OTHER RESOURCES

UW-W users only

University Library > Small Business & Entrepreneurship

Small Business & Entrepreneurship

Table of Contents:

Government Business Development Sites
Competitive Landscape:
Small Business Rankings

General Entrepreneurship Sites
Entrepreneur's Toolbox:
Associations, Trade Shows & Additional Small Business Resources

Government Business Development Sites

U.S. Small Business Administration
Get support for your small business venture from the SBA. See especially their Office of Advocacy site which covers topics such as competition & mergers, environmental issues, finance, procurement, safety, labor & health, state & local issues, taxes, telecommunications, e-commerce, women & minorities.

Wisconsin Department of Commerce
If you are starting a business in Wisconsin, this site offers assistance in many forms. Whether you are just investigating the possibilities or in the midst of starting your own business, this is an invaluable source of information and assistance.

Wisconsin Innovation Service Center (UW-W, UW-Extension Small Business Development Centers, and the U.S. Small Business Administration)
This non-profit program specializes in assessing new products, inventions and market expansion opportunities for inventors, manufacturers and technology businesses. This is a fee-based service.

Wisconsin Small Business Development Center (Univ. of Wisconsin-Extension)
This organization supports Wisconsin businesses by offering entrepreneurs educational opportunities in the form of workshops, programs and individualized counseling.

University of Wisconsin-Whitewater SBDC (Wisconsin Small Business Development Center)
Find courses and programs offered to entrepreneurs through the UW-W Small Business Development Center.

General Entrepreneurship Sites

The Entrepreneurs' Help Page (TannedFeet.com)
This site offers plenty of advice to entrepreneurs on topics ranging from angel investors to public relations to taxation.

Starting a Business (Inc.com)
Inc., the self-styled "magazine for growth companies," has a helpful guide for starting a business that covers all the territory from start-up funding to marketing to managing employees.

Startup Journal.com (Wall Street Journal Center for Entrepreneurs)
The Wall Street Journal has put together a first-rate site for entrepreneurs that has great advice and helpful tools.

Competitive Landscape - Background & Analysis of Companies, Industries and Markets

Note: Some of the EBSCO and ProQuest databases are available remotely to Wisconsin residents via BadgerLink, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction site. See the BadgerLink site for more information on their services.

ABI/Inform Global (ProQuest: 1971- ) Off-Campus access requires UW-W ID number.
Indexes more than 1,300 business, management and trade journals including 600 journals with full text from 1992 to present. This is one of the best places to find in-depth articles analyzing companies, industries and markets.

Business & Industry (FirstSearch: 1994- ) Off-Campus access requires UW-W ID number.
Contains important facts, figures and key events dealing with public and private companies, industries, products and markets for all manufacturing and service industries at an international level. B&I focuses on a body of literature that includes leading trade magazines, newsletters, the general business press and international business dailies. LIMITED SEARCHING: The Library is charged per search for this database. Please contact B. Bren (brenb@uww.edu or 262-472-5521) before beginning large research projects requiring many searches.

Business Dateline (FirstSearch: 1985- ) Off-Campus access requires UW-W ID number.
The prime place to search for regional business news in the U.S. and Canada. Includes searchable fulltext articles from more than 500 North American regional business tabloids, magazines, daily newspapers, and news wire services. This database covers regional business activities and trends with particular emphasis on economic conditions in selected cities, states, or regions, as well as mergers, acquisitions, company executives, new products, and competitive intelligence. LIMITED SEARCHING: The Library is charged per search for this database. Please contact B. Bren (brenb@uww.edu or 262-472-5521) before beginning large research projects requiring many searches.

Business Full Text (WilsonWeb: 1982- ) Off-Campus access requires UW-W ID number.
Indexes and abstracts articles from more than 345 English-language periodicals published in the United States and elsewhere, including the leading business magazines and trade and research journals, plus the partial/full text of over 160 of those periodicals. Partial/full text coverage begins in January 1995.

Business Source Elite (EBSCOhost) Off-Campus access requires UW-W ID number.
Provides comprehensive access to abstracts and indexing for over 1500 titles, plus searchable full text for more than 750 business periodicals.

Corporate ResourceNet (EBSCOhost) Off-Campus Users access requires UW-W ID number.
Articles from 1,300 business and trade journals. To find detailed profiles for publicly-traded companies, click the Company Profiles button, then type the company name. Click on the company name from the menu.

EntreWorld (Kauffman Foundation)
This site provides access to 1,000 articles, audio clips, event listings and other tools useful to entrepreneurs. Use the keyword search or browse through the topical sections.

