Entrepreneurial and Small Business Support (General)

Small Business Administration (SBA): www.sba.gov

Small Business Administration site of local organizations that might assist you in launching or managing a venture: https://www.sba.gov/tools/local-assistance

Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE): https://www.score.org/

Small Business Development Center (SBDC): https://www.sba.gov/offices/headquarters/osbdc/resources

International Franchise Association: https://www.franchise.org/

US government contracts: https://www.sba.gov/federal-contracting/contracting-guide/basic-requirements

US Department of Commerce: https://www.commerce.gov/

US Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis: https://www.bea.gov/

US Department of Labor: https://www.dol.gov/

US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics: https://www.bls.gov/bls/blswage.htm

US Chamber of Commerce: https://www.uschamber.com/

Global Entrepreneurship Monitor: http://www.gemconsortium.org/

Entrepreneurial and Small Business Support (Specific Groups)

Women’s Business Center (WBC): https://www.sba.gov/local-assistance/find/?type=Women%27s%20Business%20Center&pageNumber=1

Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC): https://veteransoutreachcenter.org/

National Association of Women Business Owners: https://www.nawbo.org/resources/women-business-owner-statistics

Asian American Chamber of Commerce: http://www.asian-americanchamber.org/

Black Chamber of Commerce: https://www.nationalbcc.org/

Hispanic Chamber of Commerce: https://ushcc.com/

Ladies Who Launch: https://www.ladieswholaunch.org/

Minority Business Development Agency: https://www.mbda.gov/

National Association of Professional Women: http://womenforhire.com/company/national-association-of-professional-women-napw/

The Female Entrepreneur Association: https://femaleentrepreneurassociation.com/

Women’s Business Enterprise National Council: https://www.wbenc.org/

Vision Statement, Mission Statement, and Goal Setting

Website with ideas for developing your vision: https://www.executestrategy.net/blog/write-good-vision-statement

Video with walkthrough for crafting your mission statement: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/65230

Eleven Free Goal Setting Software and Tools You Can Use: http://www.goal-setting-college.com/goal-setting-software/11-goal-setting-software-tools-you-can-use-for-free/

YouTube: Achieve More by Setting Smart Goals: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yA53yhiOe04

Business Models and Business Plans

SBA Business Plan resources: https://www.sba.gov/business-guide/plan-your-business/write-your-business-plan

Business Model Canvas: https://strategyzer.com/canvas/business-model-canvas

Business model canvas and resources: Strategyzer.com

Lean canvas and associated resources: Leanstack.com

Social business model canvas and related resources: Socialbusinessmodelcanvas.com

YouTube Video: Business Model Canvas Explained: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoAOzMTLP5s

The Four Lenses Strategy Framework website: www.4lenses.org

List of Social Enterprise Business Models or Frameworks: http://www.thesedge.org/socent-spotlights/22-awesome-social-enterprise-business-ideas

YouTube Video: We have a dream, B-corp overview and mission: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=V-VFZUFJwt4

Sample business plans-www.bizplans.com: www.bplans.com

Funding, Finances, and Accounting

Small Business Administration (SBA) lending program: https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans

Small Business Administration (SBA) calculation of startup costs: https://www.sba.gov/business-guide/plan-your-business/calculate-your-startup-costs#section-header-6

Small Business Administration, “How to Start a Non-Profit”: https://www.sba.gov/blogs/how-start-non-profit

US Department of Labor: https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/statistics/wagesearnings

Tax information for charitable organizations from the Internal Revenue Service: https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/charitable-organizations

Grant information by state: https://www.grants.gov/

Information from the National Institutes of Health on grants and the application process: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/about_grants.htm

G-Startup Worldwide’s global startup competition: https://www.f6s.com/g-startupworldwide/

Extending Credit to Your Customers: https://fitsmallbusiness.com/invoicing-extending-credit-to-customers/

7 Ways to Bootstrap Your Business to Success: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/254217

Small Business Administration Introduction to Accounting Course: https://www.sba.gov/tools/learning-center-view-course/364071

Khan Academy Accounting and Financial Statements Course: https://www.khanacademy.org/economics-finance-domain/core-finance/accounting-and-financial-stateme

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission: https://www.sec.gov/reportspubs/investor-publications/investorpubsbegfinstmtguidehtm.html

US Securities and Exchange Commission Regulatory Actions: https://www.sec.gov/rules.shtml

SEC Information on crowdfunding portals: https://www.sec.gov/divisions/marketreg/tmcompliance/fpregistrationguide.htm

Link to SEC (FINRA) crowdfunding portals: https://www.finra.org/about/funding-portals-we-regulate

Money and Interest Rates: https://www.federalreserve.gov/data.htm

Y Combinator: http://www.ycombinator.com/

Techstars: www.techstars.org

Kickstarter: www.kickstarter.com

Indiegogo, “The Essential Guide to Crowdfunding”: https://learn.indiegogo.com/the-essential-guide-to-crowdfunding/

Startupfest, “The $100K Investment Prize”: http://www.startupfestival.com/news/100k-investment-prize/

Circleup: http://circleup.com

Exilend: https://www.exilend.com

Fundable: http://fundable.com

LendingKarma: http://www.lendingkarma.com

LoanBack: http://loanback.com

Trade Show News Network: http://www.tsnn.com

ZimpleMoney: http://www.zimplemoney.com

Legal Issues in Entrepreneurship

SBREFA Small Business Resource Center’s site on legal requirements and regulatory compliance: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/oasam/business-operations-center/osdbu/compliance-assistance

