Links

At the Illinois Small Business Development Center at Illinois State University, we strongly recommend that you read as much as you can to full prepare yourself to be a successful entrepreneur.

You probably already know the failure rates for small businesses – they’re not pretty. Improve your odds by being better prepared and more knowledgeable. Remember that you are playing with real money - your own! Be smart and be informed.

McLean County

Government and Census - In any business you need to know if there are enough customers to support your business venture and then where to find them. The links on these pages can help you answer both of those questions.

Business Start Up - If you are starting a new business, consider attending our free and informative seminar, “Starting Your Own Business”.

Business Plan - Let us begin by saying that we don’t recommend using business plan software. A business plan is NOT that hard to write.

The hard part is thinking through your business – what is your competitive advantage, who is your market, how are you going to reach them, all the what ifs – and a software program isn’t going to help you do that anyway. Besides, most bankers can tell which software program you used because they all look the same and the point is to make your plan stand out by looking better.

General Business Information

  • Small Business Profiles for the States and Territories - Are you looking for small business statistics? Wondering where you can find national and regional data on small businesses in the United States? Then the Small Business Administration (SBA) is the source for you. The SBA provides Small Business Profiles for the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The profiles include: number of firms, business owner demographics, income, banking, turnover, industry composition, and employment gains and losses by size of business. Detailed historical data is also available.
  • The Internal Revenue Service has produced a Small Business Resource Guide (SBRG) in the past, which is updated each year.    It has been produced as a CD and many of you have found it to be a great tool to use to assist your clients.   The IRS Small Business Resource Guide for 2009 is now being made available through a website.   The Guide is designed to equip small business owners with the skills and knowledge needed to successfully manage a business.   It covers a wide range of tax topics including web links to business forms, publications and governmental web sites.  Although the website is currently under construction, it will be up and running on February 8th.   To access the IRS 2009 Small Business Resource Guide after that date, please visit: www.sbrg.irs.gov
  • Business Week Magazine Small Business page
  • Entrepreneur Magazine online
  • Financial Management Training Center – free online courses for entrepreneurs on finance but also strategic planning, process improvement, & leadership
  • Business Dictionary – not sure what a business term means? Look it up at this free dictionary
  • Virtual Advisory Board - Want an advisory board for your business but can’t afford one?
  • Trade Show Handbook – about to attend a trade show for the first time and want to be sure you get the biggest bang for your investment? Look no further…
  • Evaluating Your Business Idea - So you've got a new business idea, have you? Will that idea catch fire with your customers, or misfire? Will you blow away the competition or be overrun by them? Will your idea support your weekly grocery bill? Get help articulating important questions like these and learn how the answers can inform your nascent business idea with this business evaluation tool from the Missouri Small Business Development Center. The tool can help you decide objectively whether your idea is worth pursuing.  Some of the other resources on this useful site are specific to MO entrepreneurs, but many are more broadly applicable. Check out this startup expense worksheet, or this detailed financial projections tool (with instructions) by way of example. And may all of your business ideas be pursuit-worthy! 

T.V. Shows

  • We Mean Business – airs on A&E. WE MEAN BUSINESS grapples with the impending doom of businesses in jeopardy by showing owners how to reduce expenses, increase profits, limit liability, implement new technologies and more. In WE MEAN BUSINESS, a trio of hard charging experts lend their business savvy to a struggling entrepreneur in dire need of a quick turn-around.: http://www.aetv.com/we-mean-business/index.jsp
  • The Big Idea with Donny Deutch – airs on CNBC. Each weeknight, Donny Deutsch, the maverick CEO who built a multi-billion dollar advertising and media business, gives you the tools, the strategy, and the connections you need to start living a richer life. Focused mainly on inventors or those creating new services, every night they put three new ideas to the test in their Million Dollar Idea segment.: http://www.cnbc.com/id/15838512/site/14081545/
  • Tabatha’s Salon Take-over – airs on Bravo TV. The straight-talking, perfectly coifed Tabatha Coffey lends her sound advice and styling expertise to help desperate salon owners turn their struggling businesses around in the new Bravo series, Tabatha's Salon Takeover. Coffey brings her no-nonsense approach to the salon owners and stylists, all teetering on the verge of collapse and in dire need of her skilled business direction.: http://www.bravotv.com/Tabathas_Salon_Takeover/season/1/index.php

Disclaimer: Any link provided by this web site to a specific commercial product or service does not constitute an expressed or implied endorsement of these products or services by the Illinois Small Business Development Center at Illinois State University or by the Small Business Administration. The views and opinions expressed in any referenced website do not necessarily state or reflect those of the Illinois SBDC or SBA. Illinois SBDC and SBA do not assume any legal liability for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information contained in the sites linked from these pages.