James J. Hill Reference Library - Business Stages for Entrepreneurs

Marketing tools and tips

Get advice on creating an effective marketing campaign, read about other successful campaigns, and prime yourself for success with these marketing resources.

Agency ComPile
Agency ComPile is a directory of marketing communications agencies on the Web. The searchable directory includes advertising, public relations, direct marketing, interactive, design, sales promotion, yellow pages, recruitment and media buying agencies.Free registration required.

American Marketing Association
Articles, tips, best practices, toolkits for marketers in businesses of all sizes.
Free registration required for full access.

Business Marketing Association
Trade association for business to business marketers includes articles on b-to-b marketing, white papers, and buyers guide. Some documents are password-protected for members only.

Guerilla Marketing Article Database
Learn how to market like a big company but with a small company budget. These articles provide tips on how to get your company covered in the press, how to attract new customers, and how to keep your current customers happy.

How To Write a Marketing Plan
This detailed tutorial from KnowThis.com will walk you through the process of creating a marketing plan. From competitor and financial analysis to market and pricing tactics, this tool will help you create an effective campaign.

KnowThis.com Marketing Virtual Library
Aggregator of information on marketing, including topic areas such as marketing management, market research, promotion and advertising. Find short how-to articles as well as tutorials on writing a marketing plan, more. This site also provides a lengthy list of leading industry trade associations.

Marketing NPV
This site is a combination of articles, tools, and resources all focused on getting the best return for your marketing dollar. Markov chains, the Bass diffusion model, marketing ROI tools - and articles to teach you to use them - are all available here. Free registration required for full access.

Marketing Plans
A marketing plan is essential for directing your daily marketing operations and aligning these operations with your business strategy. Gain access to free sample marketing plans, helpful articles, and calculators from this site from Palo Alto Software.

MarketingProfs.com
Provides strategic and tactical marketing know-how to marketing professionals through a combination of articles and commentary. Draws on the expertise of a broad array of analysts, marketing professionals, and professors who bridge the gap between theory and business practice. The Know-How-Exchange (click the Forum tab on the upper navigation) is an exceptional tool that allows you to ask marketing-related questions and receive answers from experts around the globe.

Microsoft Clip Art
Locate high quality clip art that you can use in your marketing literature. Browse through dozens of categories and easily download art directly to your desktop. Perfect for Web site graphics, newsletter, brochures, and simple advertising.

Prophet.com
Marketing firm Prophet offers access to articles and white papers covering issues, trends, and best practices in branding. Find them under the Insights tab.

Search Engine for Marketers
This free service features short reviews and links to the top sites in 40 marketing categories, such as: Search Engine Optimization, Email Marketing, Increasing Site Traffic, Link Popularity, Direct Marketing, Web Analytics, Search Engine Marketing, Affiliate Programs, Pay-Per-Click Advertising, Media Buying, CRM, and more.

Tactical Marketing Plan Template
This downloadable template from Microsoft can help direct your marketing plan creation by providing a structure in which to work. Brainstorm ideas, identify action items, and grow your plan with help from this template.

Trade Show News Network
Search for trade shows in various industries; also, news and articles for the trade show industry.
Free registration required to view full show details.

Online marketing

Search engine marketing, search engine optimization, and email marketing campaigns can help your company thrive in the 21st century. Learn more with these tools.

AdFusion Online Content
AdFusion is a service that pushes relevant articles to your Web site, and pays you to post them. Select an article category and begin receiving articles related to that topic.

All Whois
Search the ownership and contact information from most Internet domain name registrars--including non-US domains. This search tool automatically locates the appropriate "whois" database server for a particular domain name, queries that database for information about that domain name, and returns all available data. In addition, a domain name availability check will also be performed, even if a particular domain extension doesn't have a searchable whois database.

Email Marketing Metric Report
If you communicate with your clients and customers via mass email, this site can help you optimize your efforts. Find open and click-through rates by industry, day of the week sent, and number of characters in subject line. The “Tips” scattered throughout the report offer great suggestions to increase your emails’ effectiveness.

Google Blog Search
Google’s search tool for blogs. This site will help you find the most popular blogs on any topic.

Internet Marketing Dictionary
This is a dictionary of Internet marketing terms that you can search alphabetically or by category.

Search Engine Watch
Search Engine Watch, by ClickZ, provides a wealth of information on everything you need to know related to search engines and search engine advertising. You'll find information resources related to search engines submission tips (e.g. how to get your Web site ranked high in search engines), search engine listings, Web search tips, search ratings and stats, general search engine resources, and more.

Technorati Blog Directory
Blogs are organized by subject. Type in a category name (or select one) to find blogs on that topic. Searches tens of millions of blogs.