LexisNexis Academic (LexisNexis) Off-Campus access requires UW-W ID number.
Choose News or Business to search for news and articles about companies and industries from business magazines, industry trade journals, newspapers and newswires.

ProQuest Newspapers (ProQuest) Off-Campus access requires UW-W ID number.
Full text articles and citations from more than 500 U.S. and foreign newspapers including Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Madison Capital Times, Wisconsin State Journal, and Minneapolis Star Tribune.

TableBase (RDS) Off-Campus access requires UW-W ID number - restricted to 1 user at a time.
TableBase is a database comprised of tables providing information such as: market share, market size, capacity, production, imports, exports, sales, product and brand rankings, forecasts, healthcare statistics and demographics. Tables are drawn from the more than 1000 sources including business and trade journals, statistical annuals, brokerage reports, trade association reports, and governmental reports.

Competitive Landscape - Demographics & Market Research

Demographics and Consumer Research (from UW-W Library Guide: Market Research: Demographics)
Find sources of demographic information on the Web and in the Library.

How Market Research Works (HowBizWorks.com)
A spin-off of the popular HowStuffWorks site, this explains the basics of the various market research tools and offers advice on other aspects of market research.

New Strategist Publications (UW-W Library Catalog search)
Use this link to search the Library catalog for titles such as Generation X, Millennials, Wise Up to Teens, American Women, American Attitudes, etc. These books help entrepreneurs understand potential customers by learning who they are, what they like, how they think and how they spend.

Population Reference Bureau (Population Reference Bureau)
Data and trends on the world population, arranged by topic, region and country.

Roper Center for Public Opinion Research (via LexisNexis Academic) Off-Campus access requires UW-W ID number.
The Public Opinion Poll is the most comprehensive full-text collection of public opinion in the United States. It covers the full spectrum of public interest including politics and government, public institutions, international relations, business, social affairs and consumer behavior and preferences. The file includes actual data from a wide variety of sources in opinion polling such as Gallup, Harris, Roper, ABC, CBS, CNN and NBC, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal.

TableBase (RDS) Off-Campus access requires UW-W ID number.
TableBase is a database comprised of tables providing information such as: market share, market size, capacity, production, imports, exports, sales, product and brand rankings, forecasts, healthcare statistics and demographics. Tables are drawn from the more than 1000 sources including business and trade journals, statistical annuals, brokerage reports, trade association reports, and governmental reports.

U.S. Census Bureau (some data available at the UW-W Library as well)
The Census of Population, Census of Housing, Census of Population and Housing, Economic Census and other data from the Census Bureau provide valuable information for entrepreneurs on their customers. The American FactFinder and State & County QuickFacts sections are particularly helpful for locating data quickly.

Competitive Landscape - Analysis of Specific Industries

Associations Unlimited (Gale Group) Off-Campus access requires UW-W ID number.
Business & industry as well as professional associations can be rich sources for industry information. If you don't find your industry covered in the other sources in this section, try finding the key organizations in your industry. Find addresses, Web sites and detailed descriptions of 158,000 regional, national and international associations including business and trade organizations. Search by industry, keyword and location.

Industry Overviews (from UW-W Library Guide: Market Research: Demographics)
Find sources of Industry Overviews available in the University Library. These sources provide 5-35 page detailed analyses of various industries, outlining the structure of the industry, current trends, market size, market share, and key players in the industry.

Industry Analysis (from UW-W Librarian Selected Internet Resources: Marketing)
Find links to sources of industry data for many industries from trade organization and trade journal Web sites.

Almanac of Business and Industrial Financial Ratios Ref HF 5681 .R25 T68 (Book on Reserve at Reference Desk; CD-ROM on reserve at Circulation Desk)
Compiled from IRS tax returns for C and S corporations, this almanac is arranged by Standard Industrial Classification SIC code (look up SIC codes here). For each industry, selected financial statement data and ratios are listed by size category based on company assets. Each industry also has a section for ratio trends over the past 10 years.

Financial Studies of the Small Business (Financial Research Associates) Ref HG 4027.7 .F55 2003 (On Reserve at Reference Desk)
This guide is based on the financial statements of 30,000 U.S. companies with capitalization under $2 million. Industries as specific as Plumbing and A/C or Beauty Salon are listed within broad categories (contractors, services, wholesalers,etc.) and include common-size balance sheets and income statements as well as solvency, efficiency and profitability ratios. Perfect benchmarks for small start-ups.

