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Powerful Resources on the Web for the
Emerging Business and Entrepreneur

Primary Government Resources

 

  1. The FirstGov Information Network
    Washington, DC, USA
     The FirstGov Information Network from which you can find the Web site of every US Government Agency. Presents itself as the largest single source of public access to scientific, engineering and business-related information from the US Government. Updated with 7,000 new documents each month.

  2. White House Briefing Room
    Washington, DC, USA
     A single-point entry for all Federal economic and social statistics. Alice Rivlin, former White House Budget Director, has explained, "This service will give Americans quick, easy access to key current economic and social statistics."

  3. Library of Congress
    Washington, DC, USA

  4. IRS - Internal Revenue Service
    Washington, DC, USA
    Regulations, publications; forms and instructions.

  5. Small Business Administration
    Washington, DC
    Over 160 links to business related Web sites!

  6. The Commerce Business Daily (CBD)
    Washington, DC, USA
    The Commerce Business Daily  publishes notices of scheduled Federal government procurement actions, contract awards, sales of government property, and other procurement information. Every business day a new edition of CBD is issued. Approximately 500 to 1,000 notices comprise each edition, and each notice appears only once in the CBD. The U.S. Trade and Development Agency publishes a list of private services distributing the CBD in electronic form.

  7. U. S. Business Advisor
    Washington, DC, USA
    A new online service offering the smaller business "one-stop access" to Federal government information, services, and transactions. The five primary information branchings are; "Common Questions," "How To ...," :"Search," "Browse," and "News." Typical topics include "Doing Business with Government," "Finance," "General Business," "International Trade," "Labor and Employment," and "Laws and Regulations."

  8. Securities and Exchange Commission
    Washington, DC, USA
    For SEC fillings and documents from 1994 onward, click on the EDGAR Database of Corporate Information at this site's home page. Electronic filing became mandatory in May 1996. Also offers a special page, "Information for Small Business," and information on how to take the smaller business public.

  9. US Bureau of the Census
    Washington, DC, USA
    The primary source of demographic data -- from education and income levels to occupational and community characteristics -- for the development and execution of business strategies for markets as local as individual census tracts up through national distribution.

  10. FedStats
    Washington, DC, USA
    The Federal Interagency Council on Statistical Policy maintains this Website offering ready access to the full range of statistics and information released by more than 70 Federal agencies assembling statistics of interest to the public.

  11. The Federal Marketplace
    Wood River Technologies, Inc., Ketchum, ID, USA
    The Federal Marketplace offers free, up-to-date procurement resources to assist the smaller business and entrepreneur in doing business with the Federal government. Services encompass the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), the Cost Accounting Standards (CAS), the Procurement Assistance Jumpstation with over 250 links to procurement information/resources on the Internet, and the State and Local Procurement Jumpstation with over 150 links to state and local procurment sites.

  12. US Federal Government Agencies Directory
    Louisiana State University Libraries
    Baton Rouge, LA, USA
    Easy-access links to all branches of the United States Government: judicial, legislative and executive, including all agencies, e.g., Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, and Department of State (with its travel advisories). Also includes independent and quasi-official agencies, e.g., the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the Export-Import Bank of the United States, NASA, and the Smithsonian Institute.

  13. THOMAS System
    Library of Congress
    Washington, DC, USA
    "Legislative Information on the Internet." This site includes the complete text of all pending legislation and the Congressional Record; also, email addresses for all Senators and Representatives.

Outstanding Academic Resources

  1. MIT Enterprise Forum
    Sloan School of Management - MIT
    Cambridge, MA, USA
    The MIT Enterprise Forum promotes the formation and growth of innovative and technologically-oriented companies through a series of specialized executive education programs. Through an enterprise network of 18 chapters based in the USA and overseas, each chapter is run by a volunteer board of experienced entrepreneurs, corporate executives, university professors and industry leaders. Membership and program participation are open to all (non-MIT graduates, friends of MIT, local business executives and entrepreneurs). List of Forum Programs, networking opportunities, press clippings and links to 19 different resources for the preparation of business plans.

  2. Harvard Business School
    Boston, MA, USA
     TOM - Technology and Operations Management.

  3. Stanford University, Graduate School of Business
    Palo Alto, CA, USA
    MBA Programs, Stanford Sloan Program, PhD Program, Executive Education Programs.

  4. Gerry Faulhaber's Office on the Web The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA, USA This comprehensive Website by Gerald R. Faulhaber, Professor of Public Policy and Management, encompasses his research, talks and tutorials as well as current academic commitments. His diverse research work spans from the political economy of regulation and the Internet and public policy to banking and telecommunications. Abstracts and/or full-text copies of research papers as well as talks and tutorials can be downloaded. (Professor Faulhaber is the brother of the Editor of The Business Forum OnlineTM.)

  5. Wharton Small Business Development Center (SBDC)
    University of Pennsylvania
    Philadelphia, PA, USA
    This Entrepreneurial Center offers two key services to the smaller business and entrepreneurs, primarily in the Philadelphia area: (1) one-on-one management consulting, and (2) affordable business training. Services are provided by the Center's staff, most of whom are concurrently earning MBAs at The Wharton School and have worked an average of 5 to 15 years in a wide span of industries. The Center also offers approximately 30 business training programs, conferences and forums each year.