Web Marketing Today – Research Room
Use this collection of web marketing and ecommerce articles to further your online marketing operations. Discussions of email marketing, website promotion and online transactions run the gamut from beginner to advanced. TIP: Use the subjects listed in the left-hand column for access to free materials.

Website Statistics
If your business has a website to drive customers to your products/services, use this exhaustive collection of tools to find out how effective that website is. Analyze popularity, indexing, and link data here.

Direct marketing

Get your message directly into your potential customers’ hands with direct marketing. Use these resources to find out how.

American List Counsel Datacard Search
The ALC is a mailing list broker dealing in both business and consumer lists. Particular specialty in magazine & journal subscriber lists.

Direct Marketing Association
Association for direct marketing, with links for consumers and marketers. Online library provides white papers on topics such as loyalty marketing and access to industry news stories; free registration is required.

DM News
Online Newspaper for Direct Marketers. Includes a directory of mailing lists and brokers; agency news. Also news and features on major topics like Database Marketing, Infomercials, Fundraising, iMarketing, and more.

Great Lists
A direct marketing list broker specializing in B-to-B marketing lists. Great Lists is a fee-based service.

InfoUSA
Use InfoUSA to build business sales leads and mailing lists, residential sales leads and mailing lists, bankruptcy and tax lien lists, gather lifestyle data, and more. InfoUSA is a fee-based service.

Melissa Data Lists
Use Melissa Data to create lists, including occupant lists, business lists, new homeowners lists, online buyers lists, plus many more specialized lists. You can select by target market, choose your preferred criteria, and output to any media. Lists are available for purchase.

Performing Market Research

Conducting Marketing Research is essential to selling it effectively. Discover excellent online resources to conduct market research, and gain a better understanding of your product and market.

American Time Use Survey
The American Time Use Survey (ATUS) measures the amount of time people spend doing various activities, such as paid work, childcare, volunteering, commuting, and socializing. Estimates show the kinds of activities people do and the time spent doing them by sex, age, educational attainment, labor force status, and other characteristics, as well as by weekday and weekend day.

Consumer Expenditure Survey
Learn more about how much the average American spends on various types of products or services with the Consumer Expenditure Survey. Find spending by age, geographic region, income, race, occupation, and more.

International Market Research Library
The U.S. Government is the largest producer of research in the world. The U.S. Commercial Service Market Research Library features thousands of free reports in a number of categories. The Library mainly focuses on market research reports in relation to exporting your products and/or services to other countries.

Market Research.com
Collection of 50,000+ publications from over 350 leading research firms.
Purchase only the information you need with the Buy by the Slice option. Instant Online Delivery available for most publications.
Document purchase required.

Marketing Charts
This site pulls market research charts and graphs from various reports and press releases, and organizes them by industry, demographic segment, and geography. While the scope of the site is largely focused on the marketing, advertising, and publishing industries, numerous other industries are covered. Tip: Find the site table of contents in the right-hand column, under the heading marked “Topics.”

Online Member Directory - AIIP
The Association of Independent Information Professionals brings free-lance researchers together in this searchable online directory. Hire one of these Info Pros to conduct specialized research in support of your business development -- be it vertical industry research, telephone interviews, or sales prep work.

Price's List of Lists
Links to published lists and rankings of all kinds, including company rankings. Most, if not all, industries are covered. Some links do require a log-in with the publisher, but many are freely available.

Quirk’s Marketing Research Review Archive
Quirk’s Marketing Research Review has been publishing articles featuring excellent market research on varying topics since 1986. Access this full-text research online at no charge. Most current articles, however, are not available online without a subscription.

Special Issues Index
Find the most useful and insightful articles and features from "special issues" of business magazines and industry trade journals. Typical features include: industry overviews and forecasts; top company rankings; salary surveys; buyers' guides; consumer surveys and profiles. Try browsing through the journal and subject lists, or search by single keywords or phrases only ("restaurant," "alternative energy," etc.) Articles may be free on the web or available via document delivery from the Hill Library's print collection.

Surveys of Consumers
From U of Mich's Survey Research Center. Surveys cover consumer attitudes towards the economy, their personal finances, buying habits for selected big-ticket items, and more. Free registration required for access.

Benchmark your Business

Growing and expanding your business requires efficient functioning. These benchmarking tools can help you compare your business to others of comparable size in your industry.

BizStats.com
Get corporate, S-Corp, or sole proprietor company financial ratios, balance sheet data, and income/expense statements from just about any industry. You can even customize a profit and loss statement per industry based on annual revenue. Use the top navigation to find other financial data including income/expense ratios, productivity, and other useful industry information.

