Small Business Sourcebook

Description of publication

 

Small Business Sourcebook (SBS) provides expanded and updated coverage of a wide variety of sources of information and assistance for all entrepreneurs. Volume 1 includes profiles of 225 generic small businesses (e.g., antique shop, apparel shop, appliance store, art gallery, etc.). Volume 2 covers general small business topics; programs and assistance in U.S. states and territories and many Canadian provinces; and U.S. federal government agencies and offices. This book-1,550 pages in Volume 1 alone-is comprehensive and informative. The two together deserve to be perhaps the best source book for small business.

The Small Business Sourcebook groups information in four sections:

  1. Specific small business profiles. This section includes the following types of resources: start-up information, primary associations, other organizations of interest, educational programs, directories of education programs, reference works, sources of supply, statistical sources, trade periodicals, trade shows and conventions, consultants, franchises and business opportunities, computerized databases, computer systems/software, information services, libraries, research centers, and other resources of interest-all arranged by business type.
  2. General small business topics. This section offers such resources as associations, books, periodicals, articles, pamphlets, videos, databases, educational programs, trade shows and conventions, consultants, and libraries, arranged alphabetically by business topic.
  3. State listings. Entries include government, academic, and commercial agencies and organizations, as well as selected coverage of relevant state-specific publications; listings are arranged by state, territory, and Canadian province.
  4. Federal government assistance. Listings are arranged alphabetically by U.S. government agency or office; regional or branch offices are listed alphabetically by state.

A "Master List of Small Business Profiles" provides the beginning page number of each profile. Also included in a separate section are the four-digit SIC codes and corresponding classification descriptions for the 225 small businesses profiled in the fifth edition. The SIC system, which organizes businesses by type, is a product of the Statistical Policy Division of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. Statistical data produced by government, public, and private organizations usually are categorized according to SIC codes, thereby facilitating the collection, comparison, and analysis of data as well as providing a uniform method for presenting statistical information. Hence, knowing the SIC code for a particular small business increases access to and the use of a variety of statistical data from many sources. For example:

Athletic Shoe Store
5661 Shoe Stores
Auto Supply Store
5531 Auto and home supply stores

There are other good resources for small businesses. Nation's Business runs a column called "Direct Line," which is a popular advice column for small business owners and managers, plus gives you answers from the experts about starting and running your business. Now you can have even more answers at your fingertips with Mancuso's Small Business Resource Guide ([800] 230-7700 or fax [202] 463-5641). This updated guide contains a complete list of names, addresses, and telephone numbers of the best sources of small business information about various topics, including:

Small business information also can be acquired from the following Web sites:

Small Business Administration: gopher://www.sbaonline.sba.gov.
Franchise Handbook: http://www.franchise1.com.

For information dealing with European small and medium-size enterprises see Enterprises in Europe (ISBN 9-28267-692-7), a strong supplement to Eurostate Yearbook. This publication is available through UNIPUB at (800) 274-4888 or fax (301) 459-0056.




Small Business Sourcebook
www.gale.com
galeord@gale.com
Database: Dialog

Small Business Sourcebook


ISBN 0-8103-6850-1
For more information, call
Gale Research Inc.
Phone: (800) 877-4253.