|
A Pathfinder
by Peg Elliott, Librarian
This pathfinder is designed for entrepreneurs looking to start their own business as well as individuals already in business. Whether you are brand new to the world of business and need ideas for where to start, gathering data for your business plan, looking for information on insurance or bookkeeping or how to market your business, there are free resources available for research and for checkout from your public library.
Reference
Books
General
Business Plans
Legal
Marketing
Business Operations
Magazines
Databases
Other Resources
Reference
These reference books, located at the Central Library, provide information on business and industry trends, census and demographic data and other information useful for preparing business plans, researching the competition and learning about business in the greater Syracuse Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).
Demographics USA: County Edition
Along with the companion title,
Demographics
USA: Zip Edition, these two titles contain maps and demographic,
economic, commercial and industrial estimates. Each volume includes population,
race/ethnicity, age/gender and household related data, effective buying power,
consumer expenditure data, occupation and employment data.
R 304.607 DEM
MPA
Market Profile Analysis: Consumer and Business Demographic Reports (Syracuse,
NY)
Provides demographics and business information on the
Syracuse Metropolitan Statistical Area. A comprehensive data tool for evaluating
existing markets, locations and proposed sites for offices, stores and other
businesses.
R 332.6 MPA
Mergent
Industry Review
Standard & Poor’s
Industry Surveys
Both these titles provide information on economic trends, forecasts and
growth prospects of major U.S. industries.
R 332.6 MER
R 332.6 STA
CNY Business Journal
Book of Lists
Lists of which companies
are leading their industries in Central New York, the Mohawk Valley and Greater
Binghamton.
R 338.09 CNY
Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce Business Directory
Lists
area businesses by product or service.
R 338.097 GRE
Industry Norms and Key Business Ratios
Includes composite
financial statistics on over 800 lines of business. Cash, accounts receivable,
inventory, deferred credits, net sales, gross profits, working capital, solvency,
efficiency and profitability ratios are listed.
R 338.097 IND
RMA [Risk Management Association] Annual Statement Studies: Financial
Ratio Benchmarks
Features composite financial data for over 740 manufacturing,
wholesaling, retailing, service, agricultural and contracting businesses. Useful
when comparing one business with another.
R 338.097 RMA
Dun
and Bradstreet Regional Business Directory (Northern NY State Area)
Lists business
information on the Central NY region, and includes a ranking of the top area
businesses. Includes contact information, rankings, sales, number of employees
and names of company officers.
R 338.702 DBR
Dun & Bradstreet
Business Rankings
Includes public
and private businesses ranked within industry category and state.
R 338.74 BUS
Business Rankings Annual
Lists of companies, products,
services and activities compiled from a variety of published sources. Includes
a handy SIC to NAICS code conversion guide and bibliography listing special
annual issues of a wide selection of business magazines.
R 338.74 BUS
Almanac of Business and Industrial Financial Ratios
Provides
a benchmark for evaluating an individual company’s financial performance,
tracking 50 operating and financial factors in nearly 200 industries.
R 338.74
TRO
Small Business Sourcebook
Two volume annotated guide. Provides
information to facilitate the startup, development and growth of specific small
business. Lists articles, books, associations, suppliers and trade shows.
R
658.022 SMA
Business Plans Handbook
A multivolume set that includes sample
business plans for a variety of types of business. This title is also available
as a searchable e-book in the Gale
Virtual Reference Library database. You
will need your OCPL
library card to log into the e-book.
R 658.401 BUS
Books
The OCPL Catalog includes
resources on a wide variety of business topics. This list is just a sampling
of the titles available throughout the OCPL system. These and many other related
titles can be requested and sent to your local
library for pickup at your convenience.