Business Expenses Survey
Periodic national estimates on operating expenses for merchant wholesale, retail trade, and selected service industries.

CAPS Benchmarking reports
Industry-specific reports as well as cross-Industry data to help purchasing professionals compare their performance against that of their peers in the same industry.
Free registration required for full access.

Corporation Tax Stats – Data by Industry
These reports from the IRS provide various financial statistics on corporations by broad industry heading. Use these stats to compare your balance sheet and income statements to industry averages.

GAO Best Practices Reviews
Contains best practices reviews of public and private sector organizations, to provide other organizations with a model for improving performance in specific areas. Also contains reports comparing the practices of a government agency with best practices of leading organizations. Finally, provides methodologies to assess similar operations.

Increase sales

Hone your sales techniques, create a sales plan, and grow with help from these sales tools.

Better Sales through Better Information
Any time you meet with a prospect or existing client without knowing their issues you run the risk of losing credibility and worse, losing the deal. This site provides resources on how to quickly find “hidden” information on companies, industries, and people.

Inc.com Sales Resource Center
Inc.com brings together articles from Inc. Magazine and various b-school textbooks to guide you along the way to the successful realization of your sales goals.

National Federation of Independent Business - Sales and Marketing
Looking for a little guidance on a particular sales topic? The NFIB brings together dozens of articles full of tips, tricks, and techniques to make your next sales pitch a successful one.

Sales & Marketing Executives International
Links to dozens of marketing journals; speeches on various marketing and sales topics; articles; research; more. (Much of the content was formerly at www.sell.com/.)

Sales & Marketing Management
Community for sales and marketing executives to get information on how to do their jobs better, share best practices with peers, get continuing education, network with colleagues, research and other tools.

SalesTools by Justsell.com
Tools, guidelines, checklists, and schedules to organize your sales approach and increase effectiveness.

Stay current with news in your industry

Keeping on top of what’s going on in your industry today will help you predict where you’ll be tomorrow. Use these tools to stay up-to-date on industry news.

Association of Area Business Publications Directory
Links to 65 independent regional and local business publications in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Great supplement to bizjournals.com for locating info on small private businesses or small (niche) industries.

Best of the Business Web - Industry Websites
Visit our Best of the Business Web directory to find the best industry information sites for various industries.

BizJournals
Local and regional business news from 40 major metropolitan markets, including The Business Journal (formerly CityBusiness). Great for locating info on small private businesses or niche industries.
Free registration required for some features and content areas.

Business Week
News & views on business, investing, small business, technology. Some magazine content available for free, plus web-only content such as "Business Week TV" videos.
Free registration gives access to Portfolio Manager, Free Newsletters, Forums & Message Boards.
Full access requires separate subscription.

Business Wire
Contains business wire news releases from the past week. Company News Archive allows you to browse through both current and older press releases by company name. Company Profiles typically consist of the "about us" text featured at the end of most press releases, in addition to industry, executive, and PR contact info.
Full Business Wire archives available only with subscription.

FindArticles.com
An archive of published articles that you can search for free. Constantly updated, it contains articles dating back to 1998 from more than 500 magazines and journals. You will find articles on a range of topics, including business, health, society, entertainment, sports and more. All available journals are listed here.

Free Trade Publications
Find free subscriptions to hundreds of trade journals and reports in dozens of industry categories.
Free registration required.

NewsLink
Link to thousands of newspaper Web sites from around the world. Many of these newspapers feature searchable article archives. Searching is typically free, though you often have to pay for full text access. One of the biggest benefits of NewsLink is that smaller newspapers are often not covered by subscription/premium newspaper databases. Furthermore, individual article archives are rarely searchable using general Web search engines like Google. Local newspapers are often the best resource for industry, company and personal information on firms and individuals who live in smaller towns.

PR Newswire
Press releases from US companies for the current month. Search by keyword or industry, state, topic, or company name.

PubList.com
Searchable database listing over 150,000 magazines, journals, newsletters, and other periodicals. Find information on familiar and hard-to-find publications from around the world, including frequency, publisher contact information and Web site where applicable. Free registration required.

Topix.net Business
Access constantly updated world-wide business news distilled from thousands of sources with Topix.net Business.

Wall Street Reporter
Access audio interviews with Wall Street luminaries and executives. Every day, 40-60 executive interviews are added.
Free registration required.

Yahoo! Industry News Center
This site offers a wide range of industry information such as recent news, statistics, and profiles of industry leaders for about 100 different industries. Though part of Yahoo!, the actual data provided in its Industry Center comes from well-known business information providers like Hoover's and Multex.

Find Funding

If you’re looking to expand your operations but need help on the financial end, use the resources contained here to identify funding sources.