  6. OnlineLearning.net
    UCLA Extension, Los Angeles, CA, USA
    OnlineLearning.net is one of the premier worldwide suppliers of online continuing higher education; 135 courses have been distributed through the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Extension since September of 1996. New courses are being continually updated to this already comprehensive list.

  7. "A Business Researcher's Interests"
    Katz School of Business, University of Pittsburgh
    Pittsburgh, PA, USA
    An extensive assemblage of more than 3,500 personally selected links on topics of contemporary business issues, information systems, information processes, and information technology. Numerous commendations received in the worldwide press, the global corporate world, and worldwide conferences and presentations. Sponsored by the Association for Information Systems (Yogesh Malhotra).

  8. Northeastern University's Center for Family Business
    Boston, MA, USA
    This site offers information about the University's programs and workshops presented for family businesses, the newslater, Family Business Quarterly, a monthly column by Paul I. Karofsky, Director, and a compilation of all articles published by the Center.

  9. The Internet Advertising Resource Guide
    Department of Advertising, Michigan State University
    East Lansing, MI, USA
    This service is composed primarily of links to other online sites addressing effective ways to advertise on the Internet.

Research Tools for the Emerging Business

  1. TargetSmart -- Database Marketing
    Denver, CO, USA
    Founded in September 1995, TargetSmart, Inc., has developed the methodology, tools and software for database marketing that is "affordable and approachable" for the smaller business. Every new sale, every customer, and the results of every promotion are cycled into the database making the information upon which marketing decisions are made increasingly more precise and effective. Offers quantifiable validation of the profit contribution of every ongoing and special promotion.

  2. Vivamus Concepts Incorporated
    Wakefield, MA, USA
    A professional service offering access to business and market information for those who have neither the time nor the resources to efficiently obtain the required data. These information services allow you to make timely and intelligent decisions to help keep you on top of your business. John F. Lescher, President, is the respected author of Online Market Research: Cost-Effective Searching of the Internet and Online Databases (Reading, MA, USA: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1995).

  3. Encyclopaedia Britannica
    Chicago, IL, USA
    The world standard information service is available online at no charge to users. Invaluable research resource.

  4. Culpepper and Associates, Inc.
    Alpharetta, GA, USA
    "The Source for Software Industry Intelligence," Culpepper and Associates, Inc. is the leading provider of statistics and trends on software industry business practices. Of the 100 largest independent software vendors, 98 are reportedly Culpepper clients. Founded in 1979, the company conducts research, publishes an executive newsletter, and hosts executive forums. Analyses and insights on business practices and trends span all functional areas of software companies, including human resources, finance, sales/marketing, customer support, product development, international channels and professional services.

  5. Fortune  Global 500 and
    Fortune  500 Search
    Fortune Magazine, New York, NY, USA
    Both the global and the US listings of the largest industrial and service companies. Searches can be undertaken in any way one chooses; e.g.,  ranked by sales/revenue, by earnings, by assets, by market value or by shareholders' equity as well as many other rankings. An invaluable data base for business research.

  6. CommerceNet
    Palo Alto, CA, USA
    CommerceNet is a non-profit consortium of more than 140 companies and organizations whose mission is to accelerate Internet-based electronic commerce. It is assisting businesses of any size and type to acquire the resources needed to transact business online. Offers an index of the Web sites of many major businesses, with quarterly-earnings data, annual reports, and promotional and product information. Maintains links to companies, products and services to facilitate businesses locating the resources required to build a viable e-commerce presence on the Web.

  7. Quantum Books Search and Custom List Generator Utility
    Cambridge, MA, USA
    This utility not only allows you to search for books by title, author or ISBN number, but also allows you to search for key words in the abstract. Listings can be in short form (one line) or long form (everything including abstract). You can also select books from the search result and quickly create a custom list for your own purposes.

    As an example, here is the current list of books containing the keywords:
    business AND internet (listed in the short form)..

  8. EINet Galaxy's Business and Commerce Directory
    Austin, TX, USA
    A comprehensive directory of industry topics — e.g., management consulting and marketing — arranged alphabetically. Includes guidelines on how to research the competition online.

  9. FINWeb, A Financial Economics WWW Server
    Austin, TX, USA
    A comprehensive center listing Internet resources providing substantive information concerning economics and finance-related topics offered by James R. Garven, Ph.D., Vice President of the InsWeb Corporation and former faculty member at the University of Texas at Austin. Includes Resources for Economists on the Internet, links to economics journals, working papers and databases on the Net.

  10. Hoover's Online
    Austin, TX, USA
    A Web site for Hoover's Reference Press and Company Reports. Free access to search for information on over 9,000 companies, plus the weekly BizBuzz newsletter that gives information on market news and hiring announcements and a directory of over 1,300 corporations that maintain a presence on the Web.

