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Small BusinessSmall Business Associations
Chester County Chambers of Commerce | Local | National | State Government Agencies Federal | State Starting a Small Business Business Plans | Demographics- Business, Consumer and Tools | Financing Franchising | General Information | Pennsylvania Resources Western Chester County Chamber of Commerce National Small Business Associations Tax Information for Businesses from the IRS
Business Information from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
Business education campaigns from the FTC. Veterans Business Development from the SBA
Pennsylvania Corporation Bureau
Click on Searchable Corporations Databases to search State Corporation Records. NewPA.com: Use this website from the Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development to find information on starting a business in PA ( click on Business) as well as a funding and program finder for businesses, communities, and site revitalization.
Business Plans
SBA Business Planning A nice overview of a business plan. It includes a template of a business plan. SBA and Palo Alto Software Sample Business Plans A partnership between the SBA and Palo Alto Software. It includes plans for product businesses, service businesses, start-up businesses, established businesses, and home-based businesses. SBA Online Publications— Business Plan Examples Find publications on a variety of business topics. Scroll down to "Management and Planning Series" to find examples of business plans for small manufacturers, small construction firms, small retailers, small service firms, and home-based businesses. Bplans.com Bplans.com is operated by Palo Alto Software (see above for a link to the SBA/Palo Alto partnership). Palo Alto publishes a software packages called Business Plan Pro, Marketing Plan Pro, and Web Strategy Pro. Some of the plans from these packages are available for free online and are marked "Free Online." The Chester County Library also owns the Business Plans Handbook
(R 658.4012 B), a multi-volume set of succesful business plans. Ask for it at the Chester County Library's Reference Desk. Conducted every five years, the Economic Census provides statistical information on business from the national to the local level. Search by NAICS code to find data on industries. Click here for the complete Economic Census 1997 Data.
County Business Patterns The BLS collects a variety of data useful for market research. Find statistics on headings such as: Inflation and Consumer Spending; Wages, Earnings, and Benefits; Productivity; Safety and Health; International; Occupations; Demographics of the Labor Force; Employment and Unemployment; Industries; and Business Costs.
The online version of the print reference, the County and City Data Book is full of useful statistics. Find statistics on area & population; vital statistics & health; education, income, & property; crime, housing, & building permits; personal income & earnings; manufacturing & water use; wholesale and retail trade; and accommodation & food services.
Business Expenses Survey The purpose of this survey is "to provide periodic estimates on operating expenses for retail, merchant wholesale, and selected service firms." Statistics of U.S. Businesses BizStats.com BizStats compiles data from trade associations and government agencies into useful statistics for small businesses. There are national business statistics and specific statistics on small business industries. Tax Statistics from the IRS Statistical Abstract of the United States Produced by the Department of Commerce, the statistical handbook for the US is available full-text on the web. Find data on all kinds of subjects including Vital Statistics; Health and Nutrition; Income, Expenditures, and Wealth; Prices; Business Enterprise; Manufactures; Domestic Trade and Services; Banking, Finance, and Insurance; and Information and Communication.
Regional Economic Conditions (RECON) from the FDIC Consumer Demographics
U.S. Census American Factfinder Use both of these web sites to access Census Data. Chester County Census 2000 Demographic Profiles For detailed Census data on a particular county or township use the Demographic Profile. Click on the name of the county or township you wish to see. A PDF file will open with the data. DP-1 is general demographic information. DP-2 is selected social characteristics. DP-3 is selected economic characteristics. DP-3 is selected housing characteristics. The above link is for Chester County only. Search for Demographic profiles for other states, counties or municipalities at censtats.census.gov/pub/Profiles.shtml. Chester County Planning Commission The Chester County Planning Commission collects and reports on demographics for Chester County. To see available reports, click on Census 2000 or Publications in the left frame. The Planning Commission also prepares the Chester County Profile. Pennsylvania State Data Center Pennsylvania's site for demographic and economic data. Population Projections from the U.S. Census Find national and state population projections. ERSI Free Tapestry Report Enter a zip code to get a free tapestry report (consumer market segmentation). Consumer Expenditure Survey (CEX) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Provides information on the "buying habits for American consumers, including data on their expenditures, income and consumer unit (families and single consumers) characteristics. Use this page to determine the SIC code or NAICS code for a business type or to convert an SIC code to a NAICS code or vice versa. To Find a Code: Type a keyword in the Enter a Search Keyword Box and click NAICS Search. An Index entry page will be returned with a NAICS code. Clicking on the NAICS code will bring up a definition that will include the corresponding SIC code.
