Recommended Web sites in Online Business Planning

While the Internet already includes thousands of Web sites that can help you with your business plan, the following are some that are highly recommended in Online Business Planning.

• U.S. Small Business Administration:   Provides a wealth of business planning advice, including: business plan outlines, preparing financial statements, and how to apply for SBA loans.

• IPO Central: Has daily listing of initial public offerings with corresponding links to Edgar Online. Use this site to compare your business with others that are going public (selling stock).

• Inc. Magazine: Through the Inc. Magazine archives, you can get plenty of advice by reading articles that were published in past issues of the magazine.

• Business Week Magazine: Publishes a yearly listing of "Hot Growth Companies" with descriptions of their management, growth strategies, and industry positioning.

• American List Counsel: Direct marketing companies, like American List Counsel, provide lists of all of the companies and households in the United States. Excellent source for market segmentation and competitive analysis data.

• FranInfo: One of the many sites that offers information on purchasing a franchise.

• Industry Research Desk: Learn how to analyze your industry with the 13 step plan provided by the Industry Research Desk.

• Business Research Lab: If you have never conducted any primary market research, or you want to learn more, try the Business Research Lab Web site for plenty of practical advice.

• SalesDoctors Magazine: Provides a series of articles than can help you improve your advertising and promotion.

• American Society for Training and Development: For information on training your employees, start with the American Society for Training and Development.

• BenefitsLink: Has search engine and bulletin board to help you get answers to any questions regarding employee benefits.

• Venture Capital: A complete online book about venture capital.

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