BusinessFinance.com
Use this excellent site to locate suitable sources of funding for starting, buying, or growing a business. Enter in basic information about your business and get matched up with local and national banks, lenders, venture capital firms, and more.
Free registration required.

Financing Sources - Quick Pick Chart
This excellent tool from the Business Owner’s Toolkit divides funding sources into categories based on the age of your business and the length of financing. Learn more about the many ways to finance your business here.

Grants.gov
Grants.gov is a single access point for over 900 grant programs offered by the 26 Federal grant-making agencies. The site allows visitors to electronically find and apply for competitive grant opportunities from all included agencies.

SBA: Financial Assistance
Focuses primarily on SBA programs. Includes downloadable forms, info on different programs and loans available, and lending statistics.

SBIC Directory
This site provides a state-by-state listing of small business investment companies, giving details of preferred investments.

Advertise effectively

Advertising informs potential customers of the strength of your product or service. Maximize your advertising reach with these tools.

AdForum
Portal to the global advertising, marketing and communications industry, with direct links to agencies. Searchable database of ads.
Some services require registration or payment.

Adverlicio.us Online Advertising Archives
Adverlicio.us is a collection of contemporary online ads, organized by industry. Browse for examples in your industry or find inspiration from across industry boundaries.

Advertising Age Data Center
Information from AdAge's salary surveys, as well as their printed lists of top marketers, media, and agencies. All reports appeared in either Advertising Age or AdAge Global. Full text of the printed Advertising Age is not available on this site.

Advertising Budget Alignment - Maximizing Impact in the Hispanic Market

This study provides comprehensive look at the actual media spending trends of America's top 670 national advertisers. It reveals how individual companies and industries are aligning advertising budgets to reach the Hispanic Marketplace. The study was released by AHAA.

Advertising World
Links to various advertising resources on the Web. Click on the ADS category to link to various Web repositories of print ads and commercials.

BBB Code of Advertising
This self-regulation guide from the Better Business Bureau aims to help business increase consumer trust in advertising.

BrandChannel
Perspectives and information on branding. Content includes directory of branding firms and consultancies; articles and papers; brand features (profiles); forums; book reviews; more.

Ebiquity Ad Search
Search for and view thumbnails of ads. You can search for ads by type of product, country, media type, date etc.
Some purchase and registration requirements for full access.

Federal Trade Commission Advertising Education
The FTC deals with issues (such as advertising, sales, and shipping) that touch the economic lives of most Americans and many American businesses. Use this collection of documents to investigate advertising guidelines, marketing rules, and e-commerce requirements.

MediaMark Pocketpiece and Top Line Reports
Sampling of MRI data on ad spending and other media statistics.
Free registration required.

Embrace public relations

Use the resources found here to craft PR campaigns to get your company’s story out to the public.

ARA Copyright Free Content
ARA Content provides copyright free articles on a variety of topics. You can sign up to use the information in your own newsletters, e-mails, Web sites, etc. To use the content for your own material, you must be a registered member however, membership is free.

Council of Public Relations Firms Industry Resources
The Council of PR Firms provides links to various PR industry resources including case studies, issue monitoring reports, industry research, and numerous PR-related publications.

Institute for Public Relations
The Institute for Public Relations is focused on the science beneath the art of public relations. Its goal is to expand and document the intellectual foundations of public relations and to make this knowledge available to practitioners, educators, researchers, and clients.

O'Dwyer's PR and Marketing Communications website
Includes many searchable databases, PR firm rankings, service directory, job bank, PR news, and more. Some areas of the site are password-protected for members.

Polling Report
View the latest public opinion on the economy and business from PollingReport.com. The Web site is updated whenever new polls are released. Data are from national surveys of the American public. Other issues are covered as well, including immigration, abortion, politics, and taxes.

Public Relations Generally Accepted Practices Study
The cornerstone project of the USC Strategic Public Relations Center, this annual study examines the public relations practices of 496 public and private companies based in the U.S.

Public Relations Society of America
The Public Relations Society of America is the world’s largest professional organization for public relations practitioners. The Society’s nearly 20,000 members represent business and industry, counseling firms, government, associations, hospitals, education, and more.

Find media outlets

Locate newswires, newspapers and magazines, and TV and radio stations to spread your advertising and PR message.

American List Counsel Datacard Search
The ALC is a mailing list broker dealing in both business and consumer lists. Particular specialty in magazine & journal subscriber lists.

Arbitron Radio Ratings
For each DMA, find a list of radio stations, their owners, formats, and quarterly Arbitron ratings. Monthly ratings are available to subscribers; delayed quarterly ratings are available for free.

Canada Newswire
Canada NewsWire is the Canada’s number one resource for time-critical news and information from more than 10,000 sources coast to coast and around the world.

