This resource guide was prepared by Patricia LaCaille John, December 2005.
Last Modified June 3, 2008

Issues to Consider Before Starting a Business

l. Can You Live Where You Work...And Work Where You Live? Kathleen Parrott, Annette L. Bach, Ann Lastovica. Publication 354-306. Blacksburg, VA: Virginia Tech Cooperative Extension, 1998. 16 p. http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/homebus/354-306/354-306.html

2. Check-List for Going into Business. Washington, DC: U.S. Small Business Administration, n.d. 22 p. http://www.sba.gov/library/pubs/mp-12.pdf

3. “Considering Self-Employment: What to Think About Before Starting a Business.” George Silvestri. Occupational Outlook Quarterly, 43, no. 2 (1999): 15-23. http://www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/1999/summer/contents.htm

4. Evaluating a Rural Enterprise: Marketing and Business Guide. Preston Sullivan, Lane Greer. Fayetteville, AR, ATTRA, 2002. 12 p. http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/evalrural.html

5. Financial Difficulties of Small Businesses and Reasons for Their Failure. Teresa A. Sullivan, Elizabeth Warren, Jay Westbrook. SBA-95-0403. Austin, University of Texas, 1998. 44 p. http://www.sba.gov/ADVO/research/rs188tot.pdf

6. Home-Based Business... Is It For Me? Kathleen Tweeten, Dale Zetocha. EB-44. Fargo, North Dakota State University Extension Service. 1999. 12 p. http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extpubs/yf/leaddev/eb44w.htm

7. Home-Based Business... Is It For Me? (continued). EB-44. Fargo, North Dakota State University Extension Service, 1999. 14 p. http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extpubs/yf/leaddev/eb44-3.htm

8. Preparation for Planning a Business Venture. Carter McNamara. Minneapolis, MN: Free Management Library, 1999. 9 p. http://www.managementhelp.org/strt_org/prep.htm

9. “Providing a Home for Start-Ups.” Carl Hoffman. Appalachia (January–April 2001): 4 p. http://www.arc.gov/index.do?nodeId=600

10. Starting a Business in Your Home: Weighing the Pros and Cons. Jim McConnon. Bulletin 4190. Orono, University of Maine Cooperative Extension, n.d., 4 p. http://www.umext.maine.edu/onlinepubs/htmpubs/4190.htm

11. Starting a Home Business. Bulletin 3007. Orono, University of Maine Cooperative Extension, n.d. 6 p. http://www.umext.maine.edu/onlinepubs/htmpubs/3007.htm

12. Ten Frequently Asked Questions for Micro and Home-Based Business Start-Up. Glenn Muskie. T-9005. Stillwater, OK: Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension, n.d., 4 p. http://osuextra.com/pdfs/T-9005web.pdf

Business Startup Planning Guides and Toolkits

1. Business Development Toolkit. Kalispell, MT: Flathead Regional Business Center. Ml http://wsd.dli.mt.gov/local/kalispell/bdkv7/index.html

2. Business Toolbox. Washington, DC: SCORE Association. http://www.score.org/business_toolbox.html

3. The Facts About . . .Starting a Small Business. Washington, DC: U.S. Small Business Administration, 2002. 16 p. http://app1.sba.gov/faqs/faqindex.cfm?areaID=1

4. Frequently Asked Advertising Questions: A Guide for Small Business. Washington, DC: Federal Trade Commission. http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/buspubs/ad-faqs.htm

5. Information for Small Businesses. Washington, DC: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. http://www.sec.gov/info/smallbus.shtml

6. Information for the Self Employed. Baltimore, MD: Social Security Administration. http://www.socialsecurity.gov/selfemployed.htm

7. Rural Entrepreneurship and Business Development Resources. Overton: Texas Center for Rural Entrepreneurship. http://www.tcre.org/Default.aspx?tabid=130

8. Small Business and Self-Employed One-Stop Resource. Washington, DC: Internal Revenue Service. http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small

9. Small Business Resources and Toolkit. San Antonio, TX: SBDCNET National Information Clearinghouse. http://sbdcnet.org/tools.php