Here are some useful subject headings to
search for materials:
Business planning
New business enterprises
Small business
Small business - Finance
Home-based Businesses
General
Entrepreneur Magazine’s Ultimate Small Business Advisor: All You Need to Know
by Andy Axman
658.022 AXM
The
Boss of You: Everything a Woman Needs to Start, Run and Maintain Her Own Business
by Lauren Bacon
658.008 BAC
Start
Your Own Business: The Only Startup Book You’ll Ever
Need
by Rieva Lesonsky
658.041 STA
Small
Business, Big Life: Five Steps to Creating a Great Life With Your Own Small
Business
by Louis Barajas
658.022 BAR
The
Home Office From Hell Cure: Transform Your Underperforming, Time-Sucking Homebased
Business Into a Runaway Success
by Jeffrey A. Landers
658.041 LAN
How
To Start a Business in New York
by Entrepreneur Press
658.11 HOW
Business Plans
Anatomy
of a Business Plan: A Step-By-Step Guide to Building a Business and Securing
Your Company’s Future
by Linda Pinson
658.401 PIN
How
to Prepare a Business Plan
by Edward Blackwell
658.4012 BLACKWEL
How
to Write a Great Business Plan
by William Andrews Sahlman
658.401 SAH
Legal
Small
Business Legal Tool Kit
by Ira N. Nottonson
346.73 NOT
Streetwise
Incorporating Your Business: From Legal Issues to Tax Concerns, All You Need
to Establish and Protect Your Business
by Michele Cagan
346.73 CAG
Buying
and Selling a Business
by Ira N. Nottonson
658.164 NOT
Small
Business Start-up Kit
by Peri Pakroo
346.73 PAK
Marketing
Marketing
Strategies for the Home-Based Business: Solutions You Can Use Today
by Shirley George Frazier
658.802 FRA
Tips
and Traps for Marketing Your Business
by Scott W. Cooper
658.8 COO
Web
Marketing for Small Businesses: 7 Steps to Explosive Business Growth
by Stephanie Diamond
658.872 DIA
Guerrilla Marketing for Free: 100 No-Cost Tactics to Promote Your Business and Energize Your Profits
by Jay Conrad Levinson
658.8 LEV
Business Operations
Finance
for Non-Financial Managers and Small Business Owners
by Lawrence W.
Tuller
658.159 TUL
Design
Your Own Effective Employee Handbook: How to Make the Most of Your Staff
by Michelle Devon
658.455 DEV
Quickbooks
2008: The Official Guide
by Kathy Ivens
657.9042 IVE
Successful
Meetings: How to Plan, Prepare and Execute Top-Notch Business Meetings
by Shri Henkel
658.456 HEN
Teach
Yourself Managing IT for Your Small Business
by Michael Pagan
004.068 PAG
Teach
Yourself PC Networking for Your Small Business
by Anthony Price
004.68 PRI
Magazines
Paper copies of these magazines are kept for several years at
the Central Library.
Contact the library to verify
availability of specific magazine issues. You
can also use the Gale
Business & Company
ASAP online database to retrieve full text magazine articles from business,
management, and trade journals and newspapers.
Black Enterprise
Business Week
Business Woman Magazine
Canadian Business
Central New York Business Journal
Entrepreneur Magazine
Hispanic Business
Minority Business Entrepreneur
Databases
The library subscribes to several online databases that are useful
for researching business topics. These business
databases provide directory information, industry trends and access to magazine and newspaper
articles and reference books 24 hours a day using your OCPL
library card.
For
using the online databases in the library, please see a librarian.
Reference USA
Business and residential phone numbers,
addresses, and other directory information. Reverse phone number lookups; advanced
mode searching by yellow page heading, business SIC or NAICS code, zip code,
SMSA and more.
Gale Business and Company Resource Center
Company profiles, brand
information, rankings, investment reports, company histories, chronologies,
and periodicals, including detailed business and industry news and information.
1980-present.
Gale Business & Company ASAP
More than 35 million articles
from business, management, and trade journals and newspapers.
Gale Virtual Reference Library
Searchable full-text reference e-books, including
all ten volumes of the Business Plans Handbook, the Encyclopedia of Small Business
and the Gale Encyclopedia of E-Commerce.
Hoover’s Online [In-library access only at Central and
City of Syracuse
branch libraries]
Comprehensive coverage of public,
private, and non-U.S. companies. Includes profiles, news, key people, and in-depth
financials.
Newspaper Databases - Newspapers contain valuable articles
on businesses
NewsBank
Full text of the
Syracuse Post-Standard from 1986-present, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
from 1999-present, and the Utica Observer-Dispatch from 2003.
Gale New York
State Newspapers
Full-text articles from 10 major New York State newspapers.