Industry Norms and Key Business Ratios (Dun & Bradstreet) Ref HF 5681 .R25 I53 (On Reserve at Reference Desk)
This guide is based on the financial statements of 1 million U.S. companies (public, private, corporations, partnerships and proprietorships of all sizes). Each industry, arranged by Standard Industrial Classification code (look up SIC codes here), includes common-size balance sheets and income statements as well as solvency, efficiency and profitability ratios.

Mergent's Industry Review Ref HG 4501 .M665x (On Reserve at Reference Desk)
Arranged alphabetically by industry, this semi-annual publication lists companies within an industry and gives comparative statistics for each company. Then it ranks the companies by sales, net income, various financial ratios and growth rates.

RMA Annual Statement Studies Ref HF5681.B2 R6 (On Reserve at Reference Desk)
This guide is based on financial statements of customers of RMA's member banks. Each industry, arranged by Standard Industrial Classification code (look up SIC codes here), includes data for various company sizes within the industry (based on sales) and also historical data. Includes common-size balance sheets and income statements as well as 16 financial ratios.

Standard & Poor's Industry Surveys Ref HC 106.6 .S74 (On Reserve at Reference Desk)
These lengthy surveys cover about 50 broad industry groups. Each survey contains a section on "How to Analyze a Company" in that industry. All the major players in the industry are included in the comparative company analysis tables that cover financial statements and key ratios.

WetFeet Industries (WetFeet.com)
Want the inside scoop on an industry? WetFeet Press has a series of career-related guides to a number of industries popular with recent college graduates. Although the profiles are career-oriented, they often give valuable insight not found in traditional business reference sources.

Competitive Landscape - Current News

See Databases Listed in Background & Analysis Section
The article databases listed in the Competitive Landscape - Background & Analysis section of this guide provide current and past news from business and trade journals, newspapers and newswires.

Business & Your Money (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Online)
The business section of the Journal Sentinel Online covers the local and international economy and business climate.

The Business Journal Serving Greater Milwaukee (American City Business Journals)
Find the latest Milwaukee-area business news. American City Business Journals publishes business journals in dozens of cities across the U.S. so this site is also good for keeping abreast of national trends.

Entrepreneur.com
This site includes current issues of Entrepreneur Magazine, Business Start-Ups Magazine, Entrepreneur's HomeOffice, and Entrepreneur International.

Competitive Landscape - Company Directories

Advertiser & Agency Red Books Plus (National Register Publishing) Off-Campus access requires UW-W ID number - restricted to 1 user at a time.
Search by brand name or company name. Serves as a directory of major U.S. companies (large advertisers) as well as a directory of advertising agencies. Provides basic company information such as web page address, SIC codes, sales figures, year founded, key personnel and a list of company brands.

Business Filings Databases (LLRX.com)
Link to business filings databases for most U.S. states, provided by Secretary of State offices (or equivalent). Find incorporation information and brief annual reports for public and private corporations. Although you won't find lots of financial data for private companies, this can be a great way to find information on small, privately-held companies.

Corporate Affiliations (National Register Publishing) Off-Campus access requires UW-W ID number.
Search for companies by name, industry, geography or size. Includes 174,000 U.S. and international parent companies, affiliates, subsidiaries, and divisions - all the way down to the seventh level of reporting relationships. All domestic and foreign subsidiaries are included.

LexisNexis Academic (LexisNexis) Off-Campus access requires UW-W ID number.
Choose Business, then Company Profiles to search for millions of U.S., international, public and private companies. To screen for companies by industry and location, use the SIC code instead of Company Name search (look up SIC codes here). Be sure to truncate the SIC code with the exclamation point (e.g., 5812!) because LexisNexis uses 6-digit codes. In the State search box, select Wisconsin. In the Narrow search box, type the city (e.g., Whitewater). In the Source box, choose a source to search (e.g., All Sources, U.S. Public Companies, U.S. Private Companies) and choose a date range (at least 1 year).

Corporate Information (Wright Investors' Service)
This site searches a variety of online directories for more than 20,000 company profiles. Free registration is required.

Corporate Registration Information System (CRIS) (State of Wisconsin)
The CRIS database allows searching by company name so you can find a unique name for your business.

EdgarScan (PricewaterhouseCoopers)
Find important facts about publicly-traded companies from their filings to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the 10-K is the annual report to the SEC).

Europages.com
Search for information on 50,000 companies in 30 European countries by industry, country, region, and size.