A wide variety of tools. Some are free; some require payment. Especially useful ones are ZIPs in a Radius and ZIP Codes by County. Some of the tools require free registration to access entire list of results.
Financing
SBA Financing Your Business Good information on financing a business from the SBA. Includes information on SBA Loan Programs. How to Raise Money for Your Business— Entrepreneur Magazine Covers 19 different funding sources. Funding & Program Finder from NewPA.com Department of Community and Economic Development site for finding funding sources for businesses, communities and site revitalization in Pennsylvania. Finance.com Comprehensive source for finding angel investors and venture capital. There is a business plan center where businesses looking for investors can access a free template and post their plan online. GovLoans.gov The "official Federal government loans website." Click on Business Loans to see Federal loans available for small businesses. Each loan has a description, a comparison feature, and a "Could I qualify" questionnaire. The Credit Process: A Guide for Small Business Owners— Federal Reserve Bank of New York A guide to finding outside funding for small business. Includes information on what lenders will be looking for in a business plan. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
A database of all Federal programs for assistance. Franchising
Franchises and Business Opportunities from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Information from the FTC regarding franchises; includes pamphlets on buying franchises (Franchise and Business Opportunity Publications) Franchise Zone from Entrepreneur Magazine Check out the Franchise500 for information on specific franchises. The Franchise Registry A partnership between the SBA and FRANDATA to help "expedite the processing of loans to small business franchisees." The Registry "lists names of franchise companies whose franchisees enjoy the benefits of a streamlined review process for SBA loan applications." International Franchise Association (IFA) Search for franchise opportunities by category or browse A-Z index. U.S. Chamber of Commerce Click on Find a Chamber to search for a U.S. or international Chamber of Commerce. General Information SBA Starting Your Business SBA Managing Your Business CCH Business Owner's Toolkit Information on owning a small business from Commerce ClearingHouse. Scroll down to the CCH Small Business Guide to find topics including starting a business, planning a business, getting financing for a business, and marketing a business. Entrepreneur's Resource Center from the Edward Lowe Foundation edwardlowe.org - Click on Entrepreneur's Guide An excellent site for information on small business. Browse through topics such as defining and serving a market, building an organization, acquiring and managing finances, human resource management, and legal issues. There is a keyword search that leads to articles as well.
Kauffman eVenturing Business & Human Resources from NOLO www.nolo.com - Business & Human Resources Information on starting and running a business. Click on Starting a Business to find articles, topics, and tools for starting a business. KnowThis.com KnowThis.com is an excellent resource for all things related to marketing and is developed by a professor at West Chester University. There is an excellent section on market research (www.knowthis.com/research.htm). The site also includes tutorials on the principles of marketing, market research and writing a marketing plan. Startup Journal from The Wall Street Journal Pennsylvania Resources
Entrepreneur's Guide: Starting and Growing a Business in Pennsylvania www.newpa.com - click on Business - click on Business Assistance - click on Start - Click on Entrepreneur's Guide (pdf) Pennsylvania Open for Business Find forms, financial incentives, resources (including information on business structures), and online business registration for Pennsylvania businesses. Forms from the Pennsylvania Department of State's Corporation Bureau A collection of forms for filing information with the Corporation Bureau Last Modified: 7/27/09 |