10. The Small Business Start-Up Guide. 3rd Rev. Ed. Robert Sullivan. Great Falls, VA: Information International, 2000. 361 p. http://www.isquare.com/prologue.cfm

11. Small Business Startup Guide. Washington, DC: U.S. Small Business Administration. http://www.sba.gov/starting_business/startup/guide.html

12. Small Business Toolkits. Washington, DC: U.S. Chamber of Commerce Small Business Center. http://www.uschamber.com/sb/toolkits.htm

13. Small Business Tools and Tips. Washington, DC: Women-21.gov. http://women-21.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=SmallBusinessToolsTips.Home

14. Starting. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Commerce, Minority Business Development Agency. http://www.mbda.gov/?section_id=5

15. Starting a Business: What New Business Owners Need to Know About Federal Taxes. Washington, DC: Internal Revenue Service. http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=99336,00.html

16. Starting and Managing a Business From Your Home. Lynne Waymon. Starting and Managing Series, vol. 102. Washington, DC: U.S. Small Business Administration, 1986. http://www.work-at-home.org/sreport/home-based-businesses/20.htm

17. Startup Basics. Washington, DC: U.S. Small Business Administration. http://www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/index.html

18. Steps to Starting a Small Business. Clemson, SC: Frank L. Roddey Small Business Development Center of South Carolina, 2002. 18 p. http://business.clemson.edu/sbdc/steps%20to%20starting%2007012002.pdf

19. Templates for Your Business. Washington, DC: SCORE Association. http://www.score.org/template_gallery.html

Developing Business Plans

1. Business Plan Basics. Washington, DC: U.S. Small Business Administration. http://www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/plan/writeabusinessplan/index.html

2. The Business Plan for Home-Based Business. Little Rock: Arkansas Small Business Development Center. http://asbdc.ualr.edu/bizfacts/7022.asp

3. Business Plan Outline. Little Rock: Arkansas Small Business Development Center. http://asbdc.ualr.edu/bizfacts/1004.asp

4. Business Plan Outline. Catherine A. Brown, Marilyn White. Rev. Missoula: Montana Community Development Corporation, 1997. 19 p. http://www.mtcdc.org/pdf/Business%20Plan%20Outline%20w%20detail.pdf

5. Business Plan Preparation: Tools for Writing Business Plans. Stephen Lawrence, Frank Moyes. Boulder, CO: University of Colorado Leeds School of Business. http://leeds-faculty.colorado.edu/moyes/bplan/

6. Business Plans. San Antonio, TX: SBDCNET National Information Clearinghouse. http://sbdcnet.utsa.edu/SBIC/bplans.htm

7. Essential Elements of a Good Business Plan. Washington, DC: U.S. Small Business Administration. http://www.sba.gov/managing/strategicplan/guide.html

8. Plan for Success. Waterloo, IA: University of Northern Iowa Regional Business Center. http://www.uni.edu/rbc/basics/plan.html

Marketing Strategies and Plans

1. Advertising and Marketing: Sample Marketing Plans. San Antonio, TX: SBDCNET National Information Clearinghouse. http://sbdcnet.utsa.edu/SBIC/marketing.htm

2. Home-Based Business -- Market Your Product. Linda Benedict. MP596. Columbia, University of Missouri Extension, 1993. 4 p. http://muextension.missouri.edu/explore/miscpubs/mp0596.htm

3. How to Create a Marketing Plan. Kalispell, Montana Department of Labor and Industry, Flathead Regional Business Center, 2000? 15 p. http://wsd.dli.mt.gov/local/kalispell/bdkv7/pdf/createmp.pdf

4. Market and Sell. Washington, DC: U.S. Small Business Administration http://www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/manage/MarketandSell/index.html

5. Marketing Basics. Washington, DC: U.S. Small Business Administration. http://www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/manage/marketandprice/SERV_MARKBASICS.html

6. Marketing Plans. Washington, DC: Business.gov. http://www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/manage/marketandprice/SERV_MARKETINGPLANS.html

