Careers: Start Your Own Business
Useful Resources for Small Businesses
- SBA.gov - U.S. Small Business AdministrationIndependent federal agency to aid and assist small business concerns.
- Guide to Choosing a Small Business StructureThe U.S. Small Business Administration provides this clear and concise guide covering the most popular business structures. Outlines the advantages and disadvantages of each type of business structure as well as tax requirements.
- IRS: Choosing a Business StructureA handy information sheet put together by the Internal Revenue Service detailing the tax implications of different business structures.
- SCOREFree Small Business Advice
- MantaMANTA lists over 63 million companies worldwide, searchable by industry and location. Results may be filtered by employees size and company revenue. You may add your business. (Once you register, you may choose not to have your information displayed when you visit a company site.)
- Financing Your BusinessProvided by Small Business Resource Center, an overview liabilities + equity = assets, where both sides of the equation are balanced.
- Budgeting your small businessTopic overview, provided by Small Business Resource Center, offering a wealth of information and tools to help companies track finances and avoid accumulating debt.
- Business.govBusiness.gov
A government provided information site for entrepreneurs and business owners. - State of South Carolina Business ResourcesResources for starting and running a business in South Carolina.
Need a Business Plan?
- Bplans - samplesBplans contains the largest single online collection of free sample business plans. In addition, it has helpful tools and know-how for managing your business. Bplans includes practical advice on planning, interactive tools and calculators, and a panel of experts who have answered thousands of questions from people like you. Bplans has won several awards as a valuable "plain talk" resource.
- Write a Business PlanThe United States Small Business Administration provides solid information on writing and using a business plan.
- Templates for your Business PlanBrowse the template gallery, which contains real business plans and financial & accounting statements created by SCORE.
Research Resources
- Small Business Reference Center This link opens in a new window
Offers exclusive full text for many top consumer small business reference books, as well as tools to address many small business topics. It includes business videos, a help and advice section and details on how to create business plans.
- Entrepreneurship: Gale Business This link opens in a new window
Comprehensive database that covers all aspects of starting and operating a business, including accounting, finance, human resources, management, marketing, tax, etc. This database combines authoritative periodical and reference content to support prospective and current entrepreneurs as well as business students. Mapped to four key stages—plan, fund, start, and manage.
- Small Business Start Up Guide for South CarolinaGuidelines for starting a small business in South Carolina. Includes: the South Carolina office of the U.S. Small Business Administration department, internet resources for small businesses, licenses and permits, tax incentives and exemptions, and the South Carolina State Office of Small and Minority Business Assistance.
Demographics
- U.S. Census BureauAn incredibly rich source of data for life in the United States.
- American Fact Finder: Census data by topicEnter your county in the text box. Topics include population, age, business/industry, education, housing, income, race, etc.
- Nonemployer StatisticsNES is an annual series that provides subnational economic data for businesses that have no paid employees and are subject to federal income tax. This series includes the number of businesses and total receipts by industry. Select state and then county.
- Wage Determinations OnLine (WDOL)This Federal Acquisitions Regulation (FAR) mandated Web site contains both current and archived (from 2000 on) wage determinations. Users can search for a determination or browse by state and county.
- Bureau of Labor Statistics - South Carolina OfficeSee South Carolina News Releases & Tables for:
Inflation & Consumer Spending
Employment & Unemployment
Pay & Benefits
Workplace Injuries - Economic Indicators from the U.S. Census BureauMonthly economic indicators that track the economy
- Monthly & Annual Retail TradeComprehensive site - current & historical data
- Consumer Expenditure SurveysInformation on the buying habits of American consumers, including data on their expenditures, income, and consumer unit (families and single consumers) characteristics. The most recent data tables are for 2009, and were made available on October 5, 2010.
- Consumer Price IndexesProvides access to the latest CPI figures, as well as historical data.
- North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)Information concerning NAICS - the standard used by Federal statistical agencies in classifying business establishments for the purpose of collecting, analyzing, and publishing statistical data related to the U.S. business economy.
- SIC (Standard Industrial Classification)Four digit numerical code assigned by the U.S. government to identify the primary business category. The SIC code has been replaced by the NAICS code but data sets still contain SIC codes so SIC codes are still used.