An essential element for the small business owner is the ability to easily access advisory services and technical assistance that will provide him/her with business information and advice necessary to improve his/her personal and organizational effectiveness, and succeed both at home and abroad. This page lists valuable electronic resources that will help start, manage and grow a successful business.

A Free Internet Course On How To Start A Business Too often people fail in business because they make avoidable mistakes! My Own Business is an online, eleven-session course providing the basic do's and don'ts for entrepreneurs. The course is intended for both start-up and already operating entrepreneurs. With audio Sound Bytes, quizzes, feed back and a tool to create your own business plan, the site is fully interactive.

Developed from the "real world" experience of experts in the field, the course has been continually refined and expanded since 1993 and is presented by My Own Business, Inc., a 501c(3) nonprofit organization. You'll find business procedures and practical examples, easily presented for users with different levels of expertise, interests and time availability.

An excellent and essential site, homepage of the U.S Small Business Administration. Provides information and advice on starting, financing or expanding a Small Business. Even provides shareware for starting a business. Of particular interest is their International Hot link

YAHOO Small Business Information

This is an essential site providing a search engine on small business information as well as direct links to organizations, publications, conferences, business opportunities, education, etc.

The mission of the CBSCs is to improve SME start-up, survival and growth rates by giving business people in every part of Canada access to accurate, timely and relevant information and referrals. This "gateway to Canadian business information" is not only comprehensive but also excellent and is clearly of interest to non-Canadians. Do not miss the "Interactive Business Planner"(which enables you to prepare a business plan on-line) and the "Online Small Business Workshop" (which is in my view one of the best of its kind)

The US Business Advisor provides small businesses with one stop access to federal government information, services and transactions. It includes sections on business development, financial assistance, taxes, laws and regulations, international trade, etc. Very clear and easy to navigate site obviously designed to respond to small business needs.

The Small Business Development Center National Information Clearinghouse (SBDCNET) serves as a resource providing timely, relevant research, web-based information, and training services to the SBDC counselors and their clients in the United States and its territories. This is an excellent site that provides information of interest to the budding entrepreneur and the small business owner.

Although a commercial site from PaloAlto