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The
Ocean County library has assisted hundreds of
county residents by providing information on starting
and managing a small business.
We own
books, videos, magazines and many brochures that
may be borrowed or photocopied. Find helpful titles
on start-up, law, financing, advertising and marketing.
Especially popular are the Entrepreneur Start-up
Guides that focus on specific businesses such
as How to Start A Limousine Service, How to Run
a Family Hair Salon, etc.
The
Ocean County Library's Business Link Exchange
provides local businesses in Ocean County, New
Jersey the opportunity to showcase their Web sites.
This Link Exchange is for Ocean County business
owners who are Ocean County Library cardholders.
The Business Link Exchange requires a Java-enabled web browser. Your browser may ask you for permission to run in order to access it.
Take advantage
of an excellent business reference collection featuring
current directories, indexes and government documents
in print or electronic format such as:
Thomas
Register of Manufacturers
Dun
and Bradstreet Regional Business Directory
Troy’s
Almanac of Business and Financial Ratios
Community
Profile Analysis: Consumer and Business Demographic
Reports / Ocean County
Encyclopedia
of Associations
Small
Business Sourcebook
ReferenceUSA
New
edition of Small Business Handbook will appear
here soon.
Check
our kiosks for a list of current events and area
announcements of interest to the small business
community.
Surf the
World Wide Web or create your own business forms
and documents using the library’s PCs. Attend
one of the free small business seminars given by
SCORE,
Counselors to America’s Small Business, Ocean County
Chapter 150 and the Monmouth/Ocean
Small Business Development Center.
Small business
resources on the World Wide Web
County
Clerk’s Office
Small business assistance from your county clerk
including information on trade name registration,
a directory of local chambers of commerce and a
direct link to the NJ Bureau of Commercial Recording.
New
Jersey Business Gateway Service: One Stop Shopping/Business
Gateway for New Jersey Businesses
Access the new NJ-Reg form to register your new
business with the state’s Bureau of Commercial
Recording. NJ-Reg covers all taxes and related liabilities
to which a new business may be subject. It also
covers filing of new business entities such as domestic
or foreign corporations and limited liability companies.
New
Jersey Small Business Development Center
The New Jersey SBDC provides information,
free counseling and affordable training on
a variety of topics
such as international trade, e-commerce and manufacturing.
Contact the Monmouth/Ocean
SBDC at Brookdale Community
College in Lincroft, NJ to arrange an appointment
with an SBDC counselor.
NY
Times Small Business Section
Offers articles of special interest to small business
owners.
SCORE
Counselors
to America’s Small Business Ocean
County Local Chapter 150
SCORE is a non-profit volunteer organization,
staffed by experienced business people who are dedicated
to advising the potential or established small business
owner. Be sure to visit our local chapter’s Web
page for information on SCORE’s free
confidential counseling service, office locations
and for a schedule of upcoming seminars held at
convenient locations throughout the county.
SCORE
National SCORE site offering expert
counseling via e-mail, links to a variety of helpful
Web sites and a directory of SCORE chapters
throughout the United States.
New
Jersey In Touch
Official
NJ site featuring handy links to sources on women
and minority business, demographics and labor market
information. Access NJ’s programs on business
and economic development including Prosperity
New Jersey, Procurement Purchase Bureau and
the New Jersey Business
Gateway Service.
Small
Business Administration
Small Business Administration
Online provides excellent information on loans,
disaster assistance and procurement. It also has
links to websites that provide legal information
related to small business.
Entrepreneur
Magazine’s Small Business Square
Online
business authority that offers links of special
interest to the small business owner in addition
to a searchable archive of articles.
CCH
Business Owner’s Toolkit
Commerce Clearinghouse,
the tax experts, offers advice on management, marketing
and taxes, of course. This site also provides a
free subscription to their online newsletter.
Yahoo!
Small Business
Small business news,
bulletin boards and chat rooms. Yahoo! Small
Business features articles on popular topics
such as how to build an online business and how
to expand your business globally.
"Visit
your state and local chamber web sites for details
on membership benefits and chamber events. Access
a complete roster of member businesses."
New
hyperlinks are listed below:
New
Jersey State
Toms
River – Ocean County
Greater
Lacey
Point
Pleasant Beach
Southern
Ocean County - serving
all points South of Forked River
including Barnegat, Long Beach
Island, Stafford and Tuckerton
Barnegat
Bay
Head Business Association
Brick
Lakewood
Jackson
Business plans
Bplans.com
Locate, download and edit sample business and
marketing plans from a variety of real businesses.
Financial
Ratios
Bankrate.com
Free rate information on financial products, including
mortgages, credit cards, CD’s, checking, etc.
Morebusiness.com
Confused by financial ratios? Select from a
list of quick calculators to determine how your
business measures up with others in the industry.
A must for anyone developing a business plan or
seeking a small business loan.
New York Times: E-Commerce Report
Check the E-Commerce
Report in the CyberTimes section each Monday for
all the latest in buying and selling online. Registration
is required but free of charge.
Wilson
Internet Services
Visit the
"Web Marketing Information Center" to
find answers to many of your questions regarding
e-commerce and Web site design.
Sell
It on the Web: Your #1 E-Commerce Resource
Start with
E-Commerce 101 for a step-by-step guide to
creating your own online store.
Zdnet's
E-business
Online classes and expert assistance make Zdnet
a practical tool for any business owner involved
in e-commerce.
Franchise
Zone
Franchise
500®
Fastest-Growing Franchises
Top New Franchises
Top 101 Homebased Franchises
About.com
- Small Business Information
A great starting point for any entrepreneur,
About.com covers all topics related to small business
such as home based businesses, legal matters and
financing.
Entrepreneur’s
HomeOfficeMag.com
Great tips on networking,
equipping and organizing for your home office.
