Management

As you can see, we have lots of resources to help you manage your business - from gathering information about your industry to what classes are available locally.

Gather Information About Your Industry

Locate Business Ratios and Surveys

Industry Norms and Key Business Ratios, R 338.740973 IN

Standard & Poor's Industry Surveys, R 338.0973 ST

Business Insights - Industry overviews, company profiles and histories, mergers and acquisitions, news and magazine articles, financials, rankings, and market share data.

Factiva - Access academic and trade publications, industry newsletters, international and regional newspapers, business magazines, and business newswires to gather company and industry information.

Identify Your Competitors

A-Z Databases - U.S. business listings searchable by name, address, phone number, industry, geography, and other selections.

Regional Business News - Comprehensive full-text coverage for regional business publications including newspapers and newswires.

Identify Your Target Market

A-Z Databases - U.S. residential listings searchable by name, address, phone number, industry, geography, and other selections. Lifestyles search offers 19 categories with subheadings to identify consumers based on their lifestyles, hobbies, and interests. Search specific geographic areas for potential customers who have interests in your products or services. Economic factors such as median home income and median home value can also be incorporated into the search.

U.S. Census Bureau - The United States Census Bureau provides electronic access to a vast collection of statistics about people, places, and industries in the United States. View and print tables or download spreadsheets into Excel. The A to Z Subject Index is a great way to see the variety of information available through the Census Bureau.

American Generation Series (4 vols)
Editor and Publisher Market Guide
MSA Profile
Rand McNally Commercial Atlas and Marketing Guide
The Sourcebook of Zip Code Demographics

Identify Opportunities in the Marketplace

Historically Underutilized Business Program

Factiva - Find intelligent, authoritative data on markets, companies, industries, and regional affairs.

Franchise Opportunities Worldwide Directory

Franchising,com is a gold mine of franchising opportunities sorted alphabetically or by industry, location, high-investment, low-cost, home-based, women-based, ecofriendly, and many other categories.

Market Share Reporter, R 381.021 MA

Minority Franchising

Market Your Product

Marketing Research Information Guide
Bacon's Radio Directory, R 384.5402573 BA
Bacon's TV/Cable, R 384.5402573 BA
Bacon's Newspaper, R 070.5722025 BA
Bacon's Magazine, R 070.5720257 BA
SRDS

Write Your Business Plan

Business Plans Handbook. Vol. 1-12: A Compilation of Actual Business Plans Developed by Small Businesses Throughout North America, R 658.4012 BU

Building Better Business Plans Information Guide

Find Financing

Small Business Sourcebook, R 658.0220707 SM
Directory of Venture Capital & Private Equity Firms, Domestic & International, R 332.62 DI
Funding for Texas Businesses Information Guide

Attend Classes

Classes and Events Hosted by the City's Small Business Development Program - Classes on business plans, marketing, accounting.

Classes held by SCORE and Other Local Agencies - Classes include how to use social media for your business.

Computer Training at the Austin Public Library - Classes include MS Excel and Social Media.

Manage Your Business

Find wholesale products

Thomas Register - Search for wholesale products for your company's needs.

McRae's Bluebook - Search for industrial suppliers of manufacturing products and services

Search for articles about small business management

Business Source Complete - Covers all disciplines of business, including marketing, management, economics, econometrics, finance, accounting, banking, international business, and more.

Factiva - Company comparisons, financial snapshots, small business profiles, and industry trends.

Regional Business News - Provides comprehensive full text for regional business publications, including titles from Crain Communications.

Locate legal forms

Texas Legal Forms - Contains over 1,000 legal forms specific to Texas in MS Word and PDF formats. Most forms can be completed online before being printed.

Find ideas and tips at these helpful Web sites

Allbusiness is sponsored by Dun and Bradstreet and provides timely information for the small business owner.

Business Owners Toolkit: Total Know-how for Small Business - Guide for starting, planning, financing, and hiring for small business as well as tools, checklists, forms, and timelines that new business owners can incorporate into planning their business strategies.

Business Week: SmallBiz offers tips, advice, encouragement.

Entrepreneur offers how-to guides, free sample business plans, success stories, and more. Entrepreneur Assist is a collection of free business-planning and productivity tools.

Fast Company includes links to articles regarding new business, new technology, and trends.

HR Magazine offers an excellent human resources web site, with abundant information on topics such as staff selection, compensation, job evaluation, employee behavior problems, employee benefits, and legal issues.