  11. ECONOMICS Working Paper Archive (EconWPA)
    St. Louis, MO, USA
    A service devoted to the free distribution of working papers in economics. There are 22 subject areas along with a test posting area, a meetings area, an area for programs and an area for data. Maintained by the Economics Department of Washington University in St. Louis.

  12. DBM Research Resources Online
    New York, NY, USA
    These Drake Beam Morin Candidate Pages are designed primarily to assist DBM's clients in their searches for executive positions. However, these same resources can be invaluable to the owner/manager of the smaller business and the entrepreneur in pursing company, market, and industry research. Site is timely and maintained up-to-date.

  13. John McDonnell's Researcher's Toolkit
    An extensive collection of links to helpful sites for business research. Careful effort is made to assure information is current and timely. Also publish a monthly newsletter, InfoAlert.

Transnational Trade

  1. Trade Compass
    Washington, DC, USA
    Gateway to International Commerce. An excellent compendium of information and resources for the company engaged in transnational commerce on any scale.

  2. University of Sydney Fisher Library Government Internet Guide
    Sidney, Australia
    For the business engaged in any kind of transnational commerce, this is an invaluable directory of Web pages maintained by many governments covering Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Europe and the UK as well as the United States.

  3. Partnerbase
    Bank of Ireland, Dublin, Ireland
    Partnerbase is a service dedicated to promoting business partnerships between North American and European companies sponsored by a leading international bank. This business resource can help companies identify and develop international trade opportunities through transatlantic alliances.

  4. Thomas Cook Foreign Exchange for Business
    London, UK
    This Website of The Thomas Cook Group offers online interactive currency trading, real-time currency quotations, and general information and suggestions for global market success for smaller and mid-sized companies engaged in transnational trade.

  5. Portobello Business Centre
    London, UK
    A popular development tool for smaller businesses and entrepreneurs in the UK as well as throughout the world. Special emphasis is placed on timely information for the microenterprise.

  6. BusinessEurope
    Rome, Italy
    A rich resource to augment one's business throughout Europe. Includes country-specific market profiles, articles by lawyers and managers, Conference and Chamber of Commerce Calendars, a Trade Events search database, a Trade Bulletin Board, and many active links to related sites. An invaluable resource to help you trade with Europe.

  7. NAFTAnet Small Business
    Austin, TX, USA
    A resource for smaller businesses and entrepreneurs trading with Canada and/or Mexico and working under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

  8. TradeNet Canada
    Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
    A comprehensive assemblage with links to the primary commercial, financial and economic resources in Canada. This helpful service focusing on the interests of smaller businesses and entrepreneurs is maintained by Noront International Trade Services Inc., an international trade consulting firm.

  9. The ABC Companies, Inc.
    Buffalo, NY, USA
    A service presenting a diversity of articles on trade credit management and collection practices around the world; updated each month. Site (1) presents useful information on US and international credit and collection issues, and (2) offers interactive communication for businesses involved in transnational commerce seeking solutions to specific pre-sale and post-sale trade credit questions.

  10. Trade India
    Infocom Network Ltd., New Delhi, India
    Trade India offers invaluable guides for businesses doing business with India. Their Indian Importers' Directory is a comprehensive and up-to-date database including 9500 active Indian importers across the country, grouped under 315 product and service categories.

  11. Biz.E.Mall
    The Gap, Queensland, Australia
    Biz.E.Mall offers a unique directory structure to effectively present the suppliers of services, products and information on the Internet. Defined as Australia's Business Marketplace on the Internet,"  it is designed to specifically promote small to medium businesses to local, national and international markets.

  12. Global Trade Network (Trade Link)
    Shanghai Aviation Import & Export Corporation, Shanghai, P.R. China
    This online resource presents an extensive compilation of Websites around the world offering helpful and up-to-date country-specific information for companies engaged in transnational trade.

  13. Taiwan Products - Manufacturers and Suppliers
    GU TA Company, Taichung, Taiwan ROC
    Noteworthy database of Taiwan manufacturers offering sources for buyers and sellers. Database includes Taiwanese manufacturers and suppliers with factories based both in Taiwan as well as mainland China. This service matches overseas buyers and/or sellers with Taiwan manufacturing and trading companies.

  14. Taiwan Universal Commerce Information Center
    Taichung, Taiwan ROC
    Commerce web server specializing in trade, industry, business, manufacturing, and importer/exporter information in Taiwan. A presentation of domestic and overseas business oportunities.

  15. International Small Business Consortium (ISBC)
    Norman, OK, USA
    A directory of the products and services of selected small businesses (members) throughout the world as well as links to other Web sites with useful information for smaller businesses and entrepreneurs.

Intellectual Property and Legal/Tax Services

  1. IBM Patent Server
    International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, USA
    An innovative service demonstrating IBM technology offering direct access to over 26 years of US Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) patent descriptions as well as the last ten years of images. The first entries date back to January 5, 1971. You can search, retrieve and study over two million patents. Copies of patents can be requested online, for a fee, from Optipat Inc., which supplies the information on this site.

