New York SBDC Research Network

When starting a business, it is important to know where to get the best information. The basics of sales, marketing, and advertising are all topics to keep in mind while laying the groundwork. Here's a list of some sites to keep in mind. 1. Score Entrepreneurship These sites cover many topics like financing and marketing. They also have a search box tool for narrowing down information. 2. SBDCMichigan The Michigan SBDC created an online workshop for small business owners. Each class follows topics like Writing a Business Plan,Marketing Your Business, Financial Management, Business Legal Issues, and more. 3. SBA SBA Starting Managing Business The Small Business Administration offers free information in all aspects of starting a business. They also offer a regularly updated "Guide to Starting a Business." 4. Ecorner Lynda Ted Talks Many who are looking to start a business value information from success stories. People find sites like Ted T

What's in the Business Startup Checklist? Every one of the tasks in our business startup checklist belongs to one of the following overarching objectives: Free Business Startup ChecklistFind a good business idea Test your business idea and do market research Write a formal business plan (if you're seeking funding) Brand your business Make it legal Get funded (only if you need it) Set up shop Market and launch your business See? That's a list you can complete. Don't forget: we're here to help! Ask us questions, or check out more of our member downloads for other great, free resources. Read more at: Bplans

You’ve validated your business idea, you’ve done your market research, and hopefully you’ve registered your business name. Now it’s time for the fun stuff. If you’ve ever wondered how to build a brand for your business, you’ve come to the right place. Work through these exercises each day and in less than a week, you’ll have a good sense of not only how you are uniquely positioned to compete with others, but also how to convey your brand message to the world. If you know you have to build your brand but aren’t quite sure of the reasons why, it’s worth reading our article on 4 Reasons to Brand Your Business, as well as Want Customer Loyalty? Build Your Brand. Now you know that branding really is a necessary step to starting a business, you can get to work. The infographic below is intended to be worked through as you might an exercise. Originally we ran it as a five-day challenge; if that’s how you’d prefer to read it, you can find each of the challenge days here. Read more at Bplan

Starting your own business may sound like an undertaking of epic proportions. The truth is, it’s not. Yes, you’re going to have to work hard, and commit to working on it at all hours of the day, but actually getting set up is simply down to making sure you’ve “checked all the boxes,” which is exactly what this business startup checklist aims to help you do. 1. Find a good business idea A good business idea isn’t just one that turns a profit. It’s one that’s a good fit for you personally, for your target market, and for your location. You’re going to be in business for the long haul, so you really should pick something you can live and breathe. Identify your strengths and weaknesses Conduct a SWOT analysis on yourself Come up with a business idea that caters to your strengths Define what success looks like for you Do your research: What are popular businesses today? Read more at bplans

Here are two of our latest additions to the collection with a summary of their contents: Kid-Focused Businesses (Entrepreneur Magazine's Step-By-Step Startup Guides) Party Planning Gift and Bath Products Educational Toys and Games Plus Size Clothing Cooking Classes Ward's Motor Vehicle Facts & Figures 2008 Documenting the Performance and Impact of the U.S. Auto Industry Sections include: Production/Factory Sales Retail Sales (cars, trucks, top selling, Canada, Mexico and Leasing) Registrations (Cras and trucks and vehicles retired from use) Automotive Trade (US Exports and world trade data) Materials (consumption by material type) Ownership (Population per vehicle, drivers, thefts) Transportation Expenditures (inlcudes fuel and licensing taxes) Travel Trends Automotive Businesses (Facilities, capacity, profits) Environment/Regulations (fuel consumption, prices, taxes) Traffic Fatalities (By state, characteristics, countries)