7. The Marketing Your Business for Success Workbook. Washington, DC: U.S. Small Business Administration. http://www.sba.gov/gopher/Business-Development/Business-Initiatives-Education-Training/Marketing-Plan/

Examples of Small Business Startups

1. The Art of Creating a Goat Cheese Business: A North Central Initiative Small Farm Profitability Case Study. Carol Doeden, Marilyn Schlake. Lincoln, UNL Center for Applied Rural Innovation, 2001. 12 p. http://agmarketing.extension.psu.edu/begfrmrs/OptStratSmlFrms/FrmDivstrat/Goatcheese10_05.pdf

2. Beginning a Bed and Breakfast in Virginia. Charlotte A. Reed, and others. Publication 310-002. Blacksburg, Virginia Tech Cooperative Extension, 1998. 34 p. http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/homebus/310-002/bandb.html

3. Business Issues for People in the Arts and Crafts. Managing Your Finances. Austin K. Pryor. Ann Arbor, MI: The Entrepreneur Network, n.d. 4 p. http://tenonline.org/sref/pdf/ap06.pdf

4. The Cooperative Approach to Crafts. R. Wade Binion, Gerald Ely. Cooperative Information Report, 33. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Business-Cooperative Service, 2000. 35 p. http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/pub/cir33.pdf

5. Developing a New Co-Owned Agricultural Business: How Do We Start a Value-Added Firm? David M. Saxowsky, David G. Kraenzel. EC-1137. Fargo, North Dakota State University Extension Service, 1997. 13 p. http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extpubs/agecon/market/ec1137w.htm

6. Food Business in New Mexico. Nancy C. Flores, Jay Lillywhite. Guide E-510. Las Cruces, New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension, 2005. 12 p. http://cahe.nmsu.edu/pubs/_e/E-510.pdf

7. How to Start a Quality Child Care Business. MP-29. Washington, DC: U.S. Small Business Administration, 1987? 69 p. http://www.sba.gov/library/pubs/mp-29.pdf

8. Starting a Food Business. P.H. Schmutz, and others. HGIC 3861. Clemson, SC: Clemson University Extension, 2000. 7 p. http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/HGIC3861.htm

9. Starting A Food Processing Business? What You Should Know Before You Get Started. Jean Olds Weese, Tim Roberts, Ronald Dawsey. HE-753. Auburn, Alabama Cooperative Extension System, 1998. 8 p. http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/H/HE-0753/

10. Starting a Food Processing Business in Virginia. Tim Roberts, Ann Lastovica, Susan Sumner. Publication 348-963. Blacksburg, Virginia Tech Cooperative Extension, 2001. 16 p. http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/foods/348-963/348-963.html

11. Starting a Greenhouse Business. Revised. Paul A. Thomas, William A. Thomas. Athens: University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service, 1999. 24 p. http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/pubcd/b1134-w.html

12. Starting a Greenhouse Business—A Commercial Growers Guide. Alan B. Stevens, and others. MF 1157. Manhattan, Kansas State University Cooperative Extension Service, 1994. 19 p. http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/library/hort2/samplers/MF1157.asp

13. Starting a Successful Catering Business. Revised. Ann Lastovica, Tim Roberts, Denise Brochetti. Publication 354-305. Blacksburg: Virginia Tech Cooperative Extension, 1999. 6 p. http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/homebus/354-305/354-305.html

14. Starting Your Own Wine Business. W.C. Morris. Second Version. PB1688. Knoxville, University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service, 2004. 50 p. http://www.utextension.utk.edu/publications/pbfiles/PB1688.pdf

Business Finance Guides

1. The Credit Process: A Guide for Small Business Owners. New York: Federal Reserve Bank of New York, n.d. 18 p. http://www.newyorkfed.org/education/addpub/credit.html

2. Financing for the Small Business. FM-14. Washington, DC: U.S. Small Business Administration, n.d. 31 p. http://www.sba.gov/library/pubs/fm-14.pdf