MOMS
Network.com
A well maintained message board provides a forum
for work at home parents to discuss the challenges
of raising a family and running a successful home
business.
PowerHomebiz.com
Consult the "Home Based Business Guides"
for advice on getting started and avoiding common
pitfalls, balancing family and business and optimum
workspace design for your home office.
U.S.
Business Advisor
Comprehensive information
on doing business with the federal government, international
trade and business finance.
United States Customs Service
Read about
the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness
Act (SBREFA). Access commercial importing procedures
and requirements.
United
States Department of Commerce
Link to agencies
within the USDOC for comprehensive information on
all aspects of importing and exporting including
regulations, licensing, tariffs and embargoes:
Bureau
of Industry and Security
U.S.
export policies and regulations.
International
Trade Administration
Practical
information to help businesses select their markets
and products.
Elaws--U.S.
Department of Labor
Employment
law assistance for small business. Coverage includes
such topics as employee benefit plans and OSHA regulations.
FindLaw.Small
Business
Designed for
non-legal professionals, FindLaw contains a list
of useful forms, plans and sample company policies,
all available for downloading. Also contains a step
by step process on starting a business and a browsable
directory of lawyers by state.
NOLO’s
Legal Encyclopedia
Search
the small business category for answers to questions
on limited liability, partnerships, taxes and much
more.
United
States Patent and Trademark Office
Everything
you need to know about patent and trademark registration
including forms and fees. A searchable database
of current and expired patents and trademarks.
IRS
Digital Daily
Find federal tax
forms and publications. Be sure to explore the new
Small
Business and Self Employed One-Stop Resource
which provides a checklist for selecting a new business
and business structure.
New
Jersey Division of Taxation
Access publications and
forms for small business. Special
publications are available for key businesses
such as photographers, auctioneers, landscapers,
auto repair shops, and more.
Discover
Ocean County - Ocean County Office of Public Affairs
Descriptions of
county supported activities, organizations and current
events. A helpful site for those involved in the
tourist or real estate industries. It is useful
for planning the location of your business, your
products and your advertisements.
Associations
A guide of web sites of prominent organizations
and associations in business and economics made
available by the Internet Public Library. Joining
professional associations and attending their meetings
and conferences is an excellent form of newworking.
Festivals.com
Search the Festival finder
to access over 32,000 festivals around the world
for promoting your products or services.
Trade Shows
Directories of trade fairs and business events bringing
you an exhaustive coverage of exhibitions, trade
shows, expositions, conferences, and seminars both
national and international.
Kennedy
Information Online
Identify venture capital firms willing to finance
your business through Kennedy Information Online
brought to you by the Wall Street Journal’s Startup.wsj.com
Capital
Vector
2006 directory of venture capital, which helps you,
locate funding for your business.
VISA-For
Business
Find everything from venture
capital to equipment financing.
Black
Enterprise
A great Web site for African American entrepreneurs,
covering all areas of small business.
Blackwebportal
Boasting links to over 5,000 Black web sites, this
New Jersey based site is designed to serve the information
needs of African American entrepreneurs. List your
business for free or join the active BWP forum to
share opinions with other business owners
HispanicBusiness.com
This popular e-zine connects entrepreneurs to
the Hispanic market by offering tips on startup,
e-commerce and financing
Minority
Business Development Agency
The MBDA, is a federal agency created to support
the growth and expansion of minority owned businesses.
The MBDA provides business development services
to minority entrepreneurs, through several types
of programs.
New
Jersey Association of Women Business Owners
Connect with
State and Ocean County chapters for information
on seminars and meeting dates in your area.
Women’s
Business Center
The mission of this site
is to assist women achieve their dreams and improve
their communities by helping them start and run
successful businesses, regardless of social or financial
disadvantage, race, ethnicity or business background.
This site is also available in Spanish.
 1.
How
do I go about registering a trade name in Ocean
County?
2.
What
types of grants are available to small business
owners?
3.
My
bank has requested I attach a business plan to
my small business loan application. What is a
business plan?
1. How do I go about registering a trade
name in Ocean County?
All
new businesses in the county must file their trade
name with the Ocean County Clerk. For more information
on filing trade names contact the Ocean County
Clerk’s Office at (732) 506-5198 visit their
Web site at www.oceancountyclerk.com/bustn.htm
FAQ
Top
2. What types of grants
are available to small business owners?
Despite
what consumers are led to believe, there are few
grants available to small business owners. Most
financial assistance is provided by loans from
a lending institution or from individuals such
as family members or friends. For more detail
please visit the New Jersey Small Business Development
Center online at www.njsbdc.com
FAQ
Top
3. My bank has requested I attach a business plan
to my small business
loan application. What is a business plan?
The
business plan describes the basic aspects of the
business, its location, its operation and customers
served. Income statements, cash flow and balance
sheets are also necessary parts of the plan and
are carefully scrutinized by bankers when considering
a loan request.
According
to SCORE,
Counselors to America’s Small Business:
"The
fact that a bank or lending institution requires
a well executed business plan is a secondary consideration.
The primary purpose of the business plan is to
guide the owner or manager in successfully operating
the business, whether it is a sole proprietorship
or a complex corporation. Just the task of making
the plan forces the individual to consider all
aspects of the business and to confront the many
problems the plan will highlight."
For
more information on business plans visit the Small
Business Information Center of the Ocean County
Library. An excellent resource is Mike McKeever’s
“How to Write a Business Plan” (OCL
Call # R658.15224 McKe). The book is also available
electronically through EBSCOhost eBooks, an ebook database available through
the library website.
FAQ
Top
Got
questions? We have answers!
Researched
and compiled by M. Gasser
Updated by Angela Zebrowski 3/2006
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