Helpful Links for Small Businesses

Running a small business is no easy task, fortunately there are myriad sources of information to help you along the way. The following links should provide you with a better sense of resources available to help you conduct industry research, find financing, and more.

When you're ready to discuss your options in-person, contact your local SBDC to schedule a one-on-one consulting session with an SBDC consultant.

Financing & Loans

• The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (www.newpa.com/programFinder.aspx) – lists financing programs by type and purpose.
• The Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority (www.newpa.com/programDetail.aspx?id=49) – loans available through local Industrial Development Corporations (IDC). A listing of the local IDCs can be found at www.newpa.com/files/pidapublicidclist.pdf.
• Small Business Administration Loans (www.sba.gov/financing) – the SBA sets guidelines for loans, which are then disbersed by SBA partners. Visit www.sba.gov/financing/basics/lenders.html for a list of SBA Preferred and Certified Lenders.
• BusinessFinance.com (www.businessfinance.com) – offers a list of economic development organizations in Pennsylvania.
• Pennsylvania Economic Development Directory (www.ecodevdirectory.com/pennsylvania.htm) – links to non-governmental economic development organizations that may be a source of financing.
• Small Business Investment Companies (www.nasbic.org/membership/member_contact.cfm) – SBICs provide long-term debt and equity growth capital.
• Infon Venture Capital Database (www.infon.com) – comprehensive online database. Free to search and some contact information is free.
• National Venture Capital Association (www.nvca.org)
• Greater Philadelphia Venture Group (www.gpvg.com)
• AngelWiki (www.angelwiki.com/wiki/Pennsylvania_Angel_Networks) – collaborative directory that identifies angel investors located in Pennsylvania.
• vFinance.com (www.vfinance.com) – offers venture capital searches by state, industry and dollar amount. Contact information for firms costs $2 per contact.

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Market Research

• SBDCnet Industry Links (http://sbdcnet.org/industry.php) – links to resources by industry.
• Market Intelligence Centers (www.northernlight.com)
• Industry Resources Reports (www.valuationresources.com/IndustryReport.htm) – links to useful industry information from a variety of sources.
• Trade & Economy (www.ita.doc.gov/td/industry/otea) – industry sector data sorted by NAICS code.
• BizMiner (www.bizminer.com) – generates reports on industry, market and financial trends by size of business.
• Zapdata.com (www.zapdata.com/zapmarkets) – allows you to profile U.S. markets by SIC code.
• County Business Patterns (www.census.gov) – lists establishments, payroll and employee size for all U.S. counties by SIC.
• MarketResearch.com www.marketresearch.com – databases of market research reports with free title searching.

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Economic Development Organizations & Government Agencies

Associations, Chambers of Commerce, Trade Shows

• Associations Online (www.asaecenter.org) – searchable directory of associations.
• ASBDC (www.asbdc-us.org) – national association of SBDCs.
• Council on Better Business Bureaus (www.bbb.org) – search for complaints about individual businesses.
• Pennsylvania Chamber of Business & Industry (www.pachamber.org)
• Pennsylvania Economic Development Association (www.peda.org) – links to economic development centers by county.
• Pennsylvania E-Commerce Association (www.paecomm.org)
• Pennsylvania Manufacturers' Association (www.pamanufacturers.org – features news and legislative information for Pennsylvania manufacturing.
• International Franchise Organization (www.franchise.org)
• Trade Shows News Network (www.tsnn.com) and Biz Trade Shows (www.biztradeshows.com) – directories of worldwide trade shows, business events, and exhibitions.
• Pennsylvania Downtown Center (www.padowntown.org) – information on resources to support downtown business districts.

Business Assistance Programs

• Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development (www.newpa.com) – includes links to other entrepreneurial assistance programs.
• Pennsylvania Open for Business (www.paopen4business.state.pa.us) – includes information on business structure, financial incentives, forms and assistance programs.
• The Ben Franklin Technology Partners invest in technology companies: Southeastern Pennsylvania (www.sep.benfranklin.org), Pittsburgh (www.innovationworks.org), Central/Northern Pennsylvania (www.cnp.benfranklin.org), and Northeastern Pennsylvania (www.nep.benfranklin.org)
• PennTAP (www.penntap.psu.edu) – free scientific and technical assistance to Pennsylvania firms.
• Innovation Partnershipwww.innovationpartnership.net) – provides guidance for Pennsylvania SBIR proposal preparation and assistance.