  2. Corporate Agents, Inc.
    Wilmington, DE, USA
     Established in 1899, Corporate Agents offers this comprehensive Website explaining how to incorporate a business in any state (corporation or LLC), including state-specific requirements, advantages and disadvantages of incorporating, and business discount services. This service formed 100,000 new corporations in 1996. If desired, this site enables the user to incorporate their business online in only five minutes. Resources also available to serve as Registered Agent in any state.

  3. Creativity and Patents
    Quantum Books, Cambridge, MA, USA
    Guidelines for creative problem solving and patent procedures linked to illustrative historical examples.

  4. All About Trademarks
    Gregory H. Guillot, Chartered, Washington, DC, USA
    An online service dedicated to trademark law with extensive links to trademark law resources and related intellectual property links to copyright, unfair competition, computer, multimedia, advertising, international trade, and trade secret law. Also includes extensive professional resource links for lawyers. Excellent first stop for the emerging business or entrepreneur with trademark, patent and copyright questions.

  5. Winthrop & Weinstine, P.A.
    Minneapolis, MN, USA
    An energetic law firm serving the needs of the entrepreneur and the smaller business, and whose practice embraces a wide spectrum of legal services. This office emphasizes three important principles that have formed the basis of its innovative approach to the practice of law: creativity, commitment, and competence.

  6. TaxTalk - Plain & Simple
    New York, NY, USA
    A monthly newsletter to help you understand the opportunities available to minimize your Federal tax liability for small business income as well as personal and investment income. The Publisher/Editor, Bernard M. Fruchtman, Esq., has served as Manager of Tax Research and Planning for Trans World Airlines and Director of Income Taxes at the Hertz Corporation. A free complimentary issue of this newsletter is offered.

Financing Resources for the Emerging Business

  1. The Angel Capital Electronic Network (ACE-Net)
    The Whittemore School of Business and Economics, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, USA
    An innovative Internet-based listing service providing information to angel investors on promising small businesses seeking to raise $250,000 to $5.0 million in equity financing. Sponsored by the Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy, this program seeks to enhance communication between the small business community and the investment community.

  2. FMAC (formerly Franchise Mortgage Acceptance Co.)
    Los Angeles, CA, USA
    FMAC is a specialty commercial finance company engaged in the business of originating and servicing loans to franchisees and small business owners in the restaurant, energy, golf, multi-family housing and funeral industries. The company originates and services loans and equipment leases as well as provides comprehensive insurance and risk management solutions for businesses throughout the United States.

  3. SBA Loan Information
    Professional Marketing & Training, Inc. (PMT), Edmond, OK, USA
    A basic introduction to the SBA's small business loan program referred to as 7(a) Loans. This practical page addresses "Common Questions and Myths about SBA Loans," offers critical statistics, and briefs the end-borrower about expectations and preparations for the initial meeting with their lender.

  4. Rubin, Brown, Gornstein & Co., LLP
    St. Louis, MO, USA
    RBG (Certified Public Accountants) focuses on closely-held and family-owned businesses and counsels clients on: buy-sell agreements; C corporations; consolidated tax returns; Employee Stock Option Plans (ESOPs); estate planning; IRS, state, sales/use tax examinations; individual, corporate and partnership tax planning; limited liability company/partnership (LLC/LLP); mergers and acquisitions; reorganizations; retirement planning; S corporations; state and local income and sales/use taxes; tax-exempt organizations; tax forecasts and projections.

  5. DataMerge
    DataMerge, Inc., Denver, CO, USA
    DataMerge is an international service providing financing information and funding sources for business and real estate projects. The Financing Companion is a complete "how to" resource for locating business financing, commercial real estate financing, IPO and private placement undrwriters, OTC market makers, institutional investors, and venture capital financing.

  6. "America's Small Business Finance Center"
    Net Earnings, Inc., San Francisco, CA, USA
    Net Earnings is a primary Internet provider of financial services for smaller businesses and entrepreneurs. This service facilitates the online application for loans, business credit cards and payroll services as well as comparing prices and purchasing policies for health insurance, life insurance, and property and casualty insurance.

  7. Raising Capital on the Internet
    Prestige IPO, Arcadia, CA, USA
    The Internet IPO Handbook explains Regulation D, Rule 504 enabling the the smaller business and entrepreneur to make a public offering via the Internet up to $1.0 million. Presents step-by-step guidance for companies considering the sale of equity through a direct public offering, this resource is published online with active Internet links.

  8. AdvisorWorks
    Sunnyvale, CA, USA
    This is a password-protected Website for professional investment advisors offering a breadth of information on financial research and publications, related financial Websites, educational programs, regulatory agencies, mutual funds and a member directory for networking. Access to sister site, GreenJungle, is free and provides individual investors with educational resources and information, reviews the merits of individual mutual funds, and offers a breadth of complementary market information.

  9. Lemders Interactive Services (LIS)
    San Diego, CA, USA
    An online search service (no-cost) accessing a database of banks and lenders offering loans and financing in essentially all categories of business credit and capital from Accounts receivable to Venture capital.