CSRwire - Corporate Social Responsibility Newswire
The leading source of corporate responsibility and sustainability, press releases, reports and news.

International Newspapers
This site provides links to the Web sites and front pages of newspapers from around the globe.

Magazine Publishers of America
This site includes a section on Indy Publishers, numerous research reports, and an association membership directory, all focused on the magazine publishing industry.

Market Wire
Market Wire provides comprehensive distribution of corporate press releases and media advisories directly to leading newspapers, broadcast outlets, newswires, consumer and trade publications, analyst terminal systems, Web sites and online databases around the globe. Does not contain text of previous or current press releases.

NewsLink Newspapers
Use this resource to identify newspapers. You can search by location (e.g., city, state, national, etc.) or service type (e.g., metro, daily, business, alternative, specialty, etc.).

NewsLink Radio/TV
Use this resource to identify radio and television stations. You can search by state, station, format, and network.

NewsLink Top Sites
This is a listing of most linked-to local news sites in the U.S. by type. Types include newspapers and radio and television stations.

PR Newswire
Press releases from US companies for the current month. Search by keyword or industry, state, topic, or company name.

PR Newswire Photos and Logos
Almost 2000 corporate logos in digital color.
Not organized in any particular order, but you can browse or search by keyword.

PR Newswire Public Interest Services (formerly US Newswire)
A national news release wire service which provides a direct communications system between the world's leading public interest news sources and the news media that cover them.

Radio Advertising Bureau Research Publications
The Radio Advertising Bureau collects all manner of information on the radio industry. Access in-depth reports like the “Marketing Guide and Fact Book” or “Media Facts” from this site.

Radio Today
Includes demographic information, favorite formats, listening patterns, and much more. Published by Arbitron.

Radio-Locator
Radio-Locator is a comprehensive radio station search engine on the Internet, with links to over 10,000 radio station web pages and over 2500 audio streams from radio stations in the U.S. and around the world. Users can search by location, call letters, Internet streaming, format and more.

Television Bureau of Advertising Facts and Figures
The Television Bureau of Advertising is the not-for-profit trade association of America’s broadcast television industry. Its Facts and Figures web site is a one-stop source for relevant and timely audience analyses. Access the latest broadcast, cable and syndication ratings comparisons, and learn more about noteworthy consumer and viewer trends. Advertising Revenue and Forecast data can also be accessed in Research Central.

Tools to build business to business lists

Use these tools to build lists of businesses.

D&B for Sales Pros
Dun & Bradstreet, the most respected name in the company search and list building industry, offers a full suite of options for the sales professional. D&B offers customized suites tailored to sales management, marketing, technology, finance, and senior management. They offer many options for researching and building lists of new prospects, to identifying cross-sell and up-sell opportunities within existing clients. D&B offers 50 free sales leads to new customers.

Direct Marketing List Brokers
This is the Direct Marketing Association's directory of marketing list brokers. Search here to find mailing lists (email lists) of prospective customers. Such lists are typically pricey, but can be very targeted to specific consumer (and business) segments.

Hoover's
Free company capsules provide basic company information, including brief financials and competitors. Site also contains industry; IPO info, and other content. Some data only available to subscribers.

LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a free site, although registration is required. Create a profile page and then invite others into your network. When someone joins your network, you can "connect" with those in their network. Build your network and over time, you'll be able to search for and connect with people at hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of organizations. LinkedIn members can also see over 150,000 profiles of companies and nonprofits on LinkedIn. These profiles offer a concise overview of a company’s industry data (size, location, revenues, etc.), along with data culled from LinkedIn such as common job titles, median age, and median tenure. Users are also shown a list of LinkedIn users in their networks (up to 3 degrees away) who work at a company, plus a list of new hires, recent promotions and changes, and jobs posted on LinkedIn.

McCrae’s Blue Book
McCrae’s Industrial Blue Book lists over 500,000 manufacturers and distributors across the U.S. and Canada. Browse the heading index or search by company name or product/service.

SalesGenie
Use SalesGenie to access business to business online directories, including BusinessinfoUSA, State Business Directory, and BusinessCreditUSA, as well as information on business to business online vertical markets. Business to consumer online directories include PeopleinfoUSA and HomeownersUSA. SalesGenie is a fee-based service.

Spoke
Spoke helps you find employees at millions of companies worldwide. Become a Spoke member (it's free) and when you login, use the Find People/Companies search. Enter a company name, and Spoke will list employees and executives it has found mentioned on the Web.

Thomas Register of Manufacturers
One of the most popular manufacturers directories for the US. Search by company name for contact info, product lines & brands. Or, search by product/service to gather list of companies that make or supply that product.
Requires free registration.

