Library Resources for BUS101
Douglas & Judith Krupp Library
Fall 2010
Colleen Anderson , Reference Librarian
canderso@bryant.edu
Components of Business Plan Research
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The Business Plan
An Industry Overview and Forecast
The Target Market and Demographics
Location and Traffic Counts
The Competition
Developing Financials and Locating Capital
Registering Your Business
Licensing and Business Regulations
Risk Management and Insurance
Colleen Anderson
canderso@bryant.edu
The Business Plan
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Bplans.com
…place your cursor over Sample Plans to retrieve 100 sample business plans.
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Writing the Business Plan U.S. Small Business Admin.
…a step-by-step guide on how to write a business plan. Select the Small
Business Planner module and click on Write a Business Plan.
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How to Start a Business in Rhode Island
REF HD62.5 .H685553 2004
…everything you need to know about starting a business in Rhode Island,
from Your Duties as an Employer to forms you’ll need to start a business.
Colleen Anderson
canderso@bryant.edu
The Business Plan
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Business Plans Handbook
REF HD62.7 .B865 (1st level)
…a collection of business plans compiled by entrepreneurs seeking funding
for small businesses.
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Business Plan Write
…a tutorial on how to write a business plan from Business Resource Software.
The free tutorial includes the needed components of the plan and an example
of how each should be used.
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Entrepreneurship Database. Business Plan Samples
…look under the Start-up Tools section to locate links to Business Plan
Samples; Guides, Templates & Tools, and a Tips & Advice video.
Colleen Anderson
canderso@bryant.edu
Sites for Business Planning Support
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U.S. Small Business Administration
http://www.sba.gov/
…includes a Small Business Planner containing information and
resources to help you start, manage and exit your business. The Write
a Business Plan section of the Planner includes a short video course on
writing a business plan.
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Wall Street Journal. Small Business Section.
http://online.wsj.com
…includes a small business how-to guide with tips on all aspects of
starting a business, reports on creative new business start-ups, and
additional articles covering all aspects of starting and running a
business.
Colleen Anderson
canderso@bryant.edu
An Industry Overview and Forecast
About NAICS
How to identify your industry
What is NAICS?
http://www.census.gov/epcd/www/naics.html
NAICS, the North American Industry Classification System, is a numerical
classification system that assigns a number to each industry. This number is
commonly reported as a 6-digit number.
Why use NAICS?
The NAICS number can be useful for locating competitors within your
particular industry. Many electronic and print reference products organize
industry information by this number. The economic census also records
information using this system.
Colleen Anderson
canderso@bryant.edu
Example of a NAICS industry number
for Landscaping Services
Colleen Anderson
canderso@bryant.edu
Industry Overview & Forecast
Locating Industry Overviews and Trends
IBIS World
Click on the Industry Market Research tab to gain access to comprehensive market
research reports.
First Research Industry Profiles (located in Proquest Business Databases)
Industry Information Resources from ValuationResources.com
…click on a broad industry category to expand your industry selections. Select your
industry to gain access to a mixture of free and fee resources, including links to
prominent trade associations and many free reports with industry overviews and trends.
Standard & Poor’s Industry Surveys
In-depth overviews and forecasts for more than 50 major industries.
***Remember to search for articles from business news and trade
publications for current information on specific industries of interest.
Colleen Anderson
canderso@bryant.edu
Industry Overview & Forecast: Trade Journals
Using trade associations & journals for industry research
What is a trade association?
A trade association is an association of companies operating within the same
industry who band together to promote legislation, educate their members on
industry regulations, collect industry data, develop directories promoting their
members, and more. Trade association websites are often valuable sources for
industry information.
What is a trade journal?
A trade journal is a journal devoted to covering the news from a particular industry.
The articles in trade journals include industry news, company rankings & ratings,
competitive information, and more.
Colleen Anderson
canderso@bryant.edu
Industry Overview & Forecast
Example of a Trade Association Website
Colleen Anderson
canderso@bryant.edu
Industry Overview & Forecast
Example of a Trade Association Website
Colleen Anderson
canderso@bryant.edu
Industry Overview & Forecast
How to Locate Trade Associations
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American Society of Association Executives Gateway to
Associations
…search for trade and professional associations using the available
search tools from ASAE.
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Industry Information Resources from ValuationResources.com
…select your industry and click on Industry Overview, Issues, Trends
& Outlook. Arrow down on the page to locate links to associations.
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National Trade and Professional Associations of the United States
(REF HD2425 .D53 2010)
…a listing of major trade associations with their contact information.
Colleen Anderson
canderso@bryant.edu
Industry Overview & Forecast
How to Locate Articles Using Proquest Business Databases, the
Newspapers Database, and the Entrepreneurship Database
Colleen Anderson
canderso@bryant.edu
Industry Overview and Forecast
How to Locate Articles Using Business Source Complete
Colleen Anderson
canderso@bryant.edu
The Target Market and Demographics
Locating State & Local Populations
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American Factfinder from the U.S. Census Bureau
…type in a town, city, county or zip code to retrieve a statistical fact sheet
with demographic data that allows you to compare your selected area to the
national data.