3. A Venture Capital Primer for Small Business. LaRue Tone Hosmer. FM-5. Washington, DC: U.S. Small Business Administration, n.d. 12 p. http://www.sba.gov/library/pubs/fm-5.pdf

4. What Do Lenders Really Need To Grant Small-Business Loans? Little Rock: Arkansas Small Business Development Center. http://asbdc.ualr.edu/bizfacts/509.asp

Funding and Program Assistance

Federal-State-Private Partnership: According to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) banks, firm owners, and finance companies provide most of the credit sources to small businesses nationwide. Banks provide more than 80 percent of lending in the credit line market and more than 50 percent in other markets, such as commercial mortgages and equipment. Through the SBA and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), programs have been set up at the state and local level to assist in getting new businesses started and expanding existing ones.

While the SBA provides numerous loan programs for small businesses, it does not offer grants to start or expand small businesses. There are very few federal or state grants available to assist small businesses. The grants SBA offers are generally for organizations that provide small business management, technical, or financial assistance. For more information see:

SBA and USDA Authorized Commercial Lenders: Both SBA and USDA offer loan programs to assist small businesses in rural areas; however, they act primarily as guarantors of loans made to small businesses by authorized commercial lenders such as banks and financial institutions, community development organizations, and micro-lending institutions. Therefore, start your funding search by contacting the local bank and the closest SBA and USDA Rural Development offices (SBA and USDA contact information in the Federal Resources section below) for information and assistance.

Locate Local Lenders, by State: Small Business and Micro Business Lending in the United States (annual reports), see Part Two: Directory of Top-ranking U.S. Small and Micro Business Lenders -- (identify the top lenders in each stat using both the Call Report and CRA Data): http://www.sba.gov/advo/research/lending.html

1. Active Capital: http://activecapital.org/ assists local businesses connect with private capital, 877-264-3579, Locate Private Capital Sources, by State http://activecapital.org/nation

2. Community Development Venture Capital Alliance: http://www.cdvca.org/

3. National Association of Investment Companies: http://www.naicvc.com/

4. National Association of Seed and Venture Capital Funds: http://www.nasvf.org/

Most states have business programs to assist and promote small business development within the state. State development agencies may offer direct small business grants and other types of financial assistance designed to encourage and assist entrepreneurs in starting or expand a small business. Most states have developed state specific business startup guides. If you cannot locate a specific state guide, see SBA guides for each state, Small Business Resource for Starting and Expanding Entrepreneurs (some are available in Spanish): http://www.sbaguides.com/ Locate the state resources by checking the state economic development agency web sites or state home page.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is the largest source of long-term small business financing in the nation. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is responsible for rural development nationwide and is committed to helping improve the economy of rural America. Both USDA and SBA promote economic development by guaranteeing loans that banks and other community financial institutions make to small businesses. Most SBA and USDA loan proceeds may be used for working capital, machinery and equipment, furniture and fixtures, land and buildings, leasehold improvements, and certain types of debt refinancing.

USDA and SBA finance jointly many projects to promote economic development and job creation in rural areas through investment and venture capital programs. One such example is the joint USDA-SBA program, the Rural Business Investment Program (RBIP). USDA funds RBIP and SBA are authorized to enable venture capital companies to offer access to capital for rural enterprises. RBIP allows newly formed venture capital investment companies to leverage private capital funds with government financial assistance: http://www.sba.gov/INV/RBIP

Use SBA’s RBIP Mapping Tool to determine if your business location qualifies as rural: http://map20.sba.gov/RBIP/init.asp

• USDA Business Programs: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/busp/bpdir.htm / http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rd/pubs/pa1589.htm
  • Locate USDA Rural Development State and Local Offices: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/recd_map.html
  • Locate USDA Service Centers: http://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app
  • Use USDA’s Rural Business Loan Eligibility Identifier to determine if your location qualifies as rural: http://www.ers.usda.gov/data/LoanLookup/

• SBA Help Desk: 1-800-UASKSBA
• SBA State and District Office Locations: http://www.sba.gov/localresources/index.html
• Small Business Development Centers, by State: http://www.sba.gov/sbdc/sbdcnear.html
• Business Advice, by State and Expertise: http://www.score.org/, SCORE Association, 1-800-634-0245