Hoover's Company Records (Hoovers via ProQuest) Off-Campus Users access requires UW-W ID number.
Find company descriptions, financials and top competitors. A limited Hoover's records are available at Hoover's Online, although much of the information on this site requires a subscription.

Kompass.com
Addresses and phone numbers of 1.6 million companies in more than 70 countries.

Switchboard.com
Online yellow pages for millions of U.S. companies. Search by type of business and location to identify competitors.

Thomas Global Register (Thomas Publishing Company)
Directory of American suppliers and exporters. Search by product/service or by company name.

Thomas Register of American Manufacturers (Thomas Publishing Company)
Search the directory of 170,000 U.S. manufacturer by state, product, brand or company name. Also includes listings from the Thomas Regional Directories.

Yahoo! Companies
Links to company home pages arranged by industry. Use the ticker symbol lookup, select Stock from the Security Type menu. When the search is completed, select Profile from the More Info column to find information on publicly-traded companies.

Entrepreneur's Toolbox - Business Plans

Books on Business Plans (UW-W Library Catalog search)
Struggling with your business plan? The University Library has many books to guide you through this process.

The Business Plan Road Map to Success (U.S. Small Business Administration)
The U.S. SBA has a well-organized no-nonsense workshop approach to developing the business plan.

How Business Plans Work (Lee Ann Obringer, howstuffworks.com)
Get a detailed description of how business plans work, how they are structured and what they should include.

So You Wanna Write a Business Plan? (SoYouWanna.com)
Although annoyingly full of advertising, this site has a folksy tone and gives helpful tips on writing a business plan.

Templates for Your Business (SCORE)
The Service Corps of Retired Executives offers a number of different templates for businesses, including business plans for start-ups and for established companies.

Writing a Business Plan (Bplans.com)
Practical advice on business plans including 60 free sample business plans on products and services ranging from automotive parts manufacturer to horse reseller to wedding consultants.

Entrepreneur's Toolbox - Inventor's Corner

US Patent & Trademark Office (U.S. Dept. of Commerce)
Everything the inventor needs to register a patent or a trademark. Includes searchable databases of U.S. patents and trademarks. Research US Patents on the Web, from the Univ. of Central Florida Libraries, offers helpful advice on conducting a patent search through the USPTO.

Inventor's Digest Online (Inventor's Digest)
Provides news, legislative and regulatory updates, expert advice, lists of trade shows and other tools for the inventor.

PatentCafe (PatentCafe.com, Inc.)
Includes a handy tutorial on inventing, beginning with how to invent and concluding with marketing and licensing inventions.

Wisconsin Innovation Service Center (UW-W, UW-Extension Small Business Development Centers, and the U.S. Small Business Administration)
This non-profit program specializes in assessing new products, inventions and market expansion opportunities for inventors, manufacturers and technology businesses. This is a fee-based service.

Entrepreneur's Toolbox - Marketing & Marketing Plans

Books on Marketing Plans (UW-W Library Catalog search)
Need to draft a marketing plan for a product or service? The University Library has many books to guide you through this process.

How to Write a Marketing Plan (The Write Market)
A well-organized site that provides advice on issues relating to the marketing plan.

The Marketing Your Business For Success Workbook (U.S. Small Business Administration)
The U.S. SBA has a well-organized no-nonsense workshop approach to developing marketing plans and marketing strategy.

Marketing For Small Business: An Overview (U.S. Small Business Administration)
The U.S. SBA offers an overview of marketing concepts along with a bibliography. The document is available in several online formats.

Media: Ad Rates, Audience & Circulation (UW-W Library Guide)
Need an idea of how much it will cost you to advertise locally and nationally? The University Library Media guide lists sources of advertising rates, magazine circulation and audience size.

Entrepreneur's Toolbox - Starting & Financing a Business

America's Business Funding Directory (BusinessFinance.com)
Search more than 78,000 sources of capital including commercial and government lenders, venture capitalists and angel investors.

Books on Starting a Business (UW-W Library Catalog search)
If you are thinking of starting a business, the University Library has many books to guide you through the process.

Business Services (State of Wisconsin)

Everything you need to know about doing business in Wisconsin.

CCH Business Owner's Toolkit (Commerce Clearing House)
Advice on all aspects of business ownership, from starting, financing and marketing to getting out (selling or planning for succession).

The Financing Options: All You Should Know Workbook (U.S. Small Business Administration)
The U.S. SBA has a well-organized no-nonsense workshop approach to learning about financing your business.

