Starting a small business offers rewards and challenges that attract
thousands of new entrepreneurs each year. Owning a business for many
entrepreneurs is the American dream that allows them the opportunity to be
their own boss, earn money for themselves, work flexible hours, work at
home, and work at something they enjoy. However, with the rewards, come
the challenges and more than 50 percent of all new businesses fail in the
first five years of existence. Most businessmen and bankers agree that the
main reasons for the high failure rate is the lack of experience, business
and financial planning, and management skills. Those taking on a new
business venture must begin by developing sound business and marketing
plans to guide them through the initial start-up years. They must possess
and display strong management skills and have the ability to convince
potential lenders to finance their business venture. They will need to
research the type of business they intend to start, the feasibility of
starting the business, the best locations to ensure a successful outcome,
and more.
This resource guide contains links to full-text resources and guides
about issues to consider before starting a business, how to start a
business and develop business and marketing plans. It also contains
information on funding sources, training resources, local technical
assistance contacts and business information, and more.
The Rural Information Center has additional resources for small
businesses:
Starting a Child Care Center:
http://www.nal.usda.gov/ric/ricpubs/rural_child_care.htm
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
13. Thinking About Going Into Business? Little Rock:
Arkansas Small Business Development Center, n.d., 12 p. http://asbdc.ualr.edu/bizfacts/1001.asp
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
Local Resources
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:
Small Business Innovative Research and Small Business Technology
Transfer Programs
The Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) and
the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs were set up to meet
business research and development needs.. Currently twelve federal
agencies offer financial or technical assistance through these programs
for inventors with a new idea they want to produce and market. The
agencies include the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U. S. Department of
Commerce, U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Education, U.S.
Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S.
Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Small Business Administration,
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the National Science
Foundation. For more information on these SBIR programs check the SBIR
Gateway Agency links below and use the department program that best fits
the new idea or product (e.g. U.S. Department of Agriculture for
agricultural related ideas, U.S. Department of Energy for energy related
ideas, etc.)
Technical Assistance and Training
Technical Assistance
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/
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
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
Training
SBA’s Free Online Courses: http://www.sba.gov/training/courses.html
Local Business Information
Business.gov http://www.business.gov/
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
USDA, Rural Information Center National
Agricultural Library 10301 Baltimore Ave., Room 132
Beltsville, MD 20705-2351 ric@ars.usda.gov 1-800-633-7701
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