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Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation
Every state has an association or group interested in promoting the economic
progress of the state. This group is often an excellent source for gathering data
about towns and communities within the state.
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Community Sourcebook of Zip Code Demographics
REF HA203 .S66
…economic & social demographics for each zip code area.
Colleen Anderson
canderso@bryant.edu
The Target Market and Demographics
Locating Best Customers for Your Product
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Best Customers: Demographics of Consumer Demand
REF HC79 .C6 R87 2008 (library 1st level)
…best customers to target for particular products.
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Household Spending: Who spends How Much on What
REF HC110 .C6 .A666 2008 (library 1st level)
…a comprehensive analysis of spending by Americans in the year 2000.
Analyzes spending trends at the individual household level.
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Who’s Buying….
See Ready Reference Shelf 3 for this series that provides demographics on
consumers of groceries, transportation, apparel, beverages and more. Ask a
librarian if you need assistance locating these publications.
Colleen Anderson
canderso@bryant.edu
Selecting a Location
Traffic Counts & Commercial Real Estate
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Traffic Counts from the Traffic Flow Map 2009
R.I. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway
Administration.
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Rhode Island Commercial Real Estate from Cityfeet
Cityfeet is a leading online commercial real estate site that
connects tenants, investors and brokers with property owners,
brokers, and other real estate professionals.
Colleen Anderson
canderso@bryant.edu
The Competition: How to Find Competitors
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County Business Patterns
…to locate the number of establishments similar to your own located in a
particular zip code area.
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ReferenceUSA
…a directory with profiles on 12 million US businesses. You can limit your
search to a NAICS industry code number and then limit to a particular
geographic area.
Don’t forget the yellow pages!
Colleen Anderson
canderso@bryant.edu
Developing Your Financial Statements
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Anatomy of a Business Plan by Linda Pinson
REF HD30.28 .P5 2005 (library 1st level)
…see chapter 6, Financial Documents.
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Microsoft Excel Template Library
…click on the Office button icon in the upper left hand corner of the ribbon
and select New. You will retrieve the template library. Scroll down until you
see the Statements option. Select Statements to access templates for a 12
month cash flow statement, a 1 year income statement, profit and loss
statement, statement of cash flows and more.
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SCORE Templates for Your Business
… Essential forms for start-up and management of a small business. Forms
include start-up expenses, cash flow statement (12 months and 4 years), a
break-even calculation, and more.
Colleen Anderson
canderso@bryant.edu
Locating Start-Up Capital
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Financing Your Start-Up from the U.S. SBA
…learn how to figure the amount of financing you need to start your
business and where to obtain the financing you need.
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Best Banks for Entrepreneurs
…select a state to display that state’s top microbusiness-friendly banks.
Microbusiness loans are defined as business loans of less than
$100,000.
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vFinance.com
… Free tools to help find venture capital firms and angel
investors. Business plans can be posted for viewing by more than
100,000 potential investors.
Colleen Anderson
canderso@bryant.edu
Registering Your Business
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R.I. Business Information Center FAQ
…answers to frequently asked questions regarding starting a business.
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Business Registration
State of Rhode Island. Division of Taxation.
…where to register your business in Rhode Island to provide the state with
income tax withholding and taxes from retail sales, to set up R.I.
unemployment insurance accounts, and more.
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Corporate Name Availability Form
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RI.gov for Business
…a listing of links to support for businesses.
Colleen Anderson
canderso@bryant.edu
Complying with Labor Laws in R.I.
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Labor Laws in Rhode Island
…an employer handbook that contains labor laws in Rhode Island.
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RI State Department of Labor and Training
…the department to go to in RI to obtain information on workers’
compensation insurance requirements.
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The Rhode Island Directory of New Hires
…the department to go to in RI to report new hires and returning
employees living and working in RI. Newly hired employees must be
reported within 14 days of the employee’s first day on the job.
Colleen Anderson
canderso@bryant.edu
Licensing and Business Regulations
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Rhode Island Licensed Occupations
…a listing of occupations and businesses in Rhode Island that require a
license.
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Department of Business Regulation. Rhode Island.
…go to the appropriate regulation department in each state to view
regulations and business licensing requirements.
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Business.gov Business Types and Industries Link.
…select Business Types & Industries from the right bar menu and then
page down to select your industry of interest to view resources
explaining how to comply with federal regulations that apply to your
selected industry.
Colleen Anderson
canderso@bryant.edu
Risk Management and Insurance
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Risk Management Strategies from Small Business Notes
Edited by Judith Kautz.
…a summary of strategies to manage risk.
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Insurance Management from Small Business Notes
Edited by Judith Kautz.
…an excellent summary of what types of insurance a small business
needs to cover and why.
Colleen Anderson
canderso@bryant.edu
Need Help? Librarians Have Answers!
Contact a Reference Librarian
By Phone: 401-232-6299
By Email: refdesk@bryant.edu
By Chat: Bryantlibchat
Text a Librarian at (401) 595-7306
Colleen Anderson
canderso@bryant.edu