Do-it-yourselfers are forewarned: developing a
business plan is not an easy task. The public domain is
awash in conflicting information, some of which is useful, but
much of which is self-serving... so proceed cautiously. To get your
long journey started, here is a sampling of web sites that may
have some value in helping to define the general contours of
your planning effort.
|
Business
Plan Software Providers:
|
Palo
Alto Software
www.paloalto.com
|
Maker
of Business Plan Pro™, the best selling business planning
software tool.
|
Smart
Online, Inc.
www.smartonline.com |
Maker
of Smart Business Plan Suite™ and business resource center
provider. |
Business
Resource Software
www.brs-inc.com
|
Maker
of PlanWrite™ software and related business planning products.
|
Jian
www.jian.com
|
Maker
of BizPlanBuilder™ planning software and other business
tools.
|
Invest-Tech
Limited
www.planware.org |
Maker
of PlanWare™ business planning software and resource center. |
Business
Plan Resource Centers:
|
Small
Business Administration
www.sba.gov
|
Business
planning & finance resource center; online
classroom and library.
|
BPlans.com
www.bplans.com
|
Useful site for self-preparers
-- advice,
sample plans and links to consultants.
|
Business
Nation
www.businessnation.com |
Business
info directory -- resources, industries,
services and products. |
AllBusiness.com
www.allbusiness.com |
All-purpose
resource center, providing advice, forms, links & start-up
toolkit. |
MoreBusiness.com
www.morebusiness.com |
General
resource site, geared toward starting and running a small
business. |
Market
and Industry Research Sites: |
U.S.
Census Bureau
http://www.census.gov/# |
Searchable
database of demographic, economic, population & business data. |
SEC
Database - EDGAR
www.sec.gov/index.html |
Vast
database retrieval source; critical information about public
companies. |
Hoovers
www.hoovers.com |
Database: 32 million companies, 600 industries, and 37 million
people. |
bizjournals.com
www.bizjournals.com |
Business
intelligence and research site, with news from 41 regional markets. |
S&P
Industry Surveys
www.standardandpoors.com |
Encyclopedic
source of financial data and analyses of 50+ industry
groups. |
Venture
Capitalists and Angel Investors: |
vFinance.com
www.vfinance.com |
Searchable
database of VC's and angel investors; business plan
showcase. |
The
Capital Connection
www.capital-connection.com |
Resource
for finding VC and angel financing, plus a business planning
kit. |
Business
Brokers and Appraisers: |
Int'l.
Business Brokers Assoc.
www.ibba.org |
Searchable
database of business brokers and business
opportunities. |
Institute
of Business Appraisers
www.instbusapp.org |
Searchable
database of IBA members and certified business
appraisers. |
Business Valuation Software Tools: |
MBA Ware
www.mbaware.com/busvalsof.html |
Business valuation software and family
of other business analytical programs. |
ValuSource
www.valusourcesoftware.com
|
Business valuation programs, various
industry databases, and report writers.
|