Web Sites

Company Research
Marketing
General Resources
Going Green
Statistics

Company Research

Hoovers' Online
http://www.hoovers.com
Short, informative profiles of major U.S. businesses and major industries. Fee-based services are usually clearly marked.

Researching Companies on the Internet: A Tutorial
http://www.learnwebskills.com/company/
A step-by-step process to finding free company information on the web, from company directories to public opinion.

Securities and Exchange Commission
http://www.sec.gov

FreeEDGAR
http://www.freeedgar.com/
Find financial reports on public companies.

Thomas Register of American Manufacturers
http://www.thomasnet.com/index.html
Search the Thomas Register online by company name, brand name, product, or service. You'll get a brief profile for free.

Marketing

KnowThis
http://www.knowthis.com/
Annotated guide to marketing resources.

General Resources

Business.gov
http://www.business.gov/
Business.gov helps small businesses understand their legal requirements, and locate government services supporting the nation’s small business community. Business.gov is an official site of the U.S. Government.

Business Owner's Toolkit
http://www.toolkit.cch.com/
Ideal for a small business, this site includes basic business forms, templates, and checklists that you can download to your computer and customize to fit your needs.Access to materials requires signing up for a free membership.

Delphion Intellectual Property Network
(formerly IBM Patent Server)
http://www.delphion.com

BusinessWeek Online - Small Business
http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/
Includes BusinessWeek's resource center for small business owners as well as small business news.

Inc.com
http://www.inc.com/resources/startup/
Small business resources and small business information for the entrepreneur.

MicroPatent
http://www.micropat.com

North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)
http://www.census.gov/epcd/www/naics.html
Businesses by classification or "subject."

Standard Industrial Code
http://www.osha.gov/oshstats/sicser.html

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
http://www.uspto.gov/patft
Both MicroPatent and the U.S. Patenet and Trademark office are excellent sources for patent searches, are easy to use, and require fees for full-text patent delivery. USPTO also offers trademark searching.

U.S. Small Business Administration
http://www.sba.gov
Useful, official advice and resources for starting, financing, and managing a small business. The start-up kit and the business plan outline are especially useful.

Going Green

Statistics