WEEK TWO
Know Your Industry
U.S. Small Business Administration: www.sba.gov
Yahoo! business-to-business information: dir.yahoo.com/Business_and_Economy/
Yahoo! trade association information: dir.yahoo.com/Business_and_Economy/organizations/trade_associations
U.S. Bureau of Census: www.census.gov
U.S. Chamber of Commerce: www.uschamber.com
www.marketresearch.com
WEEK THREE
Research
U.S. Small Business Administration: www.sba.gov
Yahoo! business-to-business information: dir.yahoo.com/Business_and_Economy/Business_to_Business
Yahoo! trade association information: dir.yahoo.com/Business_and_Economy/organizations/trade_associations
U.S. Bureau of Census: www.census.gov
U.S. Chamber of Commerce: www.uschamber.com
MarketReseach.com: www.marketresearch.com
Naming Your Company
Entrepreneur: www.entrepreneur.com
U.S. Trademark and Patent offices: www.uspto.gov/web/offices/tac/tmfaq.htm
Secretaries of State: www.statelocalgov.net
U.S. Copyright Office: www.copyright.gov
Trademark search: www.uspto.gov
To Register Your Web Site
www.register.com
www.godaddy.com
www.networksolutions.com
WEEK FOUR
Research Information
U.S. Census Bureau: www.census.gov
www.yellowbook.com
www.switchboard.com
For the Sale-Forecasting Worksheet and Calculator
www.score.org
For Business Terms and Definitions
www.answers.com/main/business.jsp
WEEK FIVE
Marketing
Guerrilla Marketing, by Jay Conrad Levinson, 1984: www.gmarketing.com
U.S. Small Business Administration: www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner
Entrepreneur: www.entrepreneur.com/marketing
WEEK SIX
To Learn More About Writing a Press Release
PR Newswire: www.prtoolkit.prnewswire.com
Café Press: www.cafepress.com/cp/learn/pr_101
PR Services for Sending Press Releases
PR Newswire: www.prnewswire.com (go to PRN Direct)
www.prweb.com
Send 2 Press: www.send2press.com
WEEK SEVEN
Register Your Site URL
www.register.com
www.networksolutions.com
Pay-per-Click Providers
www.overture.com
adwords.google.com
Search Engine Directory
www.freewebsubmission.com
www.google.com
www.msn.com
www.yahoo.com
Search Engine Optimization
www.highrankings.com
Blog Sites
www.blogger.com
www.typepad.com
www.wordpress.com
Article Distribution
www.isnare.com
www.ezinearticles.com
E-mail Marketing Providers
www.mailermailer.com
www.constantcontact.com
Affiliate Marketers
www.linkshare.com
www.performics.com
www.cj.com
Podcast Directories
www.podcastingnews.com
www.sbtv.com
Social Networks
www.myspace.com
www.facebook.com
www.windowslive.com/spaces/overview.html
www.linkedin.com
WEEK EIGHT
Business Associations For Women Entrepreneurs
Office of Women's Business Ownership: www.sba.gov/womeninbusiness/wnet.html
National Association of Women Business Owners: www.nawbo.org
American Women's Economic Development Corporation (AWED): www.awed.org
General Networking Sites
Ladies Who Launch: www.ladieswholaunch.com
Step Up Women's Network: www.suwn.org
Online Networking Sites
www.friendster.com
www.linkedin.com
www.ryze.com
www.facebook.com
www.myspace.com
Gift Giving and Personal Greeting Web Sites
www.bluemountain.com
www.nevermissanotherbirthday.com
www.birthdaycards.com
www.regards.com
www.bakemeawish.com
Networking for Moms
www.cafemom.com
Related Books
Benton, D. A., Lions Don't Need To Roar, New York: Warner Books, 1992, pp. 18-24, 28-39, 53-83.
Colligan, Victoria, and Beth Schoenfeldt, with Amy Swift, Ladies Who Launch--Embracing Entrepreneurship & Creativity as a Lifestyle, New York: St. Martin's Press, 2007, pp. 55-78.
Kerr, Cherie, Networking Skills That Will Get You the Job You Want, Cincinnati: Betterway Books, 1999, pp. 33-44.
Nierenberg, Andrea, Million Dollar Networking, Herndon: Capital Books, 2005, pp. 22-25, 42-43, 75-105.
WEEK NINE
Small Business Budgeting
www.businessownersideacafe.com/financing/budget_calculator.html
www.startupnation.com
www.score.org/pdf/Start-up Expenses1.pdf
www.jaxworks.com
www.work.com/accurate-expense-forecasting-491
Related Book
Godin, Seth, and Lim, Paul, If You're Clueless About Accounting and Finance and Want to Know More, Chicago: Dearborn Financial Publishing, 1998, pp. 87-106.