  10. Cambridge Financial Services
    Largo, FL, USA
    There are three popular and distinct types of private (non-public) stock offerings for the smaller business: Regulation D Series (known as Private Placement Memorandum PPM), Limited Partnership Offering (LPO), and Form U-7, Small Corporate Offering Registration (SCOR). Cambridge Financial Services offers software programs with comprehensive manuals providing the entrepreneur with all required forms, documents and investor listings to independently undertake an Initial Public Offering (IPO).

  11. The Investor Alert Resource Center
    Dynamic Publishing Company, Inc., Homewood, IL, USA
    A Website committed to helping investors and small business owners "find the resources needed to empower a business & master one's finances." Investor News & Alerts presents "important bulletins that could help you to avoid financial deceptions."

     

Management Tools for the Emerging Business

  1. Intuit, Inc.
    Intuit Inc., Mountain View, CA, USA
     QuickBooks is the No. 1 accounting solution for small business. QuickBooks helps you keep track of the money coming in and out of your business, all in one easy-to-use place. So you always know where you stand, and you're always ready for tax time.

  2. Pitney Bowes Small Business Postage Meter & Scale
    Pitney Bowes Inc., Stamford, CT, USA
    Eliminate trips to the Post Office! Work smart. Focus on revenue. Stop sweating the small stuff. Try the Pitney Bowes postage meter and scale. No risk 60-day FREE trial plus $30 in FREE postage coupons.

  3. Creating a Code of Ethics for Your Organization by Chris MacDonald, Ph.D.
    Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada
    An extensive compilation of resources presented by philospher-ethicist Chris MacDonald offering guidance on writing a code of ethics.

  4. Business Resource Center
    Khera Communications, Inc., Rockville, MD, USA
    A noteworthy site offering the owner/manager of the smaller business and entrepreneurs nuts-and-bolts information about marketing, financing, and general management for their venture. "Quote of the Week" is one of this site's unique features.

  5. American Express Small Business Exchange
    American Express Company, New York, NY, USA
    A Website offering the smaller business and entrepreneur extensive information about starting, operating and growing a small business. Helpful articles, databases and tools are assembled in Business Planning & Resources.

  6. SCORE® -- Service Corps of Retired Executives
    US Small Business Administration, Washington, DC, USA
    SCORE® offers assistance at No Cost to the owner/managers of smaller businesses and entrepreneurs through 12,300 member volunteers nationwide. Sponsored by the US Small Business Administration (SBA), the SCORE® program matches a small business that wants help with an exprerienced and trained volunteer. All counsel is confidential.

    SCORE® now provides 150 volunteers online, 7-days-a-week, for your convenience -- ready to answer your business questions and to offer small-business counseling at no cost via email.

  7. Lupfer & Associates
    Natick, MA, USA
    Lupfer & Associates is a consulting firm specializing in assisting high tech manufacturers, distributors, suppliers and OEMs. L&A's clients are based in several countries as well as the United States.

  8. Small Business 2000
    New Orleans, LA, USA
    The homepage for the TV series focusing on the startup and sustained growth of smaller businesses -- "from the incubation of an idea to an IPO." Presenting 26 shows a year, each show features a new case study of an entrepreneur's accomplishments, examining the problems they encountered through each of the eight phases of growth and the ways in which these challenges were overcome successfully.

  9. National Small Business United (NSBU)
    Washington, DC, USA
    NSBU is the nation's oldest bipartisan advocate for small business in the United States. Representing a growing network of small business owners, NSBU empowers small businesses, initiating action on legislative and regulatory issues while playing a key role in shaping Federal policy in the interests of small business.

  10. TargetSmart -- Database Marketing
    Denver, CO, USA
    Founded in September 1995, TargetSmart, Inc., has developed the methodology, tools and software for database marketing that is "affordable and approachable" for the smaller business. Every new sale, every customer, and the results of every promotion are cycled into the database making the information upon which marketing decisions are made increasingly more precise and effective. Offers quantifiable validation of the profit contribution of every ongoing and special promotion.

  11. Culpepper and Associates, Inc.
    Alpharetta, GA, USA
    "The Source for Software Industry Intelligence," Culpepper and Associates, Inc. is the leading provider of statistics and trends on software industry business practices. Of the 100 largest independent software vendors, 98 are reportedly Culpepper clients. Founded in 1979, the company conducts research, publishes an executive newsletter, and hosts executive forums. Analyses and insights on business practices and trends span all functional areas of software companies, including human resources, finance, sales/marketing, customer support, product development, international channels and professional services.

  12. The Career Toolbox
    New York, NY, USA
    An online resource with the contributions of well-respected career authorities presenting the tools for enhancing one's performance and professional situation. Take Flight addresses
    issues of special interest to the smaller business and entrepreneurs.

  13. George S. May International Company
    Park Ridge, IL, USA
    A resource site offered by this prominent management consulting firm serving more than 10,000 businesses annually throughout the United States, Canada and the European Union. Smaller and middle-market companies are targeted -- manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers, distributors, healthcare providers, construction companies, the hospitality industry and a breadth of other service enterprises. A separate division specializes in Quality Management Systems, including ISO 9000 and QS 9000 preparation services.

