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Bplans.com - Comprehensive resource for business plans. Financial analysis, industry specific business plans, outlines, Q&A section, and market analysis. Creating an effective Business Plan - Online workshop intended to help write a business plan. Provided by American Express. SBA Business Plan Tutorial - This link will take you to a very good, general outline for a business plan. It is the one the SBA recommends for anyone starting in business. Quicken - Guide to starting a business provided by software maker Quicken. General Resources [top] BizLink - Sponsored by the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County, BizLink’s site provides not only a handy starting point for those thinking of starting of business but also useful links to those already engaged in the daily activities of a small business. In addition to a specific section with links and associated descriptions, the site includes collections of links under subject areas such as taxes, business forms, marketing & demographics, and patents & trademarks. Entreworld - Sponsored by the Kauffman Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, Entreworld is a one stop resource for entrepreneurs trying to start and grow their businesses. FamBiz.com - Calling itself the “Web’s leading resource for family business executives and owners,” FamBiz offers a family business search engine. Search the Internet’s best family business Web sites by keyword or search FamBiz’s library of 300 family business articles by topic. Idea Cafe - A broad collection of ideas, advice, and resources for the small business owner is provided at this site, which calls itself the “Small Business Channel,” offering “a fun approach to serious business.” Michigan Electronic Library Small Business Page (MEL) - An excellent collection of links to Michigan resources for those involved in small business endeavors or those thinking of starting a small business. Office Dot Com - A service of WinStar, Office dot Com offers a collection of business tools for the small and medium-sized business. Business tool topics cover the spectrum from finance, sales/marketing, and human resources to business planning and technology. A guide is provided for each of the aforementioned subjects. US Chamber of Commerce's Small Business Resources Page - Explore the web resources directed to the small business sector by the US Chamber of Commerce. The site includes listings of events, policies and issues of interest to small business owners, programs and services, and a link to ChamberMall – a tool used to locate the web sites of local chambers of commerce throughout the United States. Michigan Resources [top] Michigan Chamber of Commerce - MCCE, a private nonprofit organization representing over 100 local Michigan Chamber professionals, offers legal news & activities of interest, upcoming seminars, and a directory to local chambers of commerce throughout Michigan. Michigan Small Business Development Center, Region 7 - The Michigan Small Business Development Center regional office, affiliated with the Seidman School of Business at Grand Valley State University is one of 12 offices statewide, providing services and support to the Michigan small business community in the areas of counsel, training, research, and advocacy. Guide to Starting a Business in Michigan - The whole kit, business plans, checklists, taxes, employees, in one document. Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce - The Small Business Center offers start-up and small business counseling. SCORE in Grand Rapids - provides free face-to-face counseling for those starting a small business. State of Michigan Corporation Division - Registration forms for various business structures such as how to incorporate in Michigan as a Corporation, Limited Liability Company (LLC), Limited Liability Partnership (LLP), or Limited Partnership (LP). Also, lookup to see if a name is already being used for a company. State License Search - Not every business needs a license. Those that do are searchable here. Minority/Woman Owned Business [top] Minority Business Department Agency (MBDA) - Part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, the MBDA is the only Federal Agency created specifically to foster the creation, growth, and expansion of minority-owned businesses in America. Use this site to find minority vendors, MBDA Partners, MBDA Programs, as well as a collection of useful minority business links. National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) Office of the Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) - This office of the US Department of Commerce is charged with ensuring that small, minority, and women-owned businesses receive a fair share of government contracts. Check out this site for business opportunities with the government as well as useful links. Office of Women's Business Ownership - US Small Business Administration [top] Compiled by Tim Gleisner |