WEEK TEN
Health Insurance
U.S. Chamber of Commerce/purchasing alliances: www.uschamber.com/sb/business/P05/P05_4505.asp
www.ehealthinsurance.com
www.cobrahealth.com
WEEK ELEVEN
General
www.startupnation.com
U.S. Chamber of Commerce: www.uschamber.com
U.S. Small Business Administration: www.sba.gov
www.score.org
Department of Revenue directory by state: www.aicpa.org/yellow/yptsgus.htm
Department of Labor directory by state: www.dol.gov/dol/location.htm
U.S. government business tax Web site: www.business.gov/topic/
Taxes
SS4 Employer Identification Number Form: www.irs.gov/formspubs
Or apply online at: www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=102767,00.html
Business Structures
www.startupjunkies.org/incorp.html
Licenses and Permits
U.S. Small Business Administration: www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/start/getlicensesandpermits/
Business Insurance
U.S. Small Business Administration: www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/manage/getinsurance/SERV_INSURANCE.html
www.toolkit.cch.com/text/P12_9300.asp
WEEK TWELVE
Sample Plans with Executive Summary and Mission Statements
www.bplans.com/sample_business_plans
IRS Small Business Information
www.irs.gov/businesses/small
WEEK THIRTEEN
Sample Financial Statements and Templates
www.esmalloffice.com
www.score.org/template_gallery.html
Small Business Administration bplans: www.bplans.com/samples
WEEK FOURTEEN
General Business Planning
www.toolkit.com
U.S. Small Business Administration: www.sba.gov
www.score.org
www.prairiepublic.org/features/end/money1.htm
www.bplans.com
U.S. Bureau of Census: www.census.gov
Borrowing from Friends and Family
www.circlelending.com
www.virginmoneyus.com
www.loanback.com
Promissory Notes
www.findlegalforms.com/forms
www.lawdepot.com
www.smartformz.com
Amortization Calculators
www.amortization-calc.com
www.bankrate.com/brm/popcalc2.asp
Angel Investors
www.ventureworthy.com
www.winwomen.org
www.investorscircle.net
www.goldenseeds.com
www.keiretsuforum.com
www.angeldeals.com
www.activecapital.org
Venture Capital
www.soleracapital.com
www.mixcreative.com
www.funkventures.com
www.springboardenterprises.org
www.boldcapventures.com
Women's Technology Cluster: www.wtc-sf.org
Banks
U.S. Small Business Administration: www.sba.gov (for a list of banks offering SBA-guaranteed loans)
www.chase.com
www.commercebank.com
www.bankofamerica.com
Microloans
www.microenterpriseworks.org
www.accionusa.org
www.prosper.com
Financial Statements and Forms
U.S. Small Business Administration: www.sba.gov/tools/Forms/smallbusinessforms/fsforms/
www.score.org/template_gallery.html
www.score.org/pdf/12 Month Profit and Loss Projection1.pdf
WEEK FIFTEEN
Books
Blanchard, Ken, Drea Zigarmi, and Patricia Zigarmi, Leadership and the One Minute Manager, New York: Morrow, 1985.
Blanchard, Ken, John Carlos, and Alan Randolph, Empowerment Takes More Than a Minute, San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 1996.
Bourgeois, Trudy, The Hybrid Leader, Winchester: Oakhill Press, 2006.
Drucker, Peter F., The Practice of Management, New York: HarperCollins, 2006.
Edic, Martin, Self-Motivation for the Self-Employed, Rocklin: Prima Publishing, 1997.
Edwards, Sarah and Paul, Making It on Your Own, Los Angeles: Jeremy P. Tarcher, 1991.
Gleeson, Kerry, The Personal Efficiency Program, Hoboken, Wiley, 2004.
Lonier, Terri, Working Solo, New Paltz: Portico Press, 1994.
WEEK SIXTEEN
Listing of Charities
www.charitynavigator.org
www.justgive.org
www.oneclickatatime.org
www.womenscharities.com
www.charity-charities.org
AND MORE...
Downloadable forms:
Start Up and Operating Budget (Excel)
Business Insurance Worksheet (Word)
Coming soon: Accounting 101 Terms
Recommended readings:
Here are our top picks for all your pre-business launch literature. You have most likely heard of a few of these, and there is a reason, they've got great insight and offer more than boring business lingo and financial jargon. Learn from those who have helped to pave the road, or at least traveled along its often bumpy path.
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell
The One Minute Manager (Paperback) by Ph.D. Kenneth Blanchard, M.D. Spencer Johnson