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Starting a Small Business Guide - LSC-North Harris
Keywords and Search Strategy
- Brainstorm about the keywords that best represent the main idea of your topic. Think of synonyms and related terms.
- keywords to find general articles or books on starting a business:
staring a business | business start-up | entrepreneurship - keywords to find books on specialized business topics:
business plans | business and marketing | business and financing - Think about the type of business you would like to open. If you need ideas, browse library books and websites on starting a business (take a look at Entrepreneur's startup kits).
- keywords to find books or articles on starting a business in a particular field or industry:
business and day care | child day care | elderly day care
business and cosmetology | business and hair salon | business and hair styling
| Find e-books, streaming videos, and articles from magazines, newspapers, and journals. | Use your 14-digit library barcode number for off-campus access (the number is on the back of your student ID). Don't have an ID? Get one from the library. Distance students can fill out the online request form. |
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Video Tutorial
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Find books, e-books, DVDs, and more.
Use the Library Catalog
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Library Catalog Video Tutorials | ||
Books
E-books
- 101 Internet Business You Can Start from Home: how to Choose and Build Your Own Successful E-business
- How to Write a Business Plan
- Finance: The Basics
- Wikibrands: Reinventing Your Company in a Customer-Driven Marketplace
In-Print books are located in the HB through HJ sections of the shelves on the third floor of the library.
- Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands (doing business in other countries, or with persons from other countries)
- Encyclopedia of Consumer Brands (3rd floor Reference, HF 5415.3 E527 1994)
- Hoover's Handbook of Private Companies (3rd floor Reference, HG 4057. A28616 2011)
- Hoover's Handbook of American Business (3rd floor Reference, HG 4057. A28617 2011)
- D&B Regional Business Directory (3rd floor Reference, HG 4058. H68 D86 2011 )
- How to Setup Your Own Small Business
- How to Write a Business Plan
- The SBA Loan Book
- Creating a Successful Marketing Strategy for your Small Business
The library has a variety of handbooks on starting your small business in a particular field such as cosmetology, gardening, bakery, recording studio, and so much more.
Streaming Videos
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Web Sites
General Business Sites
- North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) - Find the industry classification code for your business.
- U.S. Small Business Administration SBA.gov - Best place to start! Find information on starting and managing a business, finding a mentor, writing a business plan, financing, business law & regulations, marketing, licenses & permits, and much more.
- City of Houston One Stop Business Center getting started packet online
- Greater Houston Partnership
- LSCS Small Business Development Center
- University of Houston Small Business Development Center
- Small Business Assistance from the Office of Governor Rick Perry: Economic & Tourism Provides an overview on getting started, legal structure & name, federal, state and local business tax responsibilities, business licenses and permits, and employer requirements.
Business Plans
- Planning Your Business - from Business Owner's Toolkit
- Sample Business and Marketing Plans - from Palo Alto Software
Online Business News Magazines
- Entrepreneur - Startups - find business news articles in addition to articles on starting a business, growing your business. Take a look at their business startup kits.
- Bloomberg Businessweek - Small Business
- Inc.com - Start-up
Permits, Licenses, and other Legal Considerations
Check with your local government agency, perhaps the city or county to find out about local permits that you will need. You can also check with local business development centers. Check with your industry or trade associations to find out about other permits or certifications that you will need to be able to do the type of business or services.
- Occupational Licenses & Permits -Texas.gov - find information about required licenses or permits for various occupations or professions in the state of Texas.
- Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation
- ADA Guide for Small Business (PDF)
- OSHA Occupational Safety & Health Administration - Small Business
- IRS - Tax Information for Business - contains information about starting a business, operating a business, employer ID numbers, employment taxes, filing/paying taxes, deducting expenses, and more.
- The Texas Business Advisor (from the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts) Find information about Texas state taxes.
- Social Security Online - Employer - find information about employer responsibilities to the employees
Customer Demographics
Identify your potential customers by location. Learn basic demographic information to target your marketing campaign.
- American Fact Finder - provides profiles for states, counties, cities, congressional districts, and more from the U.S. Census Bureau
- Bureau of Labor Statistics - collects data on prices and expenditures, employment and other topics. See also: Consumer Expenditure Surveys
- ZIP Code Business Patterns – provides business data by zip code.
ZIP Codes in North Houston and Montgomery County:
- Aldine-North Loop-Greenspoint —77016, 022, 026, 028, 032, 037, 038, 039, 050, 060, 073, 076, 078, 086, 088, 091, 093, 396
- FM 1960-Spring-Klein —77014, 066, 067, 068, 090, 373, 379, 388, 389
- Humble-Atascocita-Northeast —77336, 337, 338, 346, 347, 357, 358, 365, 372, 390, 391, 396
- Northwest-Cy-Fair —77040, 041, 064, 065, 069, 070, 095, 429, 433, 447, 484
- Tomball-Magnolia —77353, 354, 355, 362, 375
- South Montgomery County —77380, 381, 382, 384, 385, 386
- North Montgomery County -- 77301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 306, 327, 328, 333, 356, 378
Financing
- SBA Loans and Grants - search for loans and grants
- Foundation Center - Research Grant Programs & Fundraising - provides information on grants for certain kinds of business that meet the purpose of charities promoting social goals
- National Association of Venture Capitalists
Business and Association Directories
Find associations, councils, societies, and organizations in your trade or industry. Such organizations can help you stay informed about trends in your industry, legislation, continuing education, required and/or recommended certifications, employment, business leads for your small business marketing and networking.
Encyclopedia of Associations - Reference HS17 .G334 2002 3 Vols.
Use a web browser to search for such organizations, or browse the following resources:
- Thomas Register of American Manufacturers (Requires free registration)
- Associations - Internet Public Library
- Trade Associations - Yahoo Directory
- Trade Association Directory - Sales Vantage.com
Citation Help
- Keep track of all of the information and sources you used during your research.
- Ask your professor about the required citation style.
- Consult Citation Help Guide from LSC-North Harris Library to help you construct your citations.
Each citation should answer the questions:
- Who wrote the material you are using?
- What did the author(s) entitle the piece he/she/they wrote?
- Where and when was it published (for a book, what city; for an article, which periodical)?
- If it's an article or a chapter, what pages is your source on?
Search all North Harris Library research guides:
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