Business Information (General)

AllBusiness: Champions of Small Business
The "Business Advice" section provides hundreds of how-to articles, expert advice, and downloadable (for a fee) business forms and agreements.

AskNow
AskNow provides immediate and reliable information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through live, online chat with business librarians throughout California. From the convenience of your home or office, you can obtain quick answers to your questions. This service is also available in Spanish.

Business.com - Small Business
This subset of the meta site business.com provides extensive links to Small Business categories, including business plans, managing growth, franchising, minority-owned businesses, family-owned businesses, women-owned businesses, etc.

Business Nation
The site contains a comprehensive Small Business Resource Directory, including Web site links, entrepreneur resources, small business news, and much more.

Business: The Business Gateway to Federal Resources
This is a one-stop portal to any kind of Federal form or information that a small business owner needs to access; the topics range from Federal government services (including training and financial assistance) to applicable laws and regulations. Developed and maintained by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

CCH Business Owner's Toolkit
Downloadable checklists, model business plans, forms, and other documents are available here free of charge.

Digital Commerce Center
The site contains online resources for entrepreneurs and small business owners, and archives The Entrepreneur's Notebook, a column sponsored by EC2 and published weekly in the Los Angeles Business Journal.

Entreworld
There is a "world of resources" including articles and research links here, divided into the broad categories of Starting Your Business, Growing Your Business, and Supporting Entrepreneurship. The Biz Info Center is especially noteworthy.

Fambiz
This site tailors its information to family-owned and closely owned companies, covering such topics as sibling rivalry and inter-generational issues.

HealthCoverageGuide.org
From the California Healthcare Foundation, this site provides "independent, unbiased information" to help "small business owners in California" decide whether to offer health insurance to employees and to choose the best plan for their company and employees. It includes legal considerations, who is eligible for coverage, and a step-by-step planning guide for setting up a business health plan.

HowStuffWorks   Business Channel
Part of the award-winning HowStuffWorks destination site, this is an unusual resource for anyone who wants to know how different aspects of business work, from E-commerce to banner ads.

PeerSpectives
The Edward Lowe Foundation champions the entrepreneurial spirit by encouraging "second-stage" business owners to peer network and take their company to the next level. A second-stage business is past the start-up stage but not yet professionally managed.

SCORE: Counselors to America's Small Business
The Service Corps of Retired Executives gives small business owners free guidance in establishing and maintaining successful enterprises. The Web site offers disaster advice; locations of local chapters; links to calculators, free software, business plans, trade shows, and other business resources; news and informational articles; and free, confidential counseling by e-mail and in person. Counselors representing more than 600 skills are available to assist in locating investors, setting goals, veterans' business issues, and other matters.

Small Business Advisor
This site contains a wide variety of online information for the entrepreneur and small business owner.

Small Business Resources: Work At Home Mom
Designed for work-at-home-moms, the site contains an extensive list of small business resources.

Welcome Business USA
Practical hands-on, how-to's, and ideas for operating a small business are gathered here.

Escondido Public Library.
Revised: 06/24/08.