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| BUSINESS RESOURCES |
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| Business Subjects |
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Emergency Preparedness
Disaster Planning and Recovery
http://www.ibhs.org/docs/openforbusiness.pdf
According to the Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS), 25% of businesses forced to close by a natural disaster never reopen.
The IBHS and the Public Entity Risk Institute have co-published Open for Business: A Disaster Planning Toolkit for the Small to Mid-sized Business Owner. The toolkit, in the form of a downloadable PDF, contains a step-by-step guide for evaluating your risks, and protecting your resources. Essential “Business Continuity Forms” are provided, which cover everything from critical employee and vendor contacts to details about computer equipment and if, where, and how critical data is backed up and retrievable.
Published after hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne, but before Katrina, this guide focuses sharply on all of the steps we all should take to protect our businesses just as we should protect our homes. |
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Family Businesses
Family Business Guidance
http://fambiz.com
An estimated 80% of all businesses in the United States are family-owned. Some experts, such as Steve Swartz, co-founder of the McGladrey & Pullen Family Business Group, organizational consulting professionals who specialize in family business, contend that the percentage is much higher.
Swartz writes, “Although often "invisible" to those on the outside, it is estimated that approximately 95% of all U.S. businesses are family owned, producing about 50% of the Gross Domestic Product.”
This site, overseen and maintained by Northeastern University’s Center for Family Business offers information on possibly every problem a family could face in operating and planning for the future of the business. A strong search capability enables readers to look through articles and research contributed by 40 universities and centers of excellence in family business research.
Among the key topics to be explored: Women in family business, conflict and dispute resolution, estate planning, inter-generational issues, non-family managers and employees, and even sibling rivalry. |
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Finance
Business Funding Sources
http://entrepreneur.com/money/index.html
In its section on “Money,” accessible from the home page, Entrepreneur offers a look at the best banks for small business owners seeking loans, as well as a look at the top venture capital firms in the U.S.
If you type in “financing your business” in the “Search” field, you’ll be taken to the first page of a list of 3,708 articles. As are most of Entrepreneur’s resources, this one is accessible and excellent. |
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Long Island Development Corporation (LIDC)
www.lidc.org
LIDC defines itself as follows: “Long Island Development Corporation is a regional economic development, not-for-profit corporation which makes long term, affordable loans to small businesses. LIDC is not a bank, but it is the premier small business lender on Long Island.” The organization justifiably boasts having made more than $1 billion in loans to small businesses during the past 25 years. |
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The Long Island Business Assistance Corp. (LISBAC)
www.lisbac.org
The Long Island Small Business Assistance Corp. is a 501(c)3 entity which makes loans to women business owners on Long Island. LISBAC was created for members of NAWBO, BWE (Black Women Enterprises) and SCWBEC (Suffolk County Women's Business Enterprise Coalition) and serves women who have been in business for a minimum of five months. It provides loans up to $10,000 on long-term, low fixed rate terms. Contact Roz Goldmacher at 516-433-5000. |
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Padgett Financial Calculators
www.padgettnb.com/tools.html
If you’re looking for help in making financial calculations of virtually any type—business or personal—this site is invaluable. Among the many types of forecasting tools available to provide instant results are: loan calculators, mortgage and savings calculators, help with determining whether to buy or lease, rent or buy, how much of a home equity loan you can reasonable obtain, savings for education, life insurance needs, and help in reaching your savings goals. |
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Market Research
Annual Reports 
www.annualreports.com
Need to find information about a prospective vendor or customer? Here's a free service that allows you to search for companies according to a number of different criteria: company name, ticker symbol, exchange type, industry, sector, or alphabetically.
KnowThis.com
www.knowthis.com/studies/focus-on-market-research/reports.htm A comprehensive compilation of reports on all aspects of market research as well as marketing. Marketing, Management, Advertising, Retailing, Sales Management and Internet marketing trends, are only a few of the categories in which numerous resources are listed. Research reports are widely available, as are many recommended sites in which to check out some of the information that’s most important to business owners in virtually every industry. Marketing Management Promotion, Advertising Publications, Publishers Retailing, Consumer Selling, Sales Mgmt.
Data Place
http://www.dataplace.org/
Sponsored by the Fannie Mae Foundation, Data Place calls itself a “one-stop source for housing and demographic data about your community, your region, and the nation.” The site draws on statistics from the Census Bureau, The IRS, Dept. of Housing and Urban Development and other government agencies.
You can search by city, county, metropolitan area, or state to determine everything from types of housing in the area to employment breakdowns. A must for anyone looking to expand a business or determining where the best prospective customers might be. |
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Organization and Time Management
Quick Summary of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
http://www.quickmba.com/mgmt/7hab
All of us need to refocus every once in a while. Here's an instant personal management pick-me-up when your brain needs refreshing! The entire book isn't summarized here—but the top pointers are re-stated in simple form.
If you want a more in-depth mental tune-up and a useful how-to guide on achieving greater fulfillment in all areas of your life, re-read Stephen R. Covey's five-year New York Times best-seller which is widely regarded as America's number 1 business book.
I Want To
http://www.philb.com/iwantto/manage.htm This is one of those sites you could spend the entire day looking at. As much fun as it is useful, the site purportedly 350 software programs and Web-based applications, including a search feature called “I Want To.”
Some of the sites require registration, others offer downloadable programs. Of interest are sites to help you set up To Do lists, manage projects, collect and store material from the Web, create PDF files, store passwords, learn how to back up your hard drive, keep track of your media collections, and manage your bills. |
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Trade Shows
Trade Show Directory
http://directory.tradeshowweek.com/directory/index.asp
Trade shows serve various purposes for business owners. Whether you’re interested in exhibiting or networking to market your products and services, trade shows can be highly productive. Similarly, just to check out what’s going on in your industry or in related businesses, trade shows provide ample opportunity to get up to speed.
Tradeshow Week offers a directory that you can search by industry, country, state, city, month, and year. Show listings are also arranged alphabetically, and contain links to find further information about any show you’re interested in. |
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Women’s Business Certification
Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC)
http://www.wbenc.org
The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council describes itself as “the nation's leading advocate of women-owned businesses as suppliers to America's corporations. It also is the largest third-party certifier of businesses owned and operated by women in the United States.” WBENC offers resources that guide women business owners through the certification process and serves as a resource for the more than 700 US companies and government agencies that rely on the WBENC certification as a key to their supplier diversity programs. |
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