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office: https://www.uspto.gov/

Nondisclosure (NDA) templates: https://www.rocketlawyer.com/

US Small Business Administration on licenses and permits: https://www.sba.gov/business-guide/launch-your-business/apply-licenses-permits

Internal Revenue Service (IRS) information on taxation in partnerships: https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/partnerships

Information on variation between all 50 states in forming or incorporating a business from Cornell Law School: https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/corporations

US Copyright Office: https://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-protect.html

Federal Communications Commission on cybersecurity for small businesses: https://www.fcc.gov/general/cybersecurity-small-business

North Carolina State University Poole College of Management’s risk management initiative: https://erm.ncsu.edu/library/article/coso-erm-framework

US Copyright Office: https://www.copyright.gov/

Marketing

Small Business Administration information on marketing and sales: https://www.sba.gov/business-guide/manage-your-business/marketing-sales

American Marketing Association (AMA): https://www.ama.org

American Marketing Association (AMA) digital marketing certification: https://www.ama.org/events-training/Certification/Pages/digital-marketing-certification.aspx

American Marketing Association (AMA) on-demand course: Digital Marketing: Delivering a Custom Experience: https://www.ama.org/events-training/virtual-events/Pages/digital-marketing-virtual-conference-051717.aspx

Google Ads: https://ads.google.com/home/

Pitching

Harvard Business Review’s how to craft a corporate narrative: https://hbr.org/2016/03/how-to-build-a-strategic-narrative

Pitch deck templates: https://articles.bplans.com/what-to-include-in-your-pitch-deck/ and https://www.forbes.com/sites/allbusiness/2017/03/04/how-to-create-a-great-investor-pitch-deck-for-startups-seeking-financing/#630406bc2003 and https://www.startupgrind.com/blog/the-quick-and-dirty-guide-to-creating-a-winning-pitch-deck/

Operational Resources

Society for Human Resource Management: https://www.shrm.org

Scheduling programs and templates: https://getsling.com/blog/category/scheduling/, https://wheniwork.com/features, and https://schedulebuilder.org/

Employer hiring costs of employee: https://gusto.com/tools/employer-tax-calculator

Payroll program: https://onpay.com/payroll-calculator-tax-rates

Smartsheet’s step-by-step instructions for making a Gantt chart in Microsoft Excel: https://www.smartsheet.com/blog/gantt-chart-excel

Project Manager’s ultimate guide to Gantt charts: https://www.projectmanager.com/gantt-chart

FindLaw Small Business Center (business forms): https://smallbusiness.findlaw.com/

Research Sources for Demographic and Marketing Data

Small Business Administration (SBA) guide on researching your market: https://www.sba.gov/business-guide/plan-your-business/market-research-competitive-analysis#section-header-5

American Fact Finder (market research): http://factfinder2.census.gov/main.html

FedStats (statistics from more than 100 federal agencies): www.fedstats.gov

National Federation of Independent Business: https://www.nfib.com/business-resources

The Small Business National Center: https://sites.google.com/a/uca.edu/sbanc/home

Bureau of Labor Statistics: https://www.bls.gov/bls/demographics.htm

North American Industry Classification System: https://www.census.gov/eos/www/naics/

Statistical Abstract of the United States: https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2011/compendia/statab/131ed.html

US Census Bureau site on where to locate your business: https://cbb.census.gov/sbe/#

Consumer credit data: https://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/G19/

Consumer product safety: https://www.cpsc.gov/

Consumer price index: https://www.bls.gov/cpi/

Bureau of Economic Analysis: https://www.bea.gov/

Employment Statistics: https://stats.bls.gov/bls/employment.htm

Income Statistics: https://www.bls.gov/cps/earnings.htm

American Customer Satisfaction Index: https://www.theacsi.org/

North American Industry Classification System: https://www.census.gov/eos/www/naics/

US Census Bureau: https://www.census.gov/

Tools for Creativity and Problem Solving

Twenty-four essential mindmapping and brainstorming tools: http://mashable.com/2013/09/25/mind-mapping-tools/#jP47h7Q818qM

Open Innovation Community: http://openinnovation.net/

Ideation techniques: http://www.innovationmanagement.se/2013/05/30/the-7-all-time-greatest-ideation-techniques/ and https://www.ideou.com/pages/ideation-method-mash-up and http://www.designkit.org/methods/15

LUMA Institute’s LUMA System of Innovation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDyElJ0xe2o

Analyze your problem-solving abilities: https://www.mindtools.com

IDEO Design Kit: http://www.designkit.org/resources/1.

Design Thinking Mix Tapes from Stanford’s Design School: https://dschool.stanford.edu/resources/chart-a-new-course-put-design-thinking-to-work.

Lean Startup and Pivoting

Lean startup: http://theleanstartup.com/#principles

Toyota’s Way: https://vimeo.com/44328452

14 Management Principles of Toyota: http://www.panview.nl/en/lean-production/toyota-way-j-liker-summary

Tim Berry’s Lean Business Planning Guide: https://leanplan.com/

Lean canvas and associated resources: Leanstack.com

The International Business Model Competition that focuses on lean startup models, sponsored by BYU and Harvard: http://www.businessmodelcompetition.com/

Networking and Trade Organizations

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com

Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives: acce.org

BNI: Business Network International: https://www.bni.com

HUBZone: https://www.sba.gov/offices/headquarters/ohp

Tradeshows: http://www.tsnn.com/

Industry research publications: http://www.newslink.org