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Access Business Online is a comprehensive
business service on the Internet. It provides business and professional
people with information, communication and transactions across 20 major
market areas.
The Association of North American Businesses is an organization
of business owners and managers seeking to better their business skills,
while reducing costs and increasing their networking or client base.
Microsoft’s bCentral offers a variety of service packages
that meet the needs of both new companies and more established businesses.
This is a useful site for entrepreneurs who want to start
a business via the internet. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has
introduced a program that authorizes web sites to display a BBBOnLine seal.
To obtain authorization, companies must be a member of their local BBB,
provide information about their ownership and management, submit to an
on-site inspection, have a satisfactory complaint-handling record from
the BBB, vow to respond quickly to consumer complaints, and agree to arbitration
to resolve any issues regarding their online practices. Potential
customers who visit a participating company's web site can click on the
seal to verify that the company is a ligitimate participant in the program.
Provides a chat room for small business owners and entrepreneurs
to discuss topics of mutual interest in realtime. Based in Vancouver,
British Columbia, Canada.
Guides business owners through steps of creating a Web
site and setting up the necessary back-end systems.
At this free web site, would-be purchasers select one
of 34 categories, such as color printers and answer a series of questions.
The site responds with a list of vendors and models meeting the requirements.
Users may then contact the manufacturer or a nearby distributor through
the site.
The Foundation for Enterprise Development is a non-profit
organization that has a number of publications and products. Equity
compensation encompasses all types of sharing the equity in your company
with employees. Some of the products Fed offers deal specifically with
issues of control and how to maintain control once you have begun to share
ownership.
FreeMerchant excels at partner programs. Users can
get discounted merchant accounts with US Merchant Systems, put their inventory
on aucti9on at eBay and create foreign-language pages with WebTranslator.com
Global Reach Internet Productions builds web sites for
businesses.
The Home Business Institute is a source of information,
services, and benefits to help the home or small business grow and succeed.
The Home Business Institute is dedicated to helping small business entrepreneurs
by providing crucial information and support services. HBI members have
the benefit of "big company" resources and buying power.
This site is referred to as Soho Central (Small Office/Home
Office) and is a valuable resource for home-office professionals.
It includes a home-office bill of rights, tax-payer mistakes to avoid,
and suggestions for dealing with residential zoning restrictions.
It lists a large number of home office business opportunities.
Idea Cafe's mission is to help entrepreneurs succeed
in reaching their business and personal goals. We believe that success
comes in many forms, and we aim to represent and support the diverse aspirations,
talents, and interests of the small business community. Our goal is to
provide accurate, helpful, and timely information and advice, in a supportive
and inviting atmosphere.
Inc.com helps users learn how to write business plan,
how to go global and all the steps in between
The IndUS Entrepreneurs is a non-profit global network
of entrepreneurs and professionals, established to foster entrepreneurship
and nuture entrepreneurs. The membership is open to professionals with
an interest in entrepreneurship, either in a start-up context or within
a larger company. The primary benefit of membership is networking with
other entrepreneurs and professionals. Members can establish relationships
that can provide them mentorship, connections to mainstream professionals,
advice, especially with respect to business planning and financing strategies,
and, in some cases, access to capital. As a not-for-profit organization,
however, the company does not engage in venture capital investments.
International Small Business Consortium strives to provide
a productive and professional Internet / WWW based network to help SMEs
(Small and Medium Enterprises') communicate about business needs, expand
their markets, share their resources, knowledge and experience. Its method
is to furnish one reference source for business information, resources
and experts from around the world, and protected from non-productive and
meaningless side issues.
Internet Marketing Services (IMS) takes a unique, focused
approach to doing business on the Internet. It provides consulting
services for internet marketing.
Iowa State University Entrepreneurs Club. In addition
to networking with business leaders from across the nation, students also
network with students from across country.
http://www.roimark.com/link/link.html
The Link to Success, Inc. was formed in 1989 as a consulting
company working for high technology companies involved in telecommunications.
Many of the original clients were major carriers, computer companies and
telemarketing firms. The primary focus is on increasing sales as well as
expansion options concerning other businesses or new locations.
Market Trends is a full and field service market research
and consulting firm in both the US and Europe, providing its clients with
high quality, usable market information quickly and economically. Comprised
of experienced professionals, Market Trends has conducted research studies
for thousands of local, national, and international firms representing
a wide variety of industries.
McGladery & Pullen is an Iowa CPA firm which does
a lot of consulting with entrepreneurial ventures and small businesses.
The National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE)exists
to: keep members informed about legislative activity that matters; provide
members access to the resources and specialists needed to answer questions;
give small companies the same buying power large companies have; offer
inspiration from other small-business people; develop the next generation
of entrepreneurs; offer material to help entrepreneurs stay current with
the latest news and ideas; help owners enjoy your time away from the business;
protect member family's health, happiness and financial security; offer
the information entrepreneurs need and want; and provide support.