Pennsylvania Government Agencies

• Pennsylvania Department of State (www.dos.state.pa.us) – company name registration, UCC filings, forms and information.
• Pennsylvania Department of Treasury (www.patreasury.org)
• Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (www.depweb.state.pa.us)
• Pennsylvania State & Local Government Websites (www.statelocalgov.net)

Federal Government Agencies

• FirstGov (www.firstgov.gov) – official portal of the U.S. government.
• Business.gov (www.business.gov) – official, one-stop access to government business information.
• GPO Access www.gpoaccess.gov – databases of federal government documents and publications.
• National Technical Information Service (www.ntis.gov) – science, technology and business information.
• Bureau of the Census (www.census.gov)
• Small Business Administration (www.sba.gov) – wealth of information on small business issues.
• Environmental Protection Agency (www.epa.gov/smallbusiness)
• Internal Revenue Service (www.irs.gov)
• U.S. Department of Labor (www.dol.gov) – employment, labor law, compliance and statistical information.
• Occupational Safety & Health Administration (www.osha.gov) – safety and regulatory information.

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Main Street Business Districts

• National Main Street Center (www.mainstreet.org) – information on services and resources for revitalizing downtowns.
• PA Downtown Center (www.padowntown.org) – provides services to promote and support the vitality of PA downtowns.
• PA Retailers' Association (www.paretailers.org) – news and general information for PA retailers.
• PA Historical & Museum Commission (www.phmc.state.pa.us) – information on historic building rehabilitation programs and tax incentives.
• ARCH (www.arch.state.pa.us) – lists the Pennsylvania properties on the National Register of Historic Places.
• National Park Service (www2.cr.nps.gov/tps/care) – gives guideance on restoring and preserving historic buildings.

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Energy Efficiency & Environmental Compliance

• Environmental News Network (www.enn.com) – provides daily environmental news updates.
• Environmental Protection Agency (www.epa.gov/smallbusiness) – news, publications and information for small businesses.
• Energy Information Administration (www.eia.doe.gov) – statistics on energy topics.
• Energy Star Small Business Program (www.epa.gov/epahome/hi-energystar.htm)
• Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Network (www.eere.energy.gov)
• Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (www.depweb.state.pa.us)
• EPA Compliance Assistance Centers (www.epa.gov/compliance/assistance/index.html)
• EPA Region III Business Assistance Center(www.epa.gov/region03) – helps small businesses comply with EPA regulations.
• Hazardous Materials Preparedness Links (www.pema.state.pa.us)
• EPA Toxics Release Inventory (www.epa.gov/tri) – determine if you are required to report chemicals stored at your business

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Company Directories

• Hoover's Corporate Directory (www.hoovers.com) – profiles large, mostly public companies.
• EDGAR (www.sec.gov – database of 10-K and other SEC filings of public companies.
• AnnualReport.com (www.reportgallery.com
• ThomasNet (www.thomasnet.com – directory of U.S. and Canadian manufacturers.
• PA SourceNet (www.pasourcenet.com – business to business directory of PA products.
• Zapdata.com (www.zapdata.com – sells mailing lists of companies and has useful industry profiles.
• InfoUSA.com (www.infousa.com) – sells mailing lists of companies and individuals.
• Kompass (www.kompass.com) – directory databases of foreign companies. Some data is free.
• ThomasGlobal (www.thomasglobal.com) – directory of industrial suppliers worldwide.
• International Company Directories and Yellow Pages (http://globaledge.msu.edu/ibrd/busresmain.asp) – links to worldwide directories.
• IFA's Franchise Directory (www.franchise.org) – lists franchises and has other franchising information.
• FranchiseOpportunities.com (www.franchiseopportunities.com – franchises directory and information on opportunites.