Financing Your Business: The Basics: http://www.sba.gov/services/financialassistance/basics/index.html

SBA Major Business Loan Programs. http://www.sba.gov/services/financialassistance/sbaloantopics/index.html

• Locate Local Lenders, by State: Small Business and Micro Business Lending in the United States (annual reports), see Part Two: Directory of Top-ranking U.S. Small and Micro Business Lenders (identify the top lenders in each stat using both the Call Report and CRA Data) http://www.sba.gov/advo/research/lending.html

• Locate CDCs, by State: http://www.sba.gov/gopher/Local-Information/Certified-Development-Companies/

• Locate Small Business Investment Companies, by State: http://www.sba.gov/INV

• SBIR Gateway Agency links. http://www.zyn.com/sbir/ - Sequim:WA, Zyn Systems
• SBA Technology: SBIR/STTR: http://www.sba.gov/sbir/
• SBIR/STTR Programs: http://www.sba.gov/sbir/indexsbir-sttr.html#sttr

Technical Assistance and Training

Business Incubators, by State: http://www.nbia.org/resource_center/links_to_member_incubators/index.php, National Business Incubator Association

Buying a Franchise, SBA: http://www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/start/buyafranchise/index.html

Franchising.Org: http://www.franchising.org/

Microenterprise Associations, by State: http://www.microenterpriseworks.org/index.asp?bid=282

Minority and Native American Business Development Centers, by Region (Minority Business Development Agency): http://www.mbda.gov/?section_id=2&bucket_id=151&content_id=2264

Native American Resources, SBA: http://www.sba.gov/naa/

• SBA Tribal Business Information Centers: http://www.sba.gov/naa/tribes

Rural Entrepreneurship Across America, by State: http://www.ruraleship.org/index_html?page=content/learning_sites.htm, Center for Rural Entrepreneurship

SBA Online Library: http://www.sba.gov/tools/resourcelibrary/index.html

SCORE Learning Center: http://www.score.org/learning_center.html

Small Business Development Center National Information Clearinghouse (SBDCNET): http://sbdcnet.utsa.edu/

Small Business Guide to FDA: http://www.fda.gov/ora/fed_state/Small_Business/sb_guide/default.htm

Trade Information Center, 1-800-USA-TRADE, U.S. Department of Commerce: http://www.trade.gov/td/tic

Veterans Business Resources, SBA: http://www.sba.gov/vets/

Women Business Resources, SBA: http://www.sba.gov/services/specialaudiences/women/index.html

• SBA Women’s Business Center Programs, by State: http://www.sba.gov/onlinewbc/wbc.pdf

U.S. Internal Revenue Service Local Offices, by State: http://www.irs.gov/localcontacts/index.html

U.S. Department of Labor, State Small Business Offices, by State: http://www.dol.gov/osbp/statemap.htm

SBA’s Free Online Courses: http://www.sba.gov/training/courses.html

• SBA's Online Business Course: http://www.myownbusiness.org/course_sba.html

Local Business Information

Business.gov http://www.business.gov/

• Business Resources, by State: http://www.business.gov/regions/states/
• Business Statistics: http://www.business.gov/appmanager/bg/main/portlet_taxonomy_2/3000136/Data+&+Statistics/bg_page_businessResourceLibrary
• Industry Resources: http://www.business.gov/appmanager/bg/main/bg_page_home

EconomicIndicators.Gov: http://www.economicindicators.gov/

Small Business Advisor’s State Specific Information, Information International: http://www.isquare.com/states/states.cfm

Small Business Resource for Starting and Expanding Entrepreneurs (business guides for each state from the U.S. Small Business Administration; some available in Spanish): http://www.sbaguides.com/

State Economic Profiles: http://www.sba.gov/advo/research/profiles

U.S. Census Bureau State and County QuickFacts: http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd

U.S. Chamber of Commerce State Resources: http://www.uschamber.com/issues/state/default