Directories - A Great Place to Start
While searching a directory may not be as exhaustive as using a search engine, it can
be the easiest way to get the information you need. A directory is like going to your
favorite bookstore and finding the business periodicals section. Once you are there,
you can look around and see all types of different magazines that are related to your
general area of interest, but each provides a unique perspective. You often get great
ideas and information just by perusing the variety of sources that are present.
http://www.yahoo.com is perhaps the most well
known directory and has a
Small Business Resource
section that is a great place to find relevant links including ones to marketing,
finance or management sites.
Search Engines - Finding the Needle in the Haystack
Search engines are especially useful when you need to search a great variety of
sources for a highly specific topic. If you need information that is specific to
your industry, such as where to purchase Pinot grapes for your winery’s famous
Pinot Noir, you can go to a search engine, type in "Pinot" and let it run. Most
search engines will return thousands of pages for the typical query. The more
specific that you can make your query, the better result you will get. The search
engine will retrieve the addresses of web sites that have information on your
topic. Each search engine has extensive help files that explain how you can
refine your search and get the information you need. Try it for
yourself: Alta Vista,
Lycos,
and WebCrawler are three
of the most popular and powerful search engines.
Small Business "Mission Control"
There are some great web pages out there that are completely dedicated to serving
the needs of small businesses like yours. These general pages provide an
information headquarters because they directly connect you with an enormous
variety of resources. The
Small and Home Based Business Page
connects you with information
on how to purchase office supplies on-line, communicate with other small
businesses, and download software for business development. The
smallbizNet
has a strong entrepreneurial flavor and offers one of
the most extensive on-line collections of small business management articles.
The International Small Business Consortium is an online showplace for emerging
businesses from around the globe. The
Women in Small Business page
provides on-line resources to women
who are striving to reach new business goals.
Read All About It
There is also a tremendous variety of on-line periodicals that are tailored
to the needs of small businesses. Whereas a monthly periodical is static,
"webzines" are dynamic and can be continually updated with new information.
There are a wide variety of periodicals such as
Edge: The Entrepreneur's Magazine,
The Economist,
Black Enterprise,
and Inc. Magazine that are available
to small businesses.
Add these periodicals to your web browser’s Favorites list and get your
business news quickly and easily.
Digging for Gold
Financing is a major concern for any small business or entrepreneur. The Web
can connect you with valuable information about how and where to get financing.
Money Hunter for example,
provides a template
that you can download which will help you create the plan you need to get
financing. The
U.S. Small Business Administration
has a great section on sources of financing for your small business. The
Library of Congress has also provided a guide to
Financing Small Business Enterprises
that can help you develop a strategy to get the funding you need.
Marketing your Business
There are great resources available for small businesses that describe many
facets of marketing. At the
Web Marketing Info Center
learn how to create your own web page
to market your business and find information on new business opportunities.
You can also download software that helps you manage a prospect database.
American Demographics
has a great site that offers small businesses information on the hottest markets
and provides tools and tactics for reaching them. There is also an
interactive forum where you can have your questions on market segments and
demographic trends answered.
Guerrilla Marketing Online
is a weekly web magazine for small businesses
that concentrates on generating the maximum return on limited marketing resources.
Business Forums
Business forums are designed to help small business people trade business
cards - electronically. The Web is becoming a common meeting ground for
people in very diverse industries. There are forums on
retailing,
plumbing,
wine making,
trout farming
- virtually any type of industry. These forums allow you to exchange ideas
with colleagues around the globe as well as meet people in your region.
Use a search engine or directory to find a business forum in your field.
Information from A to Z
On the Internet and the World Wide Web you can research information ranging
from alpaca farming
to zither construction
in about as long as it takes to read this sentence. Understanding the Web pays - it
saves you time and it connects you with the information you need to keep your
business successful.