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Entrepreneurship & Small Business

This guide includes, but is not limited to the following: how to start a small business, business forms, franchising information, acquiring funding, and business plans.

Online Resources

  • U.S. Small Business Administration ⭐

    This well organized federal agency site provides among other things, a business start-up kit, financing and SBA loan information, links to numerous outside resources (private and state), online library reading room, and much, much more. This should be one of the first sites to consult.

  • Small Business (USA.gov) ⭐

    Business.gov is a result of 22 federal agencies efforts and is deemed the “U.S. Government's official website for small businesses.” It provides a wealth of information on all small business topics.

  • BizFilings Business Owner's Toolkit

    The Business Owner's Toolkit is a highly substantive site. Major chapters include Startup, Marketing, Finance, Running A Business, Office & HR, and Tax Center. The Tools & Forms section provides links to checklists, model business plans, forms, and other documents.

  • Entrepreneurship.org
    Provides educational tools and resources covering the latest issues and insights affecting entrepreneurs.
  • Fasttrac Resource Center
    Produced by the Kauffman Foundation of Entrepreneurship, this web resource for small business owners centralizes access to hundreds of entrepreneurial resources on the web, combines this with Kauffman's own content, and makes it all easy to find.
  • IRS Starting a New Business

    Includes links to basic federal tax information for small business owners and those looking to start a business. Includes information on identifying your businesses' structure, employer identification numbers, record keeping, business taxes, and a helpful checklist for all necessary tax-related small business filings.

  • PatentLens

    A transparent public patent system to allow entrepreneurs to "determine the boundaries of intellectual property constraints on deliverable innovations, and usable building blocks for future innovations."

  • Intellectual Property Basics

    Bryce Pilz, a Law Professor at the University of Michigan delivers this series of short videos designed to guide entrepreneurs through the important concepts of intellectual property during their startup. The series of 3-5 minute videos cover over 60 topics, including patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets. Sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the University of Michigan.

  • Small Business Development Centers

    There are 900 sites around the country to assist small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs. Many have websites linking users to reputable and quality resources when developing a small business plan. Researchers can also find information on franchising, demographics, industry information and more. Many also include tutorials on a variety of topics.

  • StartupNation

    A great site for entrepreneurs and would-be business owners, this site has it all; community space, articles, podcasts, online seminars and other information on all things small business.

  • The SBDC National Information Clearinghouse (SBDCnet)
    Open access resources about small business including: small business snapshots, help topics, and market research.
  • SCORE - Counselors to America's Small Business
    The Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) works in cooperation with the U.S. Small Business Administration to advise and assist small business. See especially their valuable list of links to additional small business information on the web.
  • ZoomProspector
    Find the Right Communities. More than 1,000 variables to find the right community for your business.

Some content credited to BRASS Education Committee and LibGuides.