Do Your Market Research at the Library
Are you interested in starting your own business? In the process of creating a business plan or expanding an existing small business? We are currently offering free trials of two market research services, Small Business Resource Center and DemographicsNow, that you may find useful.
The Small Business Resource Center offers full-text versions of two popular library print resources: Small Business Sourcebook (a one-stop source for finding more information about your business and industry) and the 14 volume set of Business Plans Handbook (offers over 300 successful business plans as examples, including projected expenditures, market research, case statements, and more). Small Business Resource Center also contains full text of over one hundred business start-up books covering specific businesses to general topics like taxes, finding financing, and marketing. Information is organized by topic, by business, and also fully searchable.
DemographicsNow is a powerful market research tool which allows you to combine your own criteria to find targeted demographic information specific to your business, including 2000 Census data, 2008 estimates, and 2013 projected data. Find consumer expenditures by zip code or census tract, pinpoint neighborhoods, cities or states that fit your target audience, or use the pre-set reports offered by DemographicsNow such as “Business Location Summary” to quickly obtain information for a business plan, loan application, or market expansion.
If you would like to test these market research services, please go to http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/madisonpl and use the password madison to access the databases through May 29, 2009. Then, please let us know what you think of the products by filling out a short online survey.
If you have any questions regarding the trial or technical problems accessing the databases, please call Tana Elias at 266-4953 or email madisonlibrary @ gmail.com.
Entry Filed under: Central Library, Community Issues, New Materials, Research Resources, Small Business and Entrepreneurs
1 Comment Add your own
1. Tana | August 4th, 2009 at 9:55 pm
Thanks to a generous grant from the Madison Community Foundation for the Central Library’s Small Business and Entrepreneurship collection, we will soon be offering in-library and remote use (Madison residents only) to Demographics Now and the electronic version of the 14-volume Business Plans Handbook. Access information will be available by August 15! Send a quick email to madisonlibrary @ gmail.com or call 266-4953 if you’d like more information or notification when the database and electronic books are available.
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