Gale
Custom Newspapers
A full-text collection of 150 newspapers, both national
and international.
Local Resources
Small Business Development Center
Onondaga Community College, Whitney ATC Suite 206, 4585 West
Seneca Turnpike, Syracuse, NY 13215-4585
315-498-6070
E-mail: sbdc@sunyocc.edu
The Small Business Development Center provides free and confidential counseling to both start up and existing businesses. The SBDC works with all small businesses, from home based to manufacturing. The center is staffed with certified business advisors who provide counseling and educational programs targeted to small business needs. The SBDC is funded through the State University of New York, the SBA and is hosted by Onondaga Community College.
Syracuse SCORE
401 South Salina Street, Syracuse, NY 13202
315-471-9393 x245
E-mail: info@syracusescore.org
Provides counseling and mentoring to small business clients. Also provides specialized services, such as workshop/seminar presentations, computer and Web site assistance.
Appleseed Trust
“Sowing
the Seeds of Entrepreneurial Success”
Home HeadQuarters, 124 East Jefferson
Street, Syracuse, NY 13202
315-474-1939
Provides assistance with business skills training, mentoring, and, in qualified cases, making small (micro) loans to graduate-operated businesses for start-up or expansion.
South Side Innovation Center
2610 South Salina Street, Syracuse, NY 13205
315-443-8600
A business incubator that provides office space and business support for start up businesses and budding entrepreneurs on Syracuse’s South Side.
Greater Syracuse Economic Growth Council Resource Center
John H. Mulroy Civic Center, 14th Floor, 421 Montgomery Street,
Syracuse, NY 13202
315-435-3770 or Toll Free 877-797-8222
E-mail: info@SyracuseCentral.com
Find market data, research reports, information about tax credits, financial incentives, real estate and other local resources.
WISE Center (Women Igniting the Spirit
of Entrepreneurship)
2610 South Salina Street, Syracuse, NY 13205
315-443-8693
With the support of the Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises (EEE) program, Syracuse University, and community partners, the WISE Center will provide training, services and other resources to women entrepreneurs across Syracuse and Onondaga County.
Empire State Development Agency -
Central New York Region
620 Erie Boulevard West Suite 112, Syracuse, NY 13204
315-425-9110
E-mail: nys-centralny@empire.state.ny.us
Empire State Development provides programs, services and incentives specifically designed to help small business entrepreneurs maximize their opportunities for success. This comprehensive web site allows small businesses to connect to all the various NY State government resources available to assist their operations.
Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce
572 South Salina Street, Syracuse, NY 13202-3320
315-470-1800
E-mail: info@SyracuseChamber.com
Offers referral services and seminars to assist local business in bidding for and winning local, state and federal procurement contracts. A nominal fee is charged for most seminars and workshops, with a discount for Chamber members.
Industrial Development Agencies
John H. Mulroy Civic Center, 14th Floor, 421 Montgomery Street, Syracuse,
NY 13202
315-435-3770 or Toll Free 877-797-8222
E-mail: info@SyracuseCentral.com
Two Industrial Development Agencies serve Onondaga County. The Syracuse Industrial Development Agency (SIDA) works with companies located within the city limits. SIDA is a nonprofit corporation created to enhance Syracuse's economic development capabilities. It provides benefits to qualified companies as taxable and tax-exempt industrial revenue bonds, payments in lieu of taxes (PILOTs), tax exemptions and flexible development fund loans for major development projects. The Onondaga County Industrial Development Agency (OCIDA) works throughout the county. OCIDA provides tax assistance, financing, employee training grants and infrastructure support. Fees are charged for some services.
CNY Technology Development Organization (TDO)
1201
East Fayette Street, Syracuse, NY 13210
315-425-5144
E-mail: mail@tdosolutions.com
CNYTDO offers general business consulting/assistance and programs such as Training Within Industry (TWI), Lean Manufacturing Assistance, Business Assessment, QuickView Manufacturing Assessment, Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Outreach, OSHA training and ExportNY in support of small to medium-sized businesses and high-tech entrepreneurs in Onondaga, Oswego, Cortland, Madison, and Cayuga counties.
Other Resources
Business and Finance Links
Links to selected online business and finance resources.