General
- Business.USA.Gov – Official business link to the U.S. Government
- A list of 100 good Small Business Blogs
- The Wall Street Journal has start-up information and databases of businesses for sale and venture capital. Wealth in the form of money or assets, taken as a sign of the financial strength of an individual, organization, or nation, and assumed to be available for development or investment.
- Business Week Center has articles, tips, and information on small business.
- BizBuySell – The Internet’s Largest Business for Sale and Franchise for Sale Marketplace
- Inc.com is the website of Inc. Magazine.
- Entrepreneur.com has start-up ideas, resources, and articles.
- Entrepreneurship.org includes “the best of the best” on the web about running a small business.
- Smart Biz – Small business information, resources, and articles
- FranchiseHandbook.com – A complete franchise resource
- SBA Office of Advocacy has information and ACE-Net, Angel Capital, and Electronic Network.
- SBA’s Online Women’s Business Center has resources for women entrepreneurs.
Economic Development
Permits
- CalGOLD offers direct internet links and contact information to state, local, regional, and federal permitting authorities for more information.
Planning
Financing
- Grants.gov is a good site to use when searching for Federal grants funding.
- Capital Connection describes various capital sources and services.
- The U.S. Small Business Administration has a number of loan programs. The SBA sets the guidelines for loans while SBA’s partners – lenders, community development organizations, and microlending institutions – make the loans to small businesses.
- Learn about 8(a) financing for small disadvantaged companies and assess your firm’s eligibility here.
- Economic development organizations or corporations have various financing programs.BusinessFinance.com offers a list of economic development organizations in CA.
- Local Governments’ Websites – unique or specialized financing sources may be available in your locality. Check appropriate county, municipal, city, or township web sites for information.
- Venture Capital firms may be a source of financing. There are a number of venture capital directories on the web. The Infon Venture Capital Directory is free to search and provides some contact information for free.
- National Venture Capital Association Member Directory is a comprehensive, print directory of NVCA members.
- vFinance.com allows searching by state, industry, and dollar amount for venture capital. Contact information is about $2 per contact.
- BusinessFinance.com allows users to enter details about the financing needed and then returns a list of potential sources.
- Small Business Lending in the U.S. provides state-specific data including top lenders to small businesses.
- SBIR/STTR Funding can be used to pay for research and development for innovative companies
.
Legal and Taxes
Human Resources and Payroll
Money Management
- Quicken.com has accounting and tax information, forms, and other business planning tools.
Marketing
- Knowthis.com is a meta-site with links to marketing-related topics.
Procurement
Import/Export
Trademarks and Copyrights
- Nolo Press – Patent, copyright, and trademark articles form the respected publisher
- Stopfakes.gov – Nice site for information about protecting your intellectual property with good information about patents, trademarks and copyright information
- California Secretary of State – The Secretary of State’s office maintains registration and all updates of California state trademarks and service marks
- US Copyright Office – Research and register a copyright
- Introduction to the U.S. Patent System – Excellent online course to help inventors understand this process and stay out of trouble
Inventions