Incorporating Your Business (Entrepreneur Media)
Addresses the advantages and disadvantages of incorporating businesses and explains the various types of corporations (such as S corporations and LLCs).

Industry Statistics and Ratios (from UW-W Library Guide: Market Research: Demographics)
Sources such as the Almanac of Business and Industrial Financial Ratios and RMA Annual Statement Studies are available in the University Library and provide financial benchmarks (typical financial statements and financial ratios) categorized by industry.

Naming Your Business (State of Wisconsin)
Learn everything you need to know about naming a business in Wisconsin. The Corporate Registration Information System (CRIS) database allows searching by company name so you can find a unique name for your business.

Wisconsin Department of Revenue
Link to business and tax forms and publications, including corporation and partnership registration forms, income tax forms, sales and use tax forms, excise tax forms, unemployment insurance and much more.

Entrepreneur's Toolbox - Salary Information

Career Journal Salary & Hiring Info (Wall Street Journal)
Find salary information by industry, job function, and geographic location.

Occupational Outlook Handbook (U.S. Dept. of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Search for salary and employment information by keyword or broad functional categories.

Profession-Specific Salary Surveys (JobStar Central)

Find more than 300 salary surveys for specific professions and job functions.

Wages & Trends (America's Career InfoNet)
What are your employees worth? Search by keyword or category to find salary data for hundreds of job titles in the U.S. and Wisconsin.

WageWeb.com (Human Resources Programs Development and Improvement)
Find basic salary information for various positions within general administrative support, sales & marketing, finance, human resources, manufacturing, engineering, information technology, and health care.

Entrepreneur's Toolbox - Franchising

Franchise Handbook: On-Line (Enterprise Magazines, Inc.)
Includes a franchise directory, an international directory of franchise trade associations as well as articles on franchising topics.

Franchise Opportunities.com (Franchise Opportunities LLC)
Find franchise opportunities by industry or size of investment.

Franchise Registry (FRANDATA)
Includes a Registry of available franchises, Worksheets for potential franchisors to register a franchise program. Learn more about the partnership between the U.S. Small Business Administration and FRANDATA (the Registry operator).

Franchise Zone (Entrepreneur Media)
An extensive listing of franchisers by category as well as the Franchise 500 (largest franchises in the U.S. and Canada).

International Franchise Association (Franchise.org)
The Web site for this international trade organization offers resources for franchisers including a directory of suppliers, news, and educational opportunities. Some information is for members only.

The Is Franchising For Me? Workbook (U.S. Small Business Administration)
The U.S. SBA has a well-organized no-nonsense workshop approach to helping entrepreneurs determine whether franchising is their best option.

Small Business Rankings

America's 150 Largest Family Businesses (Family Business)
Although these companies are far from small (e.g., Wal-Mart), they are still dominated by the founding families. See additional family business lists on the Family Business Magazine site.

Fortune 100 Fastest-Growing Companies (Fortune Magazine via ABI/Inform) Off-Campus access requires UW-W ID number.
These companies have been publicly-traded for at least 3 years, have revenues and market capitalization of at least $50 million with sizzling sales and earnings per share growth rates.

Franchise 500 (Entrepreneur Media)
The largest franchises in the U.S. and Canada based on financial strength and stability, growth rate and size.

Inc. 500 (Inc.com)
The Inc. 500: America's Fastest Growing Private Companies ranks companies on their 5-year annual growth rate.

Associations, Trade Shows & Additional Small Business Resources

Associations Unlimited (Gale Group) Off-Campus access requires UW-W ID number.
Listings for 158,000 regional, national and international associations including business and trade organizations. Search by industry, keyword and location.

Entrepreneur's Reference Guide to Small Business Information, 3rd ed. (Robert M. Jackson, Library of Congress)
This guide lists books on small business available at the Library of Congress.

Federal Business Opportunities (U.S. Department of Commerce)
The successor to Commerce Business Daily, this source lists U.S. Government contracting opportunities. Federal Business Opportunities is also available via LexisNexis. Off-Campus access requires UW-W ID number.

State Procurement Web Sites (National Institute of Governmental Purchasing, Inc.)
Find out how to do business with state governments by linking to state procurement sites.

VendorNet System (State of Wisconsin, Bureau of Procurement)
Find out how to do business with state and local governments in Wisconsin. Includes information on contacting state agency procurement staff. This service allows you to register your company in a statewide government procurement database.

TSNN.com: The Ultimate Trade Show Resource (TSNN.com)
Searchable listing of more than 30,000 trade events. Search by industry, date, title of event, city, state or country.