National Bureau of Certified Consultants Property
Tax consulting. To find a certified consultant, visit NBCC site and
fill out form specifying your consulting needs and your contact information.
The organization will assess your needs and respond with a recommendation.
The National Business Incubation Association is a private,
not-for-profit membership organization representing the leading incubators
in the U.S. Incubators nurture young entrepreneurial firms, helping
them to survive and grow during the start-up period when they are most
vulnerable. Incubators provide hands-on management assistance, access
to financing, and exposure to critical business or technical support services.
They also offer new ventures shared office services, access to equipment,
flexible leases, and expandable space - usually under one roof.
The National Federation of Independent Business is the
nation's largest advocacy organization representing small and independent
businesses. With an audited membership of more than 600,000 business owners,
NFIB is a melting pot of commercial enterprise; high-tech manufacturers
and family farmers, neighborhood retailers and service companies.
Warning: this site is sticky.
The National Foundation for Women Business Owners (NFWBO),
a non-profit research organization, is the premier source of information
on women business owners and their firms worldwide. Its mission is to
support the growth of women business owners and their
enterprises by conducting research, sharing information and increasing
knowledge. NFWBO provides original, ground breaking research to document
the economic and social contributions of women-owned firms; consulting
and public relations services to maximize the benefits of this knowledge;
and leadership development for women who own growing enterprises. NFWBO
provides corporations, government policy makers, educators, organizations,
the media, and individuals with the intelligence they need to strengthen
their support of women business owners.
The National Minority Business Council, Inc. (NMBC) has
been helping small, minority- and women-owned businesses succeed for over
a quarter century. Founded in 1972 as a full-service, non-profit (501)(c)(3)
corporation, the organization is dedicated to providing business assistance,
educational opportunities, seminars, purchasing exchanges, mentoring, business
listings and related services to hundreds of businesses throughout the
tri-state area and across the nation.
The nation's oldest bipartisan advocate for small American
businesses. Representing a growing network of small business
owners, NSBU empowers small businesses, taking action on legislative and
regulatory issues while playing a key role in shaping federal policy in
the interests of small business.
misc.entrepreneurs.moderated (A chat service, not a web site.)
One way to link with other entrepreneurs is to subscribe
to a newsgroup like this one which is devoted to the topic of entrepreneurship.
Nolo's Self Help Law Center offers plain-spoken guidance
on workaday, meat-and-potatoes law.
This is a free interactive web site for beginning and
established women business owners. The North Texas Business Development
Center developed this site with the cooperation of the U.S. Small Business
Administration's 60+ Women's Business Centers nationwide. The site
provides information on management techniques, market research, mentoring,
individual counseling, and an extensive resource guide.
The Qualitative Research Consultants Association provides
consulting with a narrower scope. Areas of expertise include Financial
Services, Legal, Brand/Corporate Image, and Media.
QuickForms is an easy-to-use interactive system that drafts
sophisticated agreements automatically weighted in your favor. There are
millions of possible outcomes, each in about ten minutes. QuickForms virtually
eliminates the time and expense of producing first draft, near custom agreements.
QuickForms delivers what you want in a document, when you want it, at a
reasonable price. It empowers you to take control of the drafting and negotiating
process.
Pro-Net is a free service to small businesses wanting
to advertise their availability for contracts awarded by government agencies.
Pro-Net replaces the Small Business Administration's automated procurement
resource system. It allows federal contracting officials and others
to search the internet for small companies that can fill their needs.
Currently, more than 171,000 businesses are registered in the U.S. with
Pro-Net.
Proven Edge, Inc. is a software designer and manufacturer
that specializes in providing software for small businesses. It sells
a program which manages finances, customers, vendors, employees, and schedules.
Founded in 1976, the Research Institute for Small &
Emerging Business, Inc. (RISEbusiness is based in Washington, D.C. By providing
corporations, policymakers, and business or trade associations serving
the small and emerging business sector with substantive and insightful
(market, policy, and field) research on issues impacting the formation
and growth of small and emerging businesses, we inform and enhance decisionmaking
pertaining to this important sector of the economy.
Road Map is a computerized expert system site that invites
visitors to present a problem and answer a set of questions designed to
pinpoint organizational flaws. This approach appears to be helpful
if people take the time to seriously identify problems their company is
having. It can deal with problems such as worker dissatisfaction,
unhappy customers, quality problems, and falling sales.