  14. Small Business Resource Center
    Symantec Corporation, Cupertino, CA, USA
    This Website offers information and tips on how to operate your emerging business more efficiently, listing some of the best places on the Internet to get "inside information" and cutting-edge technology. The Links Directory features Websites around North America to help enhance one's competitive advantage, enhancing business growth and prosperity.

  15. PLANMaker
    POWERSolutions for Business, St. Louis, MO, USA
    A superior application program (CD-ROM) for developing professional, well-documented business plans for the emerging business and entrepreneur. These business plans are designed to meet the ongoing needs of weekly operations as well as the expectations of credit and loan officers. Users do not need to be familiar with complex accounting.

  16. CareerCity
    Adams Media Corporation, Holbrook, MA, USA
    A site allowing individual job seekers to search an extensive database of employment opportunities and to post their resumes online. Reportedly receives about 10,000 visitors per day. Fee structure is scaled to the number of people a company employs, thereby offering discounted rates for small and growing companies enabling their job postings to reach a large national audience.

  17. Small Business Information site
    The Mining Company TM (General Internet Inc.), New York, NY, USA
    A well-designed Website offering helpful information about starting and running a small business with a diversity of useful links to other online resources.

  18. Microsoft Small Business Resources
    Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA, USA
    An eclectic assemblage of resources for the smaller business focusing primarily on opportunities and strategies to expand one's business onto the Internet. The most attractive features are a number of carefully-selected and relevant case studies of smaller businesses that change each month. Microsoft products for smaller businesses as well as information about product resources and support are also presented.

  19. The Association for Sales Force Management
    Seattle, WA, USA
    This Website offers a breadth of resources designed to enhance the recruitment, deployment and management of an effective sales force.

  20. GARP Custom Newsletter Service
    Van Nuys, CA, USA
    A broad-based service creating attractive and interesting company newsletters for many smaller companies as well as Fortune500® corporations. If desired, all arrangements can be transacted online.

  21. National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE)
    Washington, DC, USA
    The NASE is one of the largest small-business associations in the US, serving the needs of the smallest of America's small businesses -- the self-employed. NASE offers small business resources, membership benefits such as discounts and no-cost professional advice, and legislative advocacy in Washington, DC.

  22. SoHo Central
    Home Office Association of America, New York, NY, USA
    "SoHo" is an acronym for Small Office/Home Office. This site is a practical resource for the home-based professional and smaller business including links to other sites focusing on the needs of the home-based business. "Home Office Bill of Rights" is one of this site's unique features.

  23. ON'VILLAGE
    Los Angeles, CA and Provo, UT, USA
    ON'VILLAGE has assembled a database of 15,000,000 businesses and organizations throughout the USA. Almost every smaller business is already included in this database that can be searched by a variety of criteria, e.g.,  Area Code, business name, or product/service catagory. Most appealing, any business can enhance its listing and recognition by adding its own homepage to this listing, thereby gaining significant competitive benefits.

  24. The National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO)
    Oakland, CA, USA
    A private, non-profit membership organization disseminating information on employee stock ownership plans (ESOP) and other forms of employee ownership (worker ownership) yielding employee benefits and incentives. NCEO offers dozens of publications, and this site presents excerpts from the most popular. There is a newsletter for members, and publications for sale to the public (with a discount for members).

  25. Northeastern University's Center for Family Business
    Boston, MA, USA
    This site offers information about the University's programs and workshops presented for family businesses, the newslater, Family Business Quarterly, a monthly column by Paul I. Karofsky, Director, and a compilation of all articles published by the Center.

  26. AT&T Resources for New Business
    New York, NY, USA
    A useful primer of sound information and advice to assist the entrepreneur planning to launch a new business. The materials assembled offer helpful checklists on generic business topics; e.g., marketing/advertising, export/import business, and how to bring a new product to market. This objective information surrounds a variety of offerings of AT&T's communications services and products for the smaller business.

  27. Dun & Bradstreet Information Services
    Wilton, CT, USA
    An online access service enabling millions of US companies in D&B’s database to be searched. Business Background Report can be obtained online for a nominal fee. Application can also be made for your company’s own D-U-N-S® Number -- D&B’s globally accepted business identifier.

  28. BizWomen
    New York, NY, USA
    Resource for women in business. Entrepreneur’s Corner and information divided by topics, including business, money, career, and home business. BizWomen also operates four Internet mailing lists encompassing careers, finance, technology and general business.

  29. Chambers of Commerce Service Corporation (CCSC)
    Pittsburgh, PA, USA
    CCSC's members include more than 50 local chambers of commerce representing about 20,000 businesses and organizations to offer its members and their employees cost-effective insurance products, payroll programs and credit bureau services. This Website presents Internet Resources categorized under Small Business Development, Human Resources, Taxes, Marketing, Legal Information, and Training and Education.

  30. CYphon
    LA 411®, Los Angeles, CA, USA
    A lifestyle service offered primarily for film and video professionals. CYphon is a part of LA 411® Online, a respected professional reference guide for professionals in Southern California.

