Steps in Starting Your Own Business

Steps in Starting Up || Finding Help || Funding for Your Business
A Little Legalese || Setting Up the Office

This area contains places to go for assistance setting up your own business. As someone who is self-employed, I will tell you that it is not easy to start out, but the personal rewards are great.

Steps in Starting Up

This section includes many sites with tutorials and/or sample plans and procedures for taking your idea through the initial review process (will it really fly) and then getting a new business up and running.

BPlans.com

...a collection of information and samples for the small to medium size business. Download any of these sample business and marketing plans for free (adobe acrobat) or view them online. Check the Planning Resource Center for more tips. Site is sponsored by Palo Alto Software, creators of the business and marketing plan software they are hoping you'll buy.

eWeb, the Entrepreneurship Web from St. Louis University.

...lots of info for people wanting to start their own business. Check out the Business Planning section for all kinds of resources to write your own.

Canada / British Columbia Business Services Society

...a non-profit society that provides information on starting a new business, expanding an existing business, or entering new markets. The website offers good information on researching and establishing a new business.

eBC eBusiness Centre: Starting a Small Business Online

...a service of the Canada/BC Business Service Centre, above, this offers a number of resources to small business owners who want to learn more about adopting e-business/internet technologies into their business.

The Business Link

...a nice guide to starting your own business from this not-for-profit organization proudly supported by the Government of Canada (through Western Economic Diversification) and the Government of Alberta (through Alberta Economic Development ), and member of the Canada Business Service Centres (CBSC) network. Okay, so some of the resources will be specific to this country, but the advice is applicable to pretty much all who want to consider opening their own businesses.

E-Business Info-Guides

...offered by the Alberta (Canada) E-Future Centre, a service initiative of The Business Link, these Info-Guides are excellent brochures on various aspects of establishing an online business. You'll also want to review the Feature Articles, Presentations, and Link Directory under E-Business in the menu at the top of the page.

Starting Your Own Business

...provided by the US Small Business Administration, this site is a step-by-step personal evaluation, market research, and business start-up tutorial just for you. It includes instructions on writing a business plan, information on patents and trademarks, and a discussion of the first steps to take when considering your own business.

Start-Up Kits from Entrepreneur.com

...a list of over 40 types of businesses you can explore. Each kit offer industry, market, and operations information with suggestions for researching business opportunities and creating a business plan, and links to associations and franchises.

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Finding Help

Better Business Bureau

A Better Business Bureau (BBB) is a private, non-profit organization that provides a variety of services and programs to assist consumers and businesses. Two areas that generate the greatest interest are the BBBs reports on companies, and complaint handling.

National Business Incubation Association

The National Business Incubation Association is a private, not-for-profit membership organization with headquarters in Athens, Ohio. Incubators nurture young firms, helping them to survive and grow during the startup period when they are most vulnerable. Incubators provide hands-on management assistance, access to financing and orchestrated exposure to critical business or technical support services. They also offer entrepreneurial firms shared office services, access to equipment, flexible leases and expandable space — all under one roof.

NASE, The National Association for the Self-Employed

...founded in 1981 by a group of small-business owners who recognized they could obtain lower prices for goods and services, which large businesses enjoy, simply by banding together. The NASE represents more than 320,000 members nationwide, and has grown to be the largest association of its kind, representing the smallest of small business.

SCORE, the Service Corps of Retired Executives

...SCORE has more than 12,000 volunteer business counselors ready to share their expertise with you through free and confidential business advice—helping you succeed in business. SCORE business counselors are well-versed in how to develop effective business plans and create strategies for business growth.

U.S. Small Business Administration

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) was created by Congress in 1953 to help America's entrepreneurs form successful small enterprises. Today, SBA's program offices in every state offer financing, training and advocacy for small firms.

SBA Office of Women's Business Ownership

The office provides a network of training, counseling and mentoring services to help women start and/or expand businesses. It offers information about national and local resources to meet constituent needs. It creates program and policies that help women entrepreneurs become full partners in the national and global economies. They sponsor the Online Women's Business Center, a learning resource and guide for women (and men) considering starting their own businesses. There are similar programs for other special audiences, including Minorities, Veterans, and Native Americans. Very good information here!

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Funding for Your Business

ACE-Net, The Angel Capital Electronic Network / The Access to Capital Electronic Network

..."was created to conduct networking, educational, training and research activities that would provide assistance to both investors and entrepreneurs. It helps individual accredited investors, SBICs, and institutional venture capitalists to find small, growing companies through a secure Internet database, and it provides ongoing training and research to enhance the business skills of entrepreneurs and small investors."

Best Banks for Small Business

...good places to turn to for loans. Updated annually by Entrepreneur.com

The MoneyTree Survey

..."a quarterly study of equity investments made by the venture capital community in private companies in the United States." A joint project of PricewaterhouseCoopers, Venture Economics, and the National Venture Capital Association.

VentureReporter.net

"Every Deal. Every Detail. Instantly." Rankings of the most active VC firms, listings of deals by state. If you are looking for money, or are looking to work in this industry, this is a good resource for you. They even have job listings. The Venture Reporter is produced by Rising Tide Studios (RTS), a New York-based integrated media company that produces business-to-business intelligence online, in print, and in person.

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A Little Legalese

Tax Info for Business

...from our favorite folks in Washington, the IRS!! Hey, if they can't give you good advice on tax laws, who can? No, really! They give you plans to follow on retirement benefits for your employees, information on "exempt" organizations, information on starting your own business from their point of view, and a nice list of links to the most requested tax publications for businesses.

U.S. Department of Labor

...use the resources of the DOL to review regulations governing employees and employers in the U.S.

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Setting Up the Office

Office Depot || Staples || OfficeMax

...order your office supplies online if you do not have stores near you.

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