ZoomInfo People Search
ZoomInfo is a fee-based database that claims to have information on more than 15 million people. The free search allows you to search and view some basic information for free. You can search for people by name and/or company, or Advanced Search allows you to type in the name of the company, and click on the names of individuals who previously worked for the company. Upon clicking on a name, you find the person's current job description and location along with articles, press releases, etc. about that person that have appeared on the Web. You can also search for alumni by university, or people mentioned on a specific website.

Tools to build Business to Customer lists

Use these tools to build lists of people.

Direct ListFinder
The Direct ListFinder aggregates lists from various providers to offer “one of the most comprehensive databases in the industry.” Search the database for free, and find all sorts of B2C files, including email lists. Lists must be purchased.

OpenSecrets.org
On this site you can track political contributions. Some suggested uses--Track over 80 different industries (data on political contributions go back a decade); lookup individual donors; check up on individual candidates; or check out what's going on in various US regions.

Expand internationally

In our global economy, expanding internationally is often a viable growth strategy. Find tools to research international markets, export or import with success, and locate global partners.

BuyUSA.gov
From the U.S. Commercial Service, BuyUSA.gov provides market research reports on dozens of international countries and industries. U.S. exporters can also use BuyUSA to match up with international business partners.

Canadian Company Capabilities
Search this database of 50,000 Canadian businesses in all sectors. Business profiles contain comprehensive information on contacts, products, services, and trade activity. Results can be printed in comprehensive, short or custom reports.

Deloitte International Tax and Business Guides
DTT Country Snapshots provide an at-a-glance summary of key economic indicators, business and financing climate, tax regimes, trade and investment matters, labor environment for 60 of the world's leading trading nations. Jointly written with The Economist Intelligence Unit NA, Inc., the Snapshots are part of a comprehensive set of Country Guides to business and human resources made available to Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu clients.

GlobalEDGE
Created by the Center for International Business Education and Research at Michigan State University, GlobalEDGE offers a wealth of information and resources on global business activities. The section “Country Insights” provides links to documents from a variety of sources, covering current news, political structure, economics and statistical data for 196 countries, and the “Selected Articles” and “Special Reports” sections links to articles from Business Week, CIO, the McKinsey Quarterly, and more, with some full-text access.

International Newspapers
This site provides links to the Web sites and front pages of newspapers from around the globe.

International Trade Commission DataWeb
Free registration required.
Find extensive tariff and trade data from 1989-present on a monthly, quarterly, or annual basis. Data available by product code, tariff program or by country or region. Pre-defined reports also available.

International Trade Update
Monthly newsletter from the International Trade Administration covering statistics, trends, and news in the global trade marketplace.

Kompass
The Kompass database provides information on nearly 1.8 million international companies, typically including product and service information, executives, revenues, and more. Kompass is aimed at professional buyers who deal directly with manufacturers, agents or distributors under standard business-to-business conditions. The database is searchable by country or region, product, or company name. Limited access available for free.
Full access requires a subscription.

NationMaster
You can generate graphs comparing countries on over 500 statistical criteria. Includes historical, current, and projected statistics.

SoluSource - formerly Thomas Global Register
This directory of worldwide industrial product information, from the publishers of Thomas Register, allows you to search for over 600,000 industrial suppliers in over 11,000 product classifications. Companies from 28 countries are included.
Requires free registration.

Find government contracts and businesses for sale

Winning government contracts can be a great expansion opportunity for some businesses. Growing through the purchase of other businesses is a useful option for others. Research these business growth opportunities here.

BizBuySell
Search for business opportunities, businesses for sale, of all types and sizes. Also featured at Inc. and WSJ Startup Journal Web sites. Under "Sell your biz" and "Buy a biz," find a free business valuation calculator, information about valuing and appraising a business, financing a purchase, and more.

Federal Business Opportunities
A single government point-of-entry for Federal government procurement opportunities over $25,000. Government buyers can publicize their business opportunities by posting information directly to FedBizOpps. Through one portal, commercial vendors seeking Federal markets for their products and services can search, monitor and retrieve opportunities solicited by the entire Federal contracting community.

Federal Government Resources - Grants, Contracts, and Auctions
This University of Michigan site provides links to all the major Federal web sites for locating government grants, contract opportunities, and auctions.

MergerPlace
MergerPlace is a Business for Sale Multiple Listing Service. The site features a state-of-the-art mergers and acquisitions database that connects thousands of business sellers with business buyers.

SBA: General Contracting
SBA site about government contracting for small business.

