The guide focuses on suggested strategies and best places to begin research efforts. For further information & assistance in using any of the sources, please contact our reference staff:

In person, at the Reference Desk on the 1st Floor of the Blackwell Library
By phone @ 410-548-5988
Through e-mail, Sarah Loudenslager seloudenslager@salisbury.edu

Getting Started:

Stop by the Small Business Development Center - Eastern Region, located on Salisbury University's Campus (and at other locations on the Eastern Shore). You will find a number of resources here including about 60 of the Entrepreneur magazine sample business plans. You can also use Business Plan Pro, a software package that includes templates and examples of business plans. It is available on the SBDC's public access computer.

Salisbury Chamber of Commerce - See links to the Chamber's Directory of Members as well as the 'Business & Government' category that includes a number of resources. Provides a concise overview of Salisbury in Facts & Figures.

These websites have a lot of useful information on small business:

Business.gov

CCH Business Owner's Toolkit

ChooseMaryland.org: Business Assistance

Knowthis.com: Marketing Virtual Library
Enter searches at the top left for information on small business.

UTOPIA: MOOT CORP's Guide to Creating Fundable Business Plans
Courtesy of The University of Texas at Austin.

SCORE: Counselors to America's Small Business

Small Business Administration: Maryland Office

Small Business Knowledge Base

These magazines have articles focused on specific types of small businesses. Browse links OR conduct a search for articles on 'how to start a ...'

Entrepreneur

Inc.

Startup Journal (The Wall Street Journal: Center for Entrepreneurs)

Small Business Sourcebook
Reference HD 2346 .U5 S66 2005 v. 1-2

"A two-volume annotated guide to more than 27,000 listings of live and print sources of information designed to facilitate the start-up, development, and growth of specific small businesses in the U.S. and Canada, as well as over 29,000 similar listings on general small business topics. An additional 10,500 state-specific listings and 901 U.S. federal government agencies and offices specializing in small business issues, programs, and assistance are also included."

v. 1: Look up the type of business you are wanting to start. Start-up information, associations and other organizations, reference works, etc. are listed. Check our catalog or databases to see if our library owns the title.

v. 2: Look up general small business topics for a listing of relevant resources. State listings and federal government assistance programs are also listed in this volume.

Many useful books can be located through the library catalog and can be direct borrowed from the University System of Maryland.