Databases & Websites by Subject
Booklists
- Starting a Business
When you're thinking of starting a business, the Downers Grove Public Library has information in a variety of formats to help make your venture a success.
Planning a Business
Planning is key to starting a business. The following sources will help you assess industries, research your market, and evaluate the competition. Others contain references to help you write a business plan and find financing for your venture.
Evaluating an Industry
Ref 338.544 RMA
RMA Annual Statement Studies
Offers a wealth of information obtained from the financial statements of small and medium sized businesses to give you an idea of the economic realities of a business like yours.
Online Database
Standard and Poor’s NetAdvantage
Includes S&P’s Industry Surveys which give an overview of how each industry operates, its future trends, and status in the current economy.
Market Analysis and Product Marketing
Ref 317.3 COM
The Community Sourcebook of ZIP Code Demographics
Pinpoint a location where there will be a demand for your business products and services.
Ref 381.1 DIR
The Direct Marketing Marketplace
A networking source that will help locate your best business partners and connections.
Developing a Business Plan
658.4012 ABR
Business Plan in a Day: Get It Done Right, Get It Done Fast by Rhonda M. Abrams
658.4012 BAL
Tips and Traps for Writing an Effective Business Plan by Greg Balanko-Dickson
658.4012 BAR
The Business Plan Workbook: The Definitive Guide to Researching, Writing Up and Presenting a Winning Plan by Colin Barrow
658.4012 BUS
Business Plans That Work: For Your Small Business
658.4012 PET
Business Plans Kit for Dummies by Steven D. Peterson
CD-ROM 658.4012 BUS
Business Plan Writer Deluxe Edition
Online Database
Business Plans Handbook (Gale Virtual Reference Library)
An annual series that shows the actual business plans of existing businesses.
Finding Financing
658.15224 ALT
Financing Your Business Made Easy by Ralph Alterowitz
658.15224 HIC
How to Raise All the Money You Need for Any Business: 101 Quick Ways to Acquire Money for Any Business Project in 30 Days or Less by Tyler Gregory Hicks
658.1526 ADV
Business Loans from Family & Friends: How to Ask, Make it Legal & Make It Work by Asheesh Advani
Setting Up Shop
Nuts and bolts
instructions to make your dream a
reality.
Specifics on Starting a Business in Illinois
Use the library’s website to find links to useful sites on starting a business in Illinois. These include:
Illinois Corporate Name Database
Illinois Entrepreneurship and Small Business Network
Small Business Development Center
State of Illinois Business Portal
346.0652 CON
Start a Business in Illinois by Linda H. Connell
658.11 HOW
How to Start a Business in Illinois
General Information on Starting a Small Business
The following titles contain advice on starting any type of business. The library also has a collection of books that outline how to start a specific type of business, such as a day care center, landscaping, or web design business. There are also more specialized titles on buying a franchise or an existing business. Ask a reference librarian for assistance in finding these titles.
658.022 AXM
Entrepreneur Magazine’s Ultimate Small Business Advisor: All You Need to Know by Andi Axman
658.022 CAP
Start Your Own Business and Hire Yourself: Insider Tips for Successful Self-Employment in Any Economy by Suzanne Caplan
658.022 DEB
The Wall Street Journal Complete Small Business Guidebook by Colleen DeBaise
658.022 HAR
The Everything Start Your Own Business Book: A Step-by-Step Guide to Starting, Managing and Building a Profitable Business by Judith B. Harrington
658.022 STA
Start, Run & Grow a Successful Small Business
658.041 STA
Start Your Own Business: The Only Startup Book You’ll Ever Need by Rieva Lesonsky
658.022 STR
The Small Business Bible: Everything You Need to Know to Succeed in Your Small Business by Steven D. Strauss
Online Database
Small Business Resource Center
An easy-to-use source to find sample business plans, legal forms, and practical how-to information.