  31. Your Business Performance Center
    Real Voices, San Diego, CA, USA
    Links to a diversity of informational sources for the SOHO (Small Office, Home Office) and entrepreneurial markets.

  32. The Meeting Planner's Guide
    Motivational Marketing Associates, Williamsville, NY, USA
    A guide designed to provide meeting planners with a reference source for identifying and addressing problems and questions that arise in the course of planning and producing meetings, regardless of size or content. Guide is designed to help the smaller business anticipate potential problems and take the steps necessary to reduce those risks to manageable proportions.

Entrepreneurial Resources

  1. inc.com
    Boston, MA, USA
     Inc.com is designed for the business builder who's long on work and short on time. This Website delivers "best of breed" information, products, services, and online tools -- aggregated from a variety of sources -- for virtually every business or management task.

  2. Drake Beam Morin
    New York, NY, USA
    For human resource professionals and recruiters, as well as employees and business leaders interested in developing their own careers. From free job postings and resume access to the latest employment statistics and trends to articles on career management, the site offers a range of HR information. Visitors will find information on DBM's worldwide career enhancement services and outplacement services.

  3. smallbizNet®
    Cassopolis, MI, USA
    An information toolbox offered by the Edward Lowe Foundation for entrepreneurs, owner/managers of smaller businesses, and SOHO (small office/homebased office) workers. An electronic bulletin board where entrepreneurs can trade tips, an electronic bookshelf for browsing and ordering books, and a library of more than 5,000 articles relating to small business issues.

  4. Home-Based Entrepreneur's Resource Center
    Vantage Publishing, San Diego, CA, USA
    A small catalog of functional business resources on CD-ROM to assist the entrepreneur launch or expand a profitable home-based business.

  5. Motorola New Enterprises (MNE)
    Schaumburg, IL, USA
    A venture capital and technical support resource committed to evaluating new business opportunities, funding new ventures from seed stage through and including acquisitions, and building these companies into larger, growing and profitable businesses.

  6. Start a Home Business
    Donald H. Locke, Jr., 1st Results WEB Services, Plano, TX, USA
    Offers a report (no charge) on starting a home-based business. Also, presents links to other resource sites of special interest to both startup and expansion of home-based businesses.

  7. Working Solo Online
    Terri Lonier, Portico Press, New Paltz, NY, USA
    An information center serving primarily entrepreneurs and self-employed professionals. Offers business and new product news, books and audio tapes (Portico Press), calendar listing conferences, seminars and trade shows, and a searchable guide to more than 1,200 helpful business resources.

Books and Training Resources

  1. Ayer Company Publishers
    North Stratford, NH, USA
     A resource offering 12,000 titles either by selecting one of 150 categories or by undertaking a keyword search. For example, one relevant category is titled "Capitalism."

  2. Internet Books by Van Nostrand Reinhold
    Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, NY, USA
    A small catalog of books for the smaller business embracing subjects such as online marketing, HTML, training, and Internet business strategies.

Journals and Publications

  1. inc.com
    Boston, MA, USA
     Inc.com is designed for the business builder who's long on work and short on time. This Website delivers "best of breed" information, products, services, and online tools -- aggregated from a variety of sources -- for virtually every business or management task.

  2. womenCONNECT.com
    McLean, VA, USA
    This content-rich site for business and professional women includes original, daily, women-related news and features; content from Working Woman and Working Mother magazines; a searchable events calendar and directories of organizations/women-owned businesses; job listings for women professionals; book reviews, links, guides and chats on business, finance, careers, politics, health and other topics; exclusive, daily reports on women in politics; polls, surveys and bulletin boards; interactive finance tools; online trading capabilities.

  3. The Hi-Tech Insider
    Pensacola, FL, USA
    An excellent compendium of news about the Information Technologies drawn from daily, weekly and monthly news sources -- the print media as well as online sources. This offers a timely window to stay abreast of all pertinent events, developments and issues affecting the Information Technologies every day. A comprehensive and well-organized service for those either working within or servicing the hi-tech industries.

  4. Group C Communications, Inc.
    Red Bank, NJ, USA
    An established trade publisher. While services now include fully automated telemarketing, custom publications and data graphics design for its customers, two trade magazines offer special research and information resources for the owner/manager of smaller businesses and entrepreneurs:
    • Business Facilities:  A monthly site selection magazine offering news and resource information for companies expanding and selecting new locations; and
    • Today's Facility Manager:  A monthly magazine offering in-depth coverage of products, services and issues relating to the management of facilities.

  5. The Small Business Journal
    Covington, KY, USA
    A magazine for the owner/managers of smaller businesses and entrepreneurs. Topics include finance, sales and marketing, technology, management, taxes, and business ethics. Contents of a recent issue are listed. Subscription form is provided; $35 for 12 issues.

  6. Consultants Report Magazine
    Future Learning International, Inc., Sherwood, OR, USA
    A national four-color magazine for business executives and operations managers written by executives and consultants. (Six issues per year.) Tables of contents and articles from current and previous issues are available online.

