BUSINESS INFORMATION CENTER

ENTREPRENEURSHIP RESEARCH GUIDE

This guide is designed to help you find resources to determine if your new business idea is viable, develop an initial plan for putting your plan in motion, find funding sources, and learn ways to exit from your plan at the appropriate time. The Demographics and Marketing Research Guides will be helpful to identifying potential locations and customers. For additional information, Ask a BIC Librarian.

TRENDS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Advertising Age and Brandweek Magazines of all sorts can reveal trends. These two are particularly good at showing consumer desires. Local magazines, such as D. magazine and the Dallas Business Journal, which cover the Dallas-Fort Worth area, are also useful. Recent print versions of each title are available for browsing in the BIC and Advertising Age and Brandweek may be read online through SMU Library Catalog.
View SMU Library Catalog record (Advertising Age)
View SMU Library Catalog record (Brandweek)

Associations Unlimited Associations are a great place to find statistics concerning a wide-variety of activities and industries. (SMU Community Only)

BrainyZip If you know what zip code you are targeting, using this site is a quick way to find the population and number of housing units.

Community Tapestry Get basic demographic information including basic lifestyle information by zip code. Primarily a fee-based site offers three free topical community tapestry segment results and basic demographics. Enter zip code in the Zip Lookup Tool search box or sign up as a guest to view selected business analyst reports.

InfoUSA The US Consumers portion of this site allows you to specify an area, including a radius around a zip code or address, and then select criteria such as income, sex, age and many more. It will provide the number of people who fit your criteria for free. The company updates its data continually to ensure accuracy.

Local Resources in the Demographics Research Guide includes many sources of statistics that can show trends in particular cities or regions. Many of these are government sources.

Market Data and Statistics This section of the Marketing Research Guide includes many helpful sources for consumer research including the Consumer Expenditure Survey and Market Share Reporter.

Stat – USA Click on the State of the Nation link. Then use sections on Employment and, under State of the Nation Library, Economic Indicators, Industry Statistics, and Regional Economic Statistics. (SMU Community Only)

Statistical Abstract of the United States This compilation of statistics gathered by the U.S. government includes a wide-variety of topics and industries. Use the index to find a topic and the corresponding table number. Print version available in BIC reference.

ZIP Code Lookup Use this site to find all the zip codes for a city. Then use the zip codes for demographics research in BrainyZip, Claritas and InfoUSA.

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Business & Company Resource Center Search by industry using SIC or NAICS code (see Hoover’s). Find comprehensive, current overviews, associations, rankings, and market research. (SMU Community Only)

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Business Plans includes sample plans and ideas for what to include. (BIC reference)

Global Market Information Database (GMID) While this source includes many international markets, the U.S. is well-represented. Select the United States in the Geography section and then select a market sector in the Category section to bring up consumer-focused market research reports. Consumer information and statistics are available as well. (SMU Community Only)

Hoover’s Use the Industries search tab to select your topic. Then read the Full Overview and write down the SIC and NAICS codes to use for future searching. Find a similar company and look at the Financials. (SMU Community Only)

Mintel Reports These business-to-consumer market research reports focus on consumer packaged goods. Lifestyle reports are available as well. (SMU Community Only)

New Business Enterprises Planning Use this subject heading to search in SMU Library Catalog for books, many available electronically, that discuss developing a business plan.

Standard & Poor’s NetAdvantage Industry Surveys, updated every six months, include industry trends and how to analyze the industry. Industry references section includes publications, associations, and government departments. (SMU Community Only)

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About.com In the 'Small Business Information' section find information from how to start a business to how to sell it and everything in between. Use the navigation on the left side of the page to locate various small business related topics.

Emerging companies guide : a resource for professionals and entrepreneurs. Fondren KF 1335 .46 2005 / editors, Robert L. Brown, Alan S. Gutterman. Introduces variety of into legal aspects of operating a business - from creating business plans, financing, product development, reporting regulations, and human resources to intellecutal property rights and estate planning.
View SMU Library Catalog record

Entrepreneur.com & Entrepreneur magazine Find a wide variety of resources for all levels of entrepreneurship. Entrepreneur magazine is available for browsing in the BIC or may be accessed electronically via the SMU Library Catalog.
View SMU Library Catalog record (Entrepreneur) (SMU Community Only)

Roadmap to Entrepreneurial Success: Powerful Strategies for Building a High-profit Business (NetLibrary) by Robert W Price. This book discusses developing and outlining a success play for your business from the beginning. (SMU Community Only)

Small Business Administration Find information on starting, financing, and managing a business, as well as business opportunities and contact information for local SBA offices.

USPTO Inventor Resources Information produced by the United States Patent and Trademark Office to guide inventors through the patent and trademark process.

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Angel Capital Association The ACA provides an information and best practices exchange for firms performing as angel capital investors. Some directory information is available that may provide contact between entrepreneurs and angels.

Angel Capital Education Foundation This charitable organization provides a point of departure for all who are involved in entrepreneurial capitalization.

Caveat Loan / Bridging Loan This Wikipedia article provides a basic definition showing where this form of loan best fits among the options available to entrepreneurs.

International Factoring Association The Association bring factoring organizations together to share practices and provides assistance to those entering the factoring industry.

Raising Entrepreneurial Capital (NetLibrary) This book covers acquiring debt and equity capital, valuation, and exit strategies. (SMU Community Only)

The Daily Deal is a good source of significant venture capital deals from around the world. To access, click the 'power search' tab and type "dealflow" in search box; choose source as The Daily Deal - and search to view DealFlow Reports. Need to find articles on venture capital or other keywords? Use the Power Search to enter keywords in the search box to obtain a list of articles. LexisNexis Academic (SMU Community Only)

The Funded CEO entrepreneurs can search site member reviews of venture capital funds and angel networks. Site members gain full access to detailed ratings profiles of over 3,600 funds and contact information for nearly 17,000 investment professionals. View site help for details.

Venture Capital (Wikipedia) This article provides an excellent overview as well as a list of venture capital firms.

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Business.gov: The Official Business Link to the US Government "Business.gov is the single access point to all government services and information to help businesses operate within the parameters of Federal rules and regulations." Site is divided into four main sections: Launching, Managing, Growing, and Getting Out.

The business valuation book : proven strategies for measuring a company’s value. Fondren HG4028 .V3 .G3 2002 by Scott Gabeheart and Richard Brinkley. Provides overview of the ARM approach with tips about valuing businesses at fair market value. Accompanying CD-ROM includes calculations tools.
View SMU Library Catalog record

Exit Strategies (Net Library) by Nicolas King. This book discusses how to develop a successful exit strategy by using real-life examples. (SMU Community Only)

Selling Your Business: The Transition From Entrepreneur to Investor (NetLibrary) by Louis P Crosier. This book discusses how to walk through the steps to sell an entrepreneurial business.

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Updated: 8/28/2008