Information is the key to good business decisions. In today’s world, there is an abundance of information freely available on the Web. The following websites have been selected to assist you with your business research activities. They are arranged in categories to help you expedite your search. Note that the opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed are those of the websites’ producer(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBTDC.
For additional information, feasibility studies, or detailed market research and analysis, contact your regional SBTDC office or Market Research Services.
Associations – Directories
ANSI (American National Standards Institute) Member Trade Associations at the ANSI portal allow you to search by name, ICS codes, and industry sector. This listing includes associations that contribute to US standards and conformity assessments.
Directory of Associations | DirectoryOfAssociations.com
Search from over 35,000 local, regional, national, and international associations.
Industry Trade Groups | Hundreds of industry trade groups and associations are listed alphabetically at Wikipedia with live links to each association’s Website.
Associations – Business
American Marketing Association | marketingpower.com
The world’s largest and most comprehensive professional society of marketers
Biotechnology Industry Organization | bio.org
The mission of BIO is to be the champion of biotechnology and the advocate for its member organizations –both large and small
National Restaurant Association | restaurant.org
The leading business association for the restaurant industry
National Retail Federation | nrf.com
The world’s largest retail trade association
Benchmarking
Biz Stats | bizstats.com
Compare your company performance to others in the same industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics | https://www.bls.gov/
Information on wages; occupational descriptions, unemployment, consumer pricing and cost indexes.
Fintel Scorecard | http://secure.fintel.us/scorecard/
Compare your company to others in the industry based on 9 core ratios
Business Plans
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh | carnegielibrary.org/services/for-businesses/entrepreneurs-and-small-businesses/business-plans-index/
Guide to business plans by type of business
Entrepreneur Magazine has a wealth of useful information about business plan writing. Two helpful articles:
Business Plans: A Step-by-Step Guide is a “how to” for writing your plan along with the business rationale for doing so. The article provides templates, sample plans, and links to plan-writing software.
How to Write A Business Plan provides necessary information about the proper formatting of your business plan.
SBA Business Plan Basics | sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner
step by step instructions for creating a business plan from the SBA
SCORE Business Plan Template | https://www.score.org/resource/business-planning-financial-statements-template-gallery
Preferred by counselors, SCORE offers a variety of business plan templates and tools.
Template from Purdue University | https://www.agecon.purdue.edu/aicc/resources/businessplan.doc An excellent template that covers all necessary topics for use in creating a business plan.
Competitive Intelligence
Competitive Intelligence – A Selective Resource Guide | llrx.com/features/ciguide.htm
Articles on competitive intelligence
Internet Intelligence Index™ | insights.fuld.com
Created by Fuld & Company, this index, with links to over 600 internet sites, will help you gather information in support of your competitive intelligence efforts.
Hoover’s Company Profiles | via nclive.org
Free information on over 40,000 companies, including company overview, industry information, leadership and historical financials. Use your NC public library card to access online via NC LIVE or visit your local public or UNC library for assistance.
Investigators Toolbox | virtuallibrarian.com
An extensive list of fee and free resources for competitive research.
Reference USA | via nclive.org
Free reference and research tool providing real-time access to accurate, in-depth information on 24 million US businesses and 234 million US residents. Use your NC public library card to access online via NC LIVE or visit your local public or UNC library for assistance.
Securities & Exchange Commission | sec.gov
Search for required filings of publicly traded corporations
CyberSecurity
You can use this Cyber Security Threat Assessment to measure the risk in your organization.
Small Business Information Security: The Fundamentals | https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/ir/2016/NIST.IR.7621r1.pdf
The National Institute of Standards and Technology has published a bulletin summarizing the fundamentals of a small business information security program.
Here are some external articles with useful information on small business CyberSecurity.