Home-Based Businesses
658.041 ARD
Work-at-Home Sourcebook by Lynie Arden
658.041 DUR
Work at Home Now: The No-Nonsense Guide to Finding Your Perfect Home-Based Job, Avoiding Scams, and Making a Great Living by Christine Durst
658.041 EDW
Home-Based Business for Dummies by Paul Edwards
658.041 PAR
Making Money from Home: How to Run a Successful Home-Based Business by Donna Partow
658.0412 STE
Ultimate Homebased Business Handbook: How to Start, Run, and Grow Your Own Profitable Business by James Stephenson
658.1141 KIM
55 Surefire Homebased Businesses You Can Start for Under $5,000 by Cheryl Kimball
DVD 658.022 HOW
How to Start and Operate Your Own Home-Based Business
Taking Your Business Online
658.0546 HOL
Starting an Online Business for Dummies by Greg Holden
658.1141 ARD
Start Your Own e-Business: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Success by Lynie Arden
658.1141 CAM
55 Surefire Internet Businesses You Can Start for Under $5,000 by Melissa Campanelli
658.1141 COH
199 Internet-Based Businesses You Can Start with Less Than One Thousand Dollars: Secrets, Techniques, and Strategies Ordinary People Use Every Day to Make Millions by Sharon Cohen
658.1141 SWE
101 Internet Businesses You Can Start From Home: How to Choose and Build Your Own Successful e-Business by Susan Sweeney
658.87 COL
eBay Business All-in-All for Dummies by Marsha Collier
658.872 SAF
The Social Media Bible: Tactics, Tools, and Strategies for Business Success by Lon Safko
Legal Sources and Business Forms
346.0652 AME
The American Bar Association Legal Guide for Small Business: Everything You Need to Know about Small Business, from Start-up to Employment to Financing and Selling
346.0652 SIT
Small Business Legal Forms Simplified by Dan Sitarz
346.0652 STE
Legal Forms for Starting & Running a Small Business by Fred Steingold
346.0652 STE
Legal Guide for Starting & Running a Small Business by Fred Steingold
346.066 MAN
Incorporate Your Business by Anthony Mancuso
658.022 PAK
The Small Business Start-Up Kit: A Step-by-Step Legal Guide by Peri Pakroo
658.022 THO
Ultimate Book of Business Forms by Karen Thomas
Personnel Issues
Hiring and Training Employees
Ref 658.306 BLR
BLR’s Job Descriptions Encyclopedia
658.301 GUE
Create Your Own Employee Handbook: A Legal & Practical Guide for Employers by Lisa Guerin
658.306 MAD
The Job Description Handbook by Marjorie Mader-Clark
658.311 BRA
Onboarding: How to Get Your New Employees Up to Speed in Half the Time by George B. Bradt
658.311 SMA
Who: The A Method for Hiring by Geoff Smart
658.311 STE
Hiring Your First Employee: A Step-by-Step Guide by Fred Steingold
658.311 YEU
Successful Interviewing and Recruitment by Rob Yeung
658.31124 FYR
The Truth about Hiring the Best by Catherine D. Fyock
Salary Information and Legal Considerations
Ref 331.21 AME
American Salaries & Wages Survey
Ref 331.21 SAL
Salary Facts Handbook: The Definitive Source of Pay Information on 800 Jobs
Ref 344.01 SAU
Employment in Illinois: A Guide to Employment Laws, Regulations and Practices by M.G. Sautter
Ref 344.01 WHA
What to Do About Personnel Problems in Illinois
Ref 346.013 AME
Americans with Disabilities Act: Employee Rights & Employer Obligations
344.01 STE
The Employer’s Legal Handbook by Fred Steingold
Magazines and Periodical Databases
Periodicals often contain current, useful business information. The library subscribes to many business magazines, including Business Ledger, Bloomberg Businessweek, Crain’s Chicago Business, Entrepreneur, Fast Company, Forbes, Home Business Magazine, Inc., and Industry Week.
Many business articles can also be accessed using the periodicals databases available on the resources computers in the library, or from home via the library’s webpage at www.downersgrovelibrary.org
Online Database
Business & Company Resource Center
Contains news, company profiles, rankings, and industry information in articles from many business periodicals.
Online Database
Reference USA
A directory of companies that allows you to generate customized lists of businesses in a particular sector, industry, or location.
Online Database
Small Business Resource Center
An easy-to-use source to find sample business plans, legal forms, and practical how-to information.
Prepared by Bonnie Reid, March 2011 |