SBA: Subcontracting Network
Prime contractors use SUB-Net to post subcontracting opportunities. These may or may not be reserved for small business, and they may include either solicitations or other notices -- for example, notices of sources sought for teaming partners and subcontractors on future contracts. Small businesses can review this web site to identify opportunities in their areas of expertise. While the web site is designed primarily as a place for large businesses to post solicitations and notices, it is also used by Federal agencies, state and local Governments, non-profit organizations, colleges and universities, and even foreign Governments for the same purpose.

Learn more about your customers

If you’re selling your product or service directly to consumers, you’ll want to know more about their characteristics. The demographic tools found here will paint a clearer picture of your customers.

American Factfinder
View, print, and download statistics about population, housing, industry, and business. Using FactFinder, you can also find U.S. Census Bureau products, including the in-depth demographic-rich American Community Survey; create reference and thematic maps; and search for specific data.

CenStats
This gateway provides access to a wide range of Census data collection program areas including building permits, employment and earning data, occupation data, international trade statistics, and more. You can also access demographic and economic data for states and counties via the site's USA Counties section.

Census 2000
Results from the latest decentennial census, such as population totals, rankings, comparisons, summaries and reports, as well as redistricting and apportionment data.

Census Housing Topics
Statistics regarding housing, home ownership, financing, and more from these surveys: American Housing Survey; Decennial Housing Census; Housing Vacancy; Residential Finance; Survey of Market Absorption.

Census Scope
Charts of population growth, population by race, and age distribution. Initial charts are national, but you can access state or metro area charts as well. The maps tab allows you to get state-focused charts. Again, you can zoom in to metro areas or zoom out to country view. The rankings tab allows you to select a variable (e.g., population growth) and get a ranking either of states or counties.

Census Statistical Abstract
As the National Data Book it contains a collection of statistics on social and economic conditions in the United States. Selected international data are also included. The Abstract is also your Guide to Sources of other data from the Census Bureau, other Federal agencies, and private organizations.

DataPlace
Data Place is one of the most comprehensive sites for finding statistics on cities, counties, and states on the web. Pulling together data from the Census Bureau, the IRS, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and other governmental departments and councils, this site conglomerates a complicated search into one simple interface.

ePodunk
ePodunk provides in-depth information about more than 25,000 communities around the country. Listings also include geocoded information about thousands of parks, museums, historic sites, colleges, schools and other places across America.

HUD State of the Cities Data Systems
Data for individual Metropolitan Areas, Central Cities, and Suburbs. Includes detailed demographic and economic characteristics of the population, latest available unemployment rates, information on Jobs, Business Establishments, and Average Pay, violent and property crime rates, local building permits.

Population Reference Bureau
The PRB analyzes population data and research to create reports, studies, and papers on demographic trends, hot topics, and international regions. Use this great resource to investigate trends at home or abroad.

You Are Where You Live
Enter a 5-digit ZIP Code to find the top lifestyle groups for that neighborhood. Clusters describe segments of the population by predominant demographic and lifestyle features. TIP: From the main page, click the Zip Code Look-Up tab at the top of page.

Learn more about your industry

Understanding the industry in which you’ll operate is an important step toward succeeding in that industry. Use these tools to gain perspective on your business environment.

Alacra Wiki Industry Spotlights
Features detailed proprietary reviews and commentary on the best web-based sources of industry specific content

American Society of Association Executives Gateway to Associations
Associations often track and report on key statistics and trends for their industries. Search for trade associations, industry associations and professional associations with a presence on the InternetTIP: Scroll down to find the association search box, conduct your search, and then investigate the relevant associations' Web sites.

Best of the Business Web - Industry Websites
Visit our Best of the Business Web directory to find the best industry information sites for various industries.

Census - Service Quarterly and Annual Surveys
These U.S. Census reports provide nation-wide statistics on various service industries and include an annual report along with quarterly updates in some cases.

County Business Patterns
Every five years, the Census Bureau conducts an economic census of businesses across the U.S. Use this data to access statistics on particular industries by state, zip code, or metro area. First, select a geography: either county, zip, or metro area. Then, narrow your search to a particular industry by clicking the “Details” button next to the initial numbers of your NAICS code.

Economic Census Industry Reports
The Census Bureau conducts an economic census every five years and publishes reports organized by NAICS code. Every NAICS code is covered, and hundreds of industries are studied. From this site you’ll find a table of industry reports to get you access to nation-wide industry statistics. Click the “More” button next to the initial numbers in your NAICS code for detailed reports.

Google Scholar
Google Scholar provides a simple way to broadly search for scholarly literature and academic research. Conduct broad searches across your industry, searching by industry heading (like “restaurant”), or focus your search by adding additional search terms, like “trends” or “statistics.”