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Military Reservists Employment Issues

• SBA Military Reservists (www.sba.gov/reservists) – information on Military Reservists Economic Injury Disaster Loans and on debt relief for SBA loans.
• Military Reservists Economic Injury Disaster Loans (http://asbdc.ualr.edu/bizfacts/520.asp)
• Department of Labor (www.dol.gov) – compliance assistance help on the Uniformed Services Employment & Reemployment Rights Act.
• DoL Veterans (www.dol.gov/vets) – information on employment and training for veterans.
• Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (www.esgr.org) – sponsors programs for and gives awards to employers.
• Reserve Officers Association (www.roa.org) – provides reserve and guard call-up information.

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Business Statistics

General Statistics and Demographic Sites

• U.S. Bureau of the Census (www.census.gov)
• Statistical Abstract of the U.S. (www.census.gov/compendia/statab) – abridged version of this popular compilation of statistics.
• EconData (www.econdata.net) – links to regional statistical information from government, academic and private sources.
• FedStats (www.fedstats.gov/index.html) – searchable directory of statistics from over 100 Federal agencies.
• Statistical Resources on the Web (www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/stats.html)
• Easi Demographics (www.easidemographics.com) – offers easy access to demographic data.
• Bureau of Labor Statistics (stats.bls.gov) – includes wage and unemployment rates.
• SBA Small Business Statistics: US (www.sba.gov/advo) – gives data on small businesses in the U.S.
• Stat-USA (www.stat-usa.gov) – statistics from many federal departments.
• BizStats (www.bizstats.com) – free ratios and benchmarking data by business types and revenue size.
• eMarketer (www.emarketer.com) – statistics on e-commerce.

Pennsylvania Business Statistics

• Penn State Data Center (http://pasdc.hbg.psu.edu) – Pennsylvania's official data source.
• SBA Small Business Profiles: PA (www.sba.gov/advo/research/profiles) – brief overview of the number and type of small businesses in PA. Previous years are available to gauge growth.
• Census Bureau Economic Pages (www.census.gov/econ/www/index.html) – links to the most current available reports on number of businesses, non-employer statistics, the Economic Census, minority and women-owned businesses, manufacturers, and building permits in PA and its counties.
• County Business Patterns (www.census.gov/epcd/cbp/view/cbpview.html) – detailed statistics on business activity on the county and zip code level.
• Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (www.dli.state.pa.us) – has a number of publications with workforce statistics including Long-Term Industry Employment Projections, Civilian Labor Force Data, Unemployment Rates by County, Employment by Industry and their monthly publication Pennsylvania Labor Force.
• State Export Data (www.census.gov/foreign-trade/statistics/state/index.html)
• Small Business Economic Indicators (www.sba.gov/advo/research/sbei.html) – discusses small business activity nationally with state rankings.
• Development Report Card for the States (www.cfed.org) – looks at development measures including entrepreneurship by state.
• Statistics About Business Size (www.census.gov/epcd/www/smallbus.html) – gives national level data on firms by size and receipts.
• Minority & Woman-Owned Businesses (www.census.gov/econ/www/index.htm) – gives national and state level data on these businesses.
• Pennsylvania QuickFacts (quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/42000.html) – gives brief population, demographics, housing and income data.

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Business Forms

***Please review all forms carefully prior to using. You may want to contact your local SBDC to verify what's best for your business***

• Business Owner's Toolkit — templates and standard business forms, including cash flow budget worksheets, employee timesheets, and sample collection letters (http://www.toolkit.com/tools/index.aspx)
• SCORE — download standard P&L statements, sales forecasts, and more in Excel and PDF format (http://www.score.org/template_gallery.html)
• Microsoft Office Online —standard letterhead, newsletter, and PowerPoint templastes in a variety of designs and supporting financial statements (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/FX102637461033.aspx)
• Entrepreneur magazine's FormNet® — saves you the time and expense of creating business documents from scratch (http://www.entrepreneur.com/formnet/index.html)

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