  7. BusinessTech
    New York, NY, USA
    A digital publication focusing on ideas, analysis and solutions involving the development, implementation and use of new technologies by business. A password-access information and analysis service, the Guest section is free to all viewers and offers the equivalent content of a monthly issue.

  8. Women's Wire
    San Mateo, CA, USA
    An online magazine for women in business. News and information on work, politics, health and life-management issues are offered by this professionally-managed editorial service operated by Wire Networks, Inc.

  9. WWW Virtual Library's Catalog of Electronic Journals
    Baltimore, MD, USA
    A comprehensive directory of academic journals, business-to-business newsletters, and trade and consumer magazines that can be found on the Web in electronic form.

     

Directories, Indices, and Hot Links

  1. ON'VILLAGE
    Los Angeles, CA and Provo, UT, USA
     ON'VILLAGE has assembled a database of 15,000,000 businesses and organizations throughout the USA. Almost every smaller business is already included in this database that can be searched by a variety of criteria, e.g.,  Area Code, business name, or product/service catagory. Most appealing, any business can enhance its listing and recognition by adding its own homepage to this listing, thereby gaining significant competitive benefits.

  2. Thomas Register of American Manufacturers
    Thomas Publishing Company
    An online service permitting searches at no charge of the entire Thomas Register by company name and/or product or service description. "How To Buy It" mini-tutorials available on what to look for when purchasing a variety of high-tech products. Free files are offered with downloadable demos, tutorials, and special applications from the Thomas Publishing Company. Information about the 30-volume printed edition and the CD-ROM edition of the Thomas Register. Finally, instructions about how to list your company in the Thomas Register.

  3. Hoover's Online
    Austin, TX, USA
    A Web site for Hoover's Reference Press and Company Reports. Free access to search for information on over 9,000 companies, plus the weekly BizBuzz newsletter that gives information on market news and hiring announcements and a directory of over 1,300 corporations that maintain a presence on the Web.

  4. SwitchboardTM
    Banyan Systems Inc.
    Westboro, MA, USA
    A comprehensive and continuously updated directory of addresses and telephone numbers for more than 10 million businesses across the USA plus essentially all US residential telephone listings with addresses.

  5. BigBook
    San Francisco, CA, USA
     A directory of 11 million businesses throughout the United States. This compendium offers nationwide street-level maps, third-party reviews, and customer ratings.

  6. Ahoy, The Homepage Finder
    University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
    A helpful search engine -- an academic research prototype developed by the Department of Computer Science -- to locate Websites (homepages) by organization, individual name and/or email address.

  7. Internet Address Finder
    Innovative Insights, Alpharetta, GA, USA
    postmaster@iaf.net
    This directory currently lists more than 3.9 million email addresses. An email address can be searched by Last Name, First Name or Domain Name with a wildcard, or search on an email address to identify the associated name. A fill-in form allows you to register yourself (optionally including full address and URL) or correct or remove your listing.

  8. The Internet Advertising Resource Guide
    Department of Advertising, Michigan State University
    East Lansing, MI, USA
    This service is composed primarily of links to other online sites addressing effective ways to advertise on the Internet.

  9. Small and Home-Based Business Links
    A compendium of links to other resources for smaller and home-based businesses: reference materials for the smaller business, opportunities, franchises, newsgroups, marketing, searching tools, and services.
Try These Search Engines:

  • Alta Vista search
    Our first choice! This is the largest, fastest and most comprehensive search engine on the planet. Alta Vista indexes all 10 billion words on over 21 million web pages. Also one of the easiest to use with good online help available when you need to narrow your search or do complex searches.

  • Yahoo search
    Yahoo shows a complete directory path above each reference it finds (each directory level is separated by a semicolon). You can click anywhere on this directory path to move up to a higher level directory and then move down any subdirectory of interest. This is a very effective way of searching in cases where you are not sure of the relevant keywords or directory categories. Serendipity in action! Yahoo is great for discovering important things for or about which you didn't think to look.

  • Lycos search
    Lycos enables you to search by keyword, sifting through the vast Web as you would search for a word or phrase within a document on your word processor. Lycos has 16 million pages in its database, offering the most complete information available.

  • Infoseek search
    Infoseek is considered to be one of the fastest and most accurate search engines. In addition to a database of 1.0 million pages, Infoseek carries news articles.

  • Web Crawler search

  • Quantum Books Search and Custom List Generator Utility
    Cambridge, MA, USA
    This utility not only allows you to search for books by title, author or ISBN number, but also allows you to search for key words in the abstract. Listings can be in short form (one line) or long form (everything including abstract). You can also select books from the search result and quickly create a custom list for your own purposes.

    As an example, here is the current list of books containing the keywords:
    business AND internet (listed in the short form).

Your comments and suggestions for these pages are most welcomed!

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Thomas A. Faulhaber, Editor

Email: editor@businessforum.com


Telephone: 617.232.6596 -- FAX: 617.232.6674
Brookline, MA 02446.2822     USA

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Revised: January  30, 2018 TAF

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