2017 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report (Executive Summary) | https://www.knowbe4.com/hubfs/rp_DBIR_2017_Report_execsummary_en_xg.pdf
Cybersecurity for Small Business ~ Self-paced learning modules from the SBA | https://www.sba.gov/tools/sba-learning-center/training/cybersecurity-small-businesses
Cyber Security Statistics – Numbers Small Businesses Need to Know | https://smallbiztrends.com/2017/01/cyber-security-statistics-small-business.html
How to Hire the Best IT Security Team | https://www.forbes.com/sites/symantec/2014/10/23/how-to-hire-the-best-it-security-team-for-your-business/#484ef3a4175b
How to Tell if Your Phone is Infected | http://securitywatch.pcmag.com/none/296919-how-to-tell-if-your-phone-is-infected
Introduction to Cybersecurity | https://www.sba.gov/managing-business/cybersecurity/introduction-cybersecurity
Why and How to Use a Password Manager Program | https://www.howtogeek.com/141500/why-you-should-use-a-password-manager-and-how-to-get-started/
Keeping Small Businesses Safe: Combating Cybercrime on a SMBs Budget | http://smallbusinessbigthreat.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Whitepaper-Combating-Cybercrime-on-a-SMBS-Budget.pdf
Seven Essential Questions to Ask when Hiring an IT Security Consultant | https://www.softwareadvice.com/resources/questions-to-ask-when-hiring-security-consultants/
The Best Security Programs for your Small Business | https://www.tomsguide.com/us/best-antivirus,review-2588-6.html
Top Ten Cybersecurity Tips | https://www.sba.gov/managing-business/cybersecurity/top-ten-cybersecurity-tips
What Home Products are Most Susceptible to Cyber Burglars? | https://www.csoonline.com/article/3186808/security/what-home-products-are-most-susceptible-to-cyber-burglars.html?google_editors_picks=true
Demographics / Psychographics
ACCESSNC | via nclive.org
Free statistical, analytical and mapping tool designed to aid economic and community development decision making. Use your NC public library card to access online via NC LIVE or visit your local public or UNC library for assistance.
The US Census Bureau | census.gov provides detailed, demographic information including population, age and sex, health, education, race, housing, income and the economy. Map your data using census mapping.
Visit these two Census bureau sites for quick-facts and guided queries:
American Fact Finder | factfinder2.census.gov
Run guided queries.
QuickFacts | census.gov/quickfacts
QuickFacts provides statistics for all states and counties, and for cities and towns with a population of 5,000 or more.
Census Mapping | map my census data
View, save, and print demographic, socioeconomic, economic and other US statistical data.
Free Demographic Reports | https://gallery.alteryx.com/demographics/
Free demographic market analysis reports from Alteryx Analytics Gallery
Melissa Data | melissadata.com
Free address information for businesses and individuals
My Best Segments-Claritas | https://segmentationsolutions.nielsen.com/mybestsegments/
MyBestSegments features information about Claritas’ segmentation system PRIZM NE and is the only source for detailed segment descriptions for all of Claritas’ market segmentation products.
NC Rural Databank | ncruralcenter.org/databank/index.html
Statistical information on North Carolina’s rural counties
Simply Analytics | via nclive.org
Free resource for NC library card holders that allows you to create maps and reports using demographic, business and marketing data collected from the US Census and EASI. Use your NC public library card to access online via NC LIVE or visit your local public or UNC library for assistance.
State Data Center | via nclive.org
Free population, economic, and income data as well as county profiles and rankings. Use your NC public library card to access online via NC LIVE or visit your local public or UNC library for assistance.
State Demographics | via nclive.org
Free state, county, and municipal population estimates and projections by year, age, race, and sex. Use your NC public library card to access online via NC LIVE or visit your local public or UNC library for assistance.
E-commerce
Amazon OnLine Selling | https://www.amazon.com/b?e=UTF8&node=12766669011 Learn how to start selling with a website by using Amazon
Etsy Seller Handbook | etsy.com/seller-handbook
Advice and inspiration for running an Etsy shop
Economic Development
NC Commerce Site Selectors’ Toolkit | thrivenc.com/locationtools/overview
Information for site selectors considering NC as a business location
Employee Ownership Options
Becoming Employee Owned | http://becomingemployeeowned.org/
National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO) | https://www.nceo.org/ Non-profit association providing information for companies who are considering an employee ownership program or for guidance and resources for managing an exisiting plan.
North Carolina Employee Ownership Center (NCEOC) | http://www.nceoc.org/
Resources for Employee Ownership for North Carolina companies and employees.