Manufacturing - Current Industrial Reports
These U.S. Census reports provide nation-wide statistics on various manufactured products. In most cases, current year quarterly data is available. These reports are organized by NAICS code, and cover codes 311 to 366.

NAICS Codes
NAICS codes are numbers that identify a particular type of business. Many business research publications are organized by these NAICS codes. Use this site to search or browse for a code, or compare NAICS codes to SIC codes.

Retail Annual Retail Trade Survey
These U.S. Census reports provide nation-wide statistics on various retail industries, providing up-to-date sales, inventory, and gross margin figures, among others. Also included are reports on e-commerce sales by sector.

SIC Codes
SIC codes are numbers that identify a particular type of business. Although these codes haven’t been updated since 1987, many business research publications are still organized by SIC. Use this site to search or browse the Standard Industrial Classification code manual.

Statistics of US Business
Find data on the # of businesses--by state, MSA, county, etc--by # of employees and by sales. Also, business "births" and "deaths," expansions & contractions, more.

Valuation Resources Online-Industry Reports
Use this resource to identify industry resources and data available from trade associations, publications, and research firms. Coverage includes industry overviews, trends, industry outlooks, financial ratios and benchmarking, compensation surveys, and more. Some links include free information, and some are fee-based. Site contains numerous advertisements.

Research your competitors or B2B customers

If you sell products or services to business customers, it is advantageous to know more about them. You’ll also want to find as much information as possible on your competitors. Use these tools to research companies.

Business Registrations & Filings Databases - LLRX
All businesses are legally required to file various forms, applications, and statements with their respective Secretary of State’s office. Use this site to locate the business registration authority for each state of the US, then contact them to track down company information.

CorporateInformation.com
Search for company profiles from Wrights, Zach’s, Yahoo Finance, and many other publishers. Also find a wealth of information for industries, countries, and international companies.
Requires free registration.

EPA Enforcement and Compliance History Online
Search through five years of inspection and enforcement data, and generate reports on same. Clean Water Act data is available as well for at least some states, territories, and tribal governments. ECHO data has been combined with Google’s mapping functionality to provide facility location and compliance data along with zooming capabilities and satellite photographic images. Multiple facilities are color-coded based on compliance status, and can be mapped from the Air, Water, Hazardous Waste, and All Data search result pages. Specific facilities still can be mapped from the Detailed Facility Report.

EPA EnviroFacts
Provides access to several EPA databases to provide you with information about environmental activities that may affect air, water, and land anywhere in the United States. Learn more about these environmental activities in your area or you can generate maps of environmental information. Quick Start allows you to retrieve a sampling of information pertaining to your area by entering a specific ZIP Code, City and State, or County and State. If you want more in-depth information about a particular subject area, you may select from a list of available Topics, which includes Waste, Water, Toxics, Air, Radiation, Land, Other, and Maps. Advanced Capabilities option will allow you to go directly to the Queries, Maps, or Reports feature that interests you. Use the navigation links on the left side of the homepage to see the latest Data Update dates for the various databases contained in Envirofacts, obtain a variety of Technical User information about Envirofacts, and view a clickable Site Map for the website.

Forbes’ Largest Private Companies
Private companies often play their cards close to their vests. Forbes’ annual list of largest private companies is an excellent tool for finding annual sales, employee counts, executive officer information, and contact addresses for these large private organizations.

International Directory of Company Histories
Covers over 4500 of the largest and most influential companies in the world, organized alphabetically by company name. Entries provide information on founders, expansions and losses, labor/management actions, NAIC codes, key dates, ticker symbol, principal subsidiaries, principal divisions, principal operating units, principal competitors and other significant milestones -- all peppered with statistics, dates and names of key players.

Manta - Search for Companies by Industry
Manta offers free access to basic information on more than 45 million public and private companies worldwide, and detailed information (with free registration) on more than 13 million firms. Use the category listings to search for companies by industry at the bottom of the home page.

Manta - Search for Companies by Name Worldwide
Manta offers free access to basic information on more than 45 million public and private companies worldwide, and detailed information (with free registration) on more than 13 million firms. Use this engine to search by company name and location.

OSHA Accident Investigations
This page enables the user to search the text of Accident Investigation Summaries (OSHA-170 form) for words that may be contained in the text of the abstract or accident description. Information may also be obtained for a specified investigation.

Reuters Investor
Use this site to find information on publicly-traded companies, including some free analyst reports, insider trading, ratio analysis, institutional ownership, officer biographies, and more. Formerly Multex Investor.
Free registration required for most features.

Yahoo Finance Public Company Search
Yahoo Finance allows you to easily search for public company information by company name or ticker symbol. Quickly access a company's financial information, profile, key competitors, executives, industry news, and more.