Sage Consulting is a marketing consulting firm
providing strategic planning advice for businesses and individuals seeking
to maximize their use of the vast resources of the Internet. Since 1984,
Sage Consulting has developed ongoing relationships, with individual entrepreneurs
and large corporations, and refined comprehensive client services that
have embraced quality long-range strategic marketing planning and business
development consulting. Recent projects integrate the communications benefits
of Internet technology. We help you plan your Web site and to utilize the
tools of the Internet which maximize your marketing efforts.
http://www.scn.org/civic/score-online
The Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) offers
free advice to entrepreneurs and small business owners. SCORE
has 12,300 member volunteers nationwide. Not all members are retired, about
20% are still employed. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) sponsors
SCORE. The SCORE program matches a small business that wants help to an
experienced and trained volunteer. These volunteer men and women have collective
experience spanning the full range of the American enterprise. They will
share their expertise with present and prospective owner/managers of small
business. SCORE volunteers keep all counsel confidential.
With over 40,000 members nationwide, the Small Business
Survival Committee (SBSC) is the fastest growing small business advocacy
group in the nation. SBSC is a nonpartisan, nonprofit free-market
organization that works to roll back the burdensome tax and regulatory
demands on business and entrepreneurs. "SBSC gets high marks from Capitol
Hill staffers for churning out solid research papers and op-ed pieces...Its
Website is the best of the four lobbyists we rate here." -YourCompany,
October/November 1996.
Offers advice on everything from marketing strategy to
employee management. Includes articles about finance, the law, and
e-commerce.
Soho (small office & home office) America identifies
itself as the small business benefits association. The web site provides
reference tools and technical help, information on various types and kinds
of benefits available (health insurance, etc.), news affecting small and
home offices. The association offers to represent Soho interests.
This is the home page of the Home Office Association of
America. This association offers tips to small businesses operating
out of their own home.
http://www.ibp.com/pit/stability/
STABILITY offers a company a full range of administrative
services, start-up information and resources. On a temporary or continuing
maintenance basis, STABILITY can handle office needs. Who are STABILITY
customers? If you are a small company owner who is a creative individual
with the vision, enthusiasm, talent, and technological experience to start
your own business, BUT do not have the time, tolerance, or experience in
the day-to-day activities required to run a successful business. You are,
if you are a manager in a larger company or educational institution who
wants to subcontract special projects on an "as needed" basis.
Practical, action-oriented advice presented on this site.
The advice is applicable to everyone regardless of gender, age, color,
creed or present economic circumstance.
TalkBiz is sponsored by the Netreprenur's Digest for Small
Business and Entrepreneurs. The site allows visitors to discuss topics
of mutual interest. It also includes a number of links to other interesting
web sites. Warning: this site is sticky.
This web site offers information on more than 10,000 trade
shows world-wide at no cost. Select the topic and conduct a search
by state, city, country, category, industry, or title of the show.
You can also obtain material on a particular show and learn how to register.
The United Association of Entrepreneurs offers
affordable, products and services by joining together thousands of small
businesses throughout the United States. Think of us as a conglomerate
of small businesses providing benefits that make your entrepreneurial venture
a bit smoother. But beyond all that, and perhaps even more important, the
UAE is here to save you time! As entrepreneurs, your obligations transcend
the main focal point of your business. You must wear the hat of accountant,
lawyer, financial advisor, marketing & advertising, graphic designer
and media consultant. Responsibilities that take critical time away from
the money-making aspects of your businesses. Just imagine the time you
could save not having to search for affordable insurance, or negociate
long distance rates, and wholesale printing services (to name a few).
This site offers marketing data for use in developing
sales and product strategies. Some data is available for free, such
as what type of cars are selling best in Fresno, California. Paying
members (reports start at $75) get customized data.
The Wisconsin Women's Business Initiative has created
workshops and classes to assist entrepreneurs in every phase of their business.
From their first idea, to their successful growth, WWBIC has a variety
of program options available. The Wisconsin Women's Business Initiative
Corporation manages over $1.5 million dollars in loan funds. These loans
are available to qualified businesses owned by women, people of color,
and low-income individuals operating in the state of Wisconsin. WWBIC also
provides assistance in creative loan packaging and prequalification for
many of the government programs.
Founded in 1995 with the primary goal of assisting female
business owners in acquiring capital, Women Incorporated (WI) has 30,000
members and is affiliated with 40 other groups. WI has built a multi-billion
dollar loan pool through relationships with a number of banking institutions.
This web site is oriented toward entrepreneurs who work
alone - a home-based business owner, a telecommuter, a virtual office worker,
a consultant, or any other independent professional. The site offers
its Working Solo Sourcebook Online Edition, a searchable guide to more
than 1,200 business resources. It also offers regular updates to
those wishing to be on its mailing list.
The Young Presidents' Organization (YPO) is the original
dues-charging entrepreneurial peer group. All 8,000 world-wide members
are presidents or chief executives under 50 years old who pay $2,000 to
$6,000 a year for the priviledge of attending monthly YPO meetings to discuss
business with fellow CEOs.
Click here to return to the Web Sites for Entrepreneurs Homepage
Page created by Dave Beatty
for J. David Hunger. Send Questions and Comments to jdhunger@iastate.edu.
(Last Updated 8/8/02 by E. J. & J. D. Hunger)