Project Equity | https://www.project-equity.org/
An organization to help businesses and communities discover the power of employee ownership.
- Read case studies from Owner-Retires or Owner-Stays here:
https://www.project-equity.org/businesses/learn-from-others/
SBA Office of Financial Assistance | https://www.sba.gov/offices/headquarters/ofa/resources/4018
The SBA Employee Trusts program provides financial assistance to Employee Stock Ownership Programs and can assist qualified employee trusts that meet the necessary requirements with their 7(a) loan program.
The ESOP Association | https://www.esopassociation.org/
Founded in 1979, the ESOP Association is a trade association representing companies with Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) and professionals, such a accountants, attorneys, and trustees/fiduciaries who provide services for them.
Entrepreneurship
Council for Entrepreneurial Development | cednc.org
A private, non-profit organization formed to identify, enable and promote high growth, high impact entrepreneurial companies and to accelerate the entrepreneurial culture of the Research Triangle and NC
Edward Lowe Foundation | edwardlowe.org
To champion the entrepreneurial spirit by providing information, research and educational experiences that support entrepreneurship and the free enterprise system
Entrepreneur Magazine | entrepreneur.com
Small business tools; business plan guide; entrepreneur’s databases for business opportunities and franchise information
Inc Magazine | inc.com
Provides small-business information, Web-based tools, products, and services
Kauffman Foundation | kauffman.org
Focuses its grant making and operations on advancing entrepreneurship and improving the education of children and youth.
ProQuest Entrepreneurship | via nclive.org
Free database with information for entrepreneurs and researchers that includes business start-up plans, video clips, journals, business cases, and more. Access online at no charge with your NC public library card via NC LIVE or visit your local public or UNC library for assistance.
Financing Resources
Capital Opportunities for Small Business | sbtdc.org/resources/publications/capital-opportunities/
SBTDC’s online publication for finding capital resources for NC businesses
SBA-Financing | sba.gov/category/navigation-structure/loans-grants
Describes loan availability, eligibility, sources of grants
Franchising
Entrepreneur Magazine-Franchise Opportunities | entrepreneur.com/franchises
Franchising opportunities plus tips on buying/running a franchise
Franchise Direct | franchisedirect.com
Listing of franchises for sale
Franchise Registry | franchiseregistry.com
Listing of companies registered with the SBA available for franchising
Franchising.com | franchising.com
Resource for On-line Franchise Information
Government Resources – Federal
Code of Federal Regulations | ecfr.gov
Defense Logistics Agency | http://www.dla.mil/HQ/SmallBusiness/
The Defense Logistics Agency’s office of Small Business Programs is committed to providing all categories of small business an opportunity to participate in DLA acquisitions. This site contains information to inform and educate small businesses about DLA requirements and procurement practices. It provides worldwide logistics support
FedBizOpps | fbo.gov
Federal government procurement opportunities above $25,000.
Internal Revenue Service | irs.gov/businesses/small
Tax information for small businesses
Laws & regulations by industry | business.usa.gov
Provides a single access point to government services and information to help the nation’s businesses with their operations.
US Patent & Trademark Office | uspto.gov
Search for patents and trademarks
US Small Business Administration website | sba.gov
An independent agency of the federal government to aid, counsel, assist and protect the interests of small business concerns
Government Resources – North Carolina
ACCESSNC | via nclive.org
Free statistical, analytical and mapping tool designed to aid economic and community development decision making. Use your NC public library card to access online via NC LIVE or visit your local public or UNC library for assistance.
Business Link North Carolina (BLNC) | blnc.gov
Contact BLNC at 1-800-228-8443 or blnc.gov for state license requirements and resource information to start or grow your business.
NC Biotechnology Center | ncbiotech.org
Supports biotechnology research, business and education statewide
NC Department of Commerce | nccommerce.com
NC Rural Databank | ncruralcenter.org/databank/index.html
Statistical information on North Carolina’s rural counties
NC Secretary of State – Corporations Division | secretary.state.nc.us/corporations
Responsible for the examination, custody and maintenance of the legal documents filed by corporations, limited partnerships and limited liability companies in NC
NC State Data Center | via nclive.org
Free population, economic, and income data as well as county profiles and rankings. Use your NC public library card to access online via NC LIVE or visit your local public or UNC library for assistance.
NC State Demographics | via nclive.org
Free state, county, and municipal population estimates and projections by year, age, race, and sex. Use your NC public library card to access online via NC LIVE or visit your local public or UNC library for assistance.
NC State University Industrial Extension Service | www.ies.ncsu.edu
Supports North Carolina business in the workplace – in the office, on the factory floor or in the hospital
REACH NC | https://uncch.pure.elsevier.com/en/
REACH NC is a Web portal that enables users to search, browse and find thousands of experts and assets within North Carolina higher education and research institutions.
Human Resources
Bureau of Labor Statistics | https://www.bls.gov/bls/proghome.htm
The BLS compiles information on pricing, unemployment, pay & benefits, workplace injuries and import and export data.
General salary and wage information by area and occupation is available here.
Employee Benefit Research Institute | ebri.org
Contributes to, encourages, ands enhances the development of sound employee benefit programs and sound public policy through objective research and education.
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission | eeoc.gov
Commission which enforces laws protecting against discrimination in employment
Indeed.com | https://www.indeed.com/salaries?from=headercmplink&attributionid= Indeed provides local and regional salary information compiled from job listings they have posted during previous twelve months.
Salary.com | salary.com
Benchmark salaries
Society for Human Resource Management | shrm.org
World’s largest professional association devoted to human resource management whose mission is to serve the needs of HR professionals by providing current and comprehensive resources, and to advance the profession by promoting HR’s role.
Industry Research
ABI/Inform | via nclive.org
Free business research from journals, trade publications, market research reports, dissertations, and working papers. Can be accessed at no charge using an NC public library card via NC Live or by visiting a local or UNC library.
Encyclopedia of American Industries | ReferenceForBusiness.com/industries/
Industry and Competitive Analysis | Presentation describing industry and competitive analysis process.
NAICS Classification System | census.gov/epcd/www/naics.html
Classification system for industries. Replaces SIC codes.
Valuation Resources | ValuationResources.com
A directory of resources which address subjects such as industry overview, issues, trends, and outlook, industry financial information and financial ratios, and compensation and salary surveys for a wide variety of industries.
International Trade
Ex-Im bank | exim.gov
Assists in financing the export of U.S. goods and services to international markets.
Overseas Private Investment Corp. | opic.gov
OPIC helps U.S. businesses invest overseas, fosters economic development in new and emerging markets, complements the private sector in managing risks associated with foreign direct investment, and supports U.S. foreign policy.
US Trade & Development Agency | ustda.gov
Advances economic development and U.S. commercial interests in developing and middle income countries. The agency funds various forms of technical assistance, early investment analysis, training, orientation visits and business workshops that support the development of a modern infrastructure and a fair and open trading environment.
World Fact Book | cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook
Detailed information about countries of the world including political and economic aspects
Legal
FindLaw | FindLaw.com
Legal information for lawyers and general public, including case law, statutes, lawyer search
LawHelpNC | via nclive.org
Find information and links to legal rights, the law, the courts, legal forms and more. This site can be accessed at no charge using your NC public card via NC LIVE or visit your local public or UNC library for assistance.
Martindale | martindale.com
Directory of lawyers
The Red Book (NC Licenses and Permits) | https://edpnc.com/start-or-grow-a-business/start-a-business/license-permits/ Lists the licenses and permits needed for businesses in NC
NC Legal Forms | http://www.uslegalforms.com/states/
US Patent and Trademark Office | uspto.gov
Search US patents dating back to 1790; apply for patents and trademarks; learn about patents, trademarks, and copyrights, how they differ and how to get started.
Manufacturer Resources
Business Alliance of North Carolina | http://businessalliancenc.com/
CMTC Manufacturing Blog| http://www.cmtc.com/blog/free-or-inexpensive-online-tools-and-resources-for-small-manufacturers
While the organization was formed to support and advise California manufacturers, this link will take you to a wide variety of free and low-cost resources available to small and mid-size manufacturers nationwide.
Industry Week list of Manufacturing Associations | http://www.industryweek.com/associations
North Carolina Advanced Manufacturing Alliance | http://atlas.nccommunitycolleges.edu/index.php?/resources/north-carolina-advanced-manufacturing-alliance
The NCAMA provides specialized training from sites located at ten community colleges across the state. They work with industry partners and utilize equipment that is similar to that used by advanced manufacturing companies in the state.
North Carolina Chamber | https://ncchamber.net/issue-advocacy/manufacturing/ The exclusive state affiliate for the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM).
North Carolina Department of Commerce | http://www.nccommerce.com/
North Carolina Food Processing & Manufacturing | https://edpnc.com/industries/food-processing-manufacturing/
North Carolina Manufacturing Institute (NCMI) | http://ncmanufacturinginstitute.com/wordpress/?page_id=31 The North Carolina Manufacturing Institute initiative was conceived in the summer of 2014 during meetings with leaders from Rowan and Cabarrus counties, the Centralina Workforce Development Board and Rowan-Cabarrus Community College. Their goal is to build a world-class talent pool to support the retention and growth of regional manufacturers.
The NCMI endorses the Certified Production Technician (CPT) program through the Manufacturing Skill Standards Council | http://www.msscusa.org/certification/production-certification-cpt/
North Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership | https://www.ncmep.org/
Market Research
Annual Reports | AnnualReports.com
Online access to annual reports
13 Best Tools for Conducting Market Research | business.com
Conducting Market Research? Here are Five Official Sources of Free Data that Can Help
From the SBA Blog on Starting a Business
Conducting Market Research | from Entrepreneur Magazine
Provides critical information about conducting research on the market viability of your product or service
Marketresearch.com | MarketResearch.com
Reports that can be purchased about your market or industry
Online Market Research References and Tools | http://www.smartinsights.com/marketplace-analysis/customer-analysis/10-free-online-marketing-tools-that-every-hands-on-marketer-should-use/ Ten free online tools for every “hands-on” marketer
Quirks | quirks.com
Magazine for market researchers
Securities and Exchange Commission | www.sec.gov
Corporate filings
Valuation Resources | ValuationResources.com/IndustryReport.htm
Free industry reports
Marketing
American Marketing Association | MarketingPower.com
Resources for marketers and advertisers.
Digital Marketing 101: The core things that every marketer (or business professional) needs to understand | Provides easy to understand definitions of key digital marketing terminology collected by BootCampDigital, an online social media training company.
Digital marketing. What it is and why it matters | Brief description and discussion of digital marketing from SAS.
The Four P’s of Marketing | An excellent resource from Purdue University
M Plans | mplans.com
Choose from several free marketing plans or purchase others.
Moving Toward a Digital, Customer-Centric Marketing Strategy | A SAS white paper on digital marketing.
The Ultimate Marketing Machine |Summarizes the results of the Harvard Business Review Marketing 2020 study identifying the attributes of a high-performance marketing organization.
Writing a Market Plan | The Ingredients of a Marketing Plan
From Entrepreneur Magazine.
Primary Research Tools
A number of user-friendly, low- and no-fee resources are available to help you conduct electronic surveys of customers and targeted prospects.
Ask Your Target Market | aytm.com
Ask Your Target Market (AYTM) is more sophisticated software than some of the low-cost options. For a fee, AYTM provides live support, helps identify survey pools, and provides guidance in survey development.
Google Consumer Surveys | google.com/insights/consumersurveys
Pricing is per completed response, but they also offer project-based options (down to helping select color choices and format options) as well as Website questionnaires.
Mail Chimp | mailchimp.com
Free and low-cost options.
SurveyGizmo | surveygizmo.com
Free and low-cost options.
SurveyMonkey | surveymonkey.com
Free and low-cost options; extremely popular and easy to use.
Publications
2018 North Carolina Small Business Handbook | businessnc.epubxp.com/t/150985
The 2018 North Carolina Small Business Handbook includes tips for North Carolina’s businesses in the areas of finance, human resources, marketing, government sales, and expansion. It also provides details on business assistance resources like the SBTDC.
BusinessWeek | BusinessWeek.com
Weekly magazine containing information useful to entrepreneurs
CEO Express | CEOexpress.com
Gateway to online business magazines
Harvard Business Review | hbr.org
Online version of HBR which provides summaries of articles in print edition
USA Today – Money | usatoday.com/money/smallbusiness
Online magazine with articles of interest to small business owners
Science and Technology
American National Standards Institute | ansi.org
Has standards information and links to standards sites.
Association of University Technology Managers | http://www.autm.net/
Promotes, supports and improves academic technology transfer worldwide and demonstrate its benefits globally through education, advocacy, networking and communication.
National Technical Information Service | ntis.gov
Has science, technology and business information.
US Patent and Trademark Office | uspto.gov
Protect intellectual property by patenting
Tracking Innovation Report | nccommerce.com/scitech/resources/innovation-reports
Report released by the N.C. Board of Science and Technology highlights key trends and themes to be considered when undertaking efforts to promote economic opportunity throughout the state.
Search Engine Optimization
The Ultimate Guide to Market Research and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) | MarketResearch.com
This white paper provides an overview of SEO and insights on how your Website and e-commerce marketing efforts can be managed and monitored. An introduction to some basic marketing principles as they relate in a digital environment and definitions of new vocabularies and technologies.
GoogleAnalytics | google.com/analytics/#/small-business
Harness the power of your Website with this free resource for SEO.
Social Media
Facebook for Business | facebook.com/business
Instagram for Business | https://business.instagram.com/gettingstarted
Moving Toward a Digital, Customer-Centric Marketing Strategy | A SAS white paper on digital marketing.
Pinterest for Business | business.pinterest.com
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Social Media for Small Business Guide | ducttapemarketing.com/socialmediaforbusiness.pdf
This eBook breaks social media down into easy-to-understand pieces to help make sense of and make use of social media as a tool to help grow a business.
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Twitter 101 for Business | business.twitter.com
Has standards information and links to standards sites.
The Ultimate Marketing Machine |Summarizes the results of the Harvard Business Review Marketing 2020 study identifying the attributes of a high-performance marketing organization.
Starting a Business
Business Startup & Resource Webinar
- View the 22-minute presentation
- SBTDC Online Training Modules
- Download the SBTDC’s Business Startup & Resource Guide
Statistics
ACCESSNC | via nclive.org
Free statistical, analytical and mapping tool designed to aid economic and community development decision making. Use your NC public library card to access online via NC LIVE or visit your local public or UNC library for assistance.
American Factfinder | factfinder.census.gov
Find popular facts (population, income, etc.) and frequently requested date about your community. Run guided queries using pre-built functions and formulas.
American Factfinder Quick Facts | census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045215/00
QuickFacts provides statistics for all states and counties, and for cities and towns with a populations of 5,000 or more. Show side-to-side comparisons for up to five different locations; download charts.
Bureau of Labor Statistics | bls.gov
Free resource from US Government provides a wide array of statistics in the broad fields of labor, economics, and statistics.
County Business Patterns | http://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/data/tables.html
An annual series that provides subnational economic data by industry. Businesses use the data for analyzing market potential, measuring the effectiveness of sales and advertising programs, setting sales quotas, and developing budgets. Additional information can be found utilizing American Factfinder Quick Facts Comparisons.
FEDStats | https://fedstats.sites.usa.gov/
Gateway to federally collected stats
NC Rural Databank | ncruralcenter.org/databank/index.html
Statistical information on North Carolina’s rural counties
NC State Data Center | via nclive.org
Free population, economic, and income data as well as county profiles and rankings. Use your NC public library card to access online via NC LIVE or visit your local public or UNC library for assistance.
NC State Demographics | via nclive.org
Free state, county, and municipal population estimates and projections by year, age, race, and sex. Use your NC public library card to access online via NC LIVE or visit your local public or UNC library for assistance.
Statistical Abstract of the United States | https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2011/compendia/statab/131ed.html
The 2012 Summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic organization of the United States can be downloaded here.
U.S. Census | census.gov
Main census website
