LibGuides: ENGL 151R: Report Writing (+ Business Plans): Researching Parts of the Business Plan

Getting Started: Step-by-Step Guides to Writing a Business Plan

Sample Business Plans
View over 500 free sample business plans, searchable by type of business.
United States Department of Labor
This government website contains information on wages, employment, career outlooks, and more.
U.S. Small Business Administration
The official U.S. government page for small business. Includes services, tools, local resources, and more.
Writing a Business Plan
This page, from the Small Business Administration, includes great links to writing a business plan.
Building a Business Plan, Section by Section
A guide from Inc., a business magazine

Statistics and Demographic Information

U.S. Census Bureau
This government website has a wide array of statistical information. Click on the heading Business & Industry for information on different business sectors.
FedStats
Select a state from this website, then choose a county or city within that state. You'll find statistics on population, business, birth, death, and more. This website is from the U.S. government.
Population Projections
From the U.S. Census Bureau
data.census.gov
From the U.S. Census Bureau. You can search for data by location. Find data about the US, Pennsylvania, and your town. Includes some information previously available through American FactFinder.

Competition

Annual Reports Gallery
Search or browse this collection of annual reports by using the search tools in the bottom right-hand corner. You can search by specific companies or browse by an industry. Please note that only PUBLIC companies are required to produce annual reports; if you search for a private company, you will not find much information.
Better Business Bureau
Use this website to research similar companies to see if they have had any complaints filed against their company.
County Business Patterns
This is another report from the Census Bureau agency. Search by county to find business patterns within that county.
Economic Census
This government report covers economic data by industry or state.

Library Database

D&B Hoovers This link opens in a new window
Find background information on companies and industries. This source covers profits, management, data needed for S.W.O.T. analysis, company histories, and more.

Real Estate / Location / Community

LoopsNet
Another search engine for commercial real estate properties.
Century 21
Coldwell Banker
Prudential
Re/max
Weichert
Greater Lehigh Valley Realtors
National Association of Realtors
ZoomProspector
Find the right community for your business
Zillow
Trulia

Business Licenses & Forms

Business.Gov License & Permit Search
Search by state or business type to find out about what permits are needed for certain types of businesses.
FindLaw Small Business Center
Use this website to locate legal forms for small businesses.
Internal Revenue Service
This agency will have tax forms that you need for your small business.
Nolo
This popular company offers online legal advice and forms, in addition to publishing popular books on the same subjects.

Marketing Resources

Sample Marketing Plans

Advertising

These 4 books are on reserve at the Circulation Desk and contain information about advertising rates for different types of media. There are ad rates (how much the ads will cost) and contact information. Be sure to note that some of these books are 5 years old, so use the most recent book available.

SRDS Consumer Magazine Advertising Source - Fall 2005 (book)

SRDS Business Publication Advertising Source - December 2005 (book)

SRDS Out-of-Home Advertising Source - (book)

SRDS Consumer Magazine Advertising Source - Spring/Summer 2008 (book)

A reserve is an item that must stay in the library and is only available to you for a short period of time (usually 2 or 4 hours). You can make photocopies of the pages you need (for $0.10/page), make a digital scan for free, or take notes. To use these items, you need your student ID to check them out.

Local Business Information

Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce
Learn about all of the opportunities that would be available to a business that applied for membership in this commerce.
Lehigh Valley Economic Development
Another organization that explains the benefits of having your business located in the Lehigh Valley.
Lehigh Valley Industrial Park (LVIP)
Visit this website to learn more about the business developments that are scattered around the Lehigh Valley and about the advantages of using their space.
Lehigh Valley Planning Commission
Learn about this organization, which plans for the future of the Lehigh Valley. This includes looking at economics, transportation in the region, land use and more.
Small Business Development Centers PA
This Pennsylvania resource covers aspects of starting your small business.
Greater Lehigh Valley Realtors
Lehigh Valley Business Directory
Lehigh Valley Business News

Consumer Information

Consumer Expenditure Survey
This survey, compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, discusses the spending habits of American consumers.

Industry Information

Small Business Snapshots
Broken down by type of business (ie. bakery, daycare, etc.), each profile contains information on that particular industry.
NAICS Codes
The North American Industry Classification System is the official system for how the U.S. government collects and analyzes data.
Industry Statistics Portal
From the U.S. Census Bureau