Transcript Document

Planning &
Research
@
Available from home, 24/7
w w w. a p l . o r g / e s e e d
• Class handout
• Reference books list with
explanations and examples (click
on the cover)
• Links to the databases
• Links to free, online,
government (mostly) resources
to find data and small business
information
Available from home, 24/7
With your Library Card Number: w w w . a p l . o r g / e
• Reference USA
• CUSTOM SEARCH: U.S. Consumer & Lifestyles | U.S. Businesses
• Download full records and generate charts/maps
• Business Source Premier
• SEARCH on a company
• Industry profiles
• Economic reports by country
• Small Business Reference Center
• Bundles startup information
• Market Research content & many Nolo titles
• Regional Business News
• Spare indexing; Keyword searching is critical
• Academic Search Premier
• Covers numerous academic areas
Search with Keywords
Search with Subjects
Use Facets
(auto-generated)
Use Limiters
(fewer results)
ReferenceUSA
Sources
Business data
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US Postal Service & Change of
Address updates
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Phone Directories
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SEC, Annual Reports, etc.
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General & Trade Publications
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New Business Resources
‒
‒
‒
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Secretaries of State
Public Record Notices
County Courthouses
‒
Utility Connections
Calling & site searching for
verification. Verified info is
updated/confirmed every 30 days (from a
proprietary feed)
Consumer data
‒
Real Estate & Tax Assessments
‒
Voter Registration files
‒
Utility Connects
‒
Bill Processors
‒
“Behavioral data, and more”
ReferenceUSA
Notes
Start in Consumers/Lifestyles for an idea of your customer market.
• Areas of Interest are scaled from 1-9.
• Results: individuals with medium to high level of interest (6-9)
• Find out where they may be spending their money
• Geographic Area
• Area of Interest
• Income level
• Download: Custom options
• Revise the initial search
• Consumer Snapshot category
•
•
Chart: Age & Income Level
Matrix: Income & 5 Digit Zip
ReferenceUSA
Notes, cont.
Continue in Businesses to see how many competitors you would
have.
• Custom Search
•
Business Type: Major Industry Group
• Retail Trade (52-59)
• Eating & Drinking Places (58)
• Eating Places (5812)
• 581220 Restaurant Management
• 581228 Coffee Shops
• 581229 Deli-Bakery
• Geography
• Zip Code: 54911
• Radius: 10 miles of 54911
• View Results …you will see all of the existing community businesses that meet these parameters
• Choose a business to examine: Business Demographics
• Sales volume
• # of employees
• Credit rating score
• You can use the map to assist with site selection, too.
ReferenceUSA
Final Tips
See w w w. a p l . o r g / e / r e f u s a
if you have problems connecting
remotely.
Search Strategies
Research Companies
• contact coordinates
• key personnel
• annual sales
• employee size
Build lists of Prospective Clients
• by industry
• by location
• by size
Connect with People /Network
• purchase preferences
• income levels
w w w. y o u t u b e . c o m / u s e r / R r e s o u r c e c e n t e r
• demographic information
ReferenceUSA’s YouTube channel has
a large number of very helpful and
informative videos on using the
database.
Analyze Data
• density maps
• charts & graphs
Manage Results
• what to print
• what to download
Business Source Premiere
Source Types
(EBSCOhost)
Business Source Premiere
Subjects
•
Entrepreneurship
•
Business planning
•
New business enterprises
•
Operating costs
•
United States
Notes
Industry Profiles are mainly international
and not the USA.
Market Research Reports tend to connect
you with a site where you can purchase
the report for a large fee.
(EBSCOhost)
Small Business Reference Center
(EBSCOhost)
Source Types
Notes
•
For a friendlier interface (next page), link to this database from the
EBSCOhost link at the top of www.apl.org/e. Once you are presented
with a list of databases, scroll down until you see the link to the Small
Business Reference Center at the bottom of the page.
•
Browse by category (through the friendly interface) for industry info, business
basics, startup kits, and business plans.
•
Contains many Nolo titles
•
Contains Market Research content: in the green header on the friendly
interface, click “Publications” and search by Match Any Words for
‘market research’
Small Business Reference Center
(EBSCOhost)
‘friendly’ interface
Regional Business News
(EBSCOhost)
Source Types
Subjects
•
Entrepreneurship
•
Business planning
•
New business enterprises
•
Operating costs
•
United States
Notes
Many articles don’t have Subjects assigned; find them with Keyword searching.
Academic Search Premiere
(EBSCOhost)
Source Types
Subjects
Notes
•
Entrepreneurship
•
Multi-disciplinary
•
Business Enterprises
•
•
Business Planning
Full text for more than 4,600 journals, including nearly
3,900 peer-reviewed titles
•
Small Business
•
PDF backfiles to 1975 or further for >100 journals
•
Business Losses
•
Searchable cited references > 1,000 titles
•
Risk management in business
•
“Is my product feasible? …Has anyone else tried this?”