funding/contracts resources and to state/municipal sites for funding/contracts resources, procurement information, economic development agencies
•  “Peer (Women) Support Resources” links to professional/trade associations/organizations concerned with financing/promoting/supporting women-owned and operated businesss
•  Also links to additional Businessjeeves.com pages which promote African-American, Asian-American and Latino-American business ventures
•  Contains commercial content
•  Excellent; although some sections of the site are “under construction,” this is a great resource for content/networking information for population-specific entrepreneurship


Websites discussed on this page are for informational purposes only. Johnson & Wales University Library is not responsible for the accuracy, content or stability of any website linked to this page.

Compiled by Rick Keogh, 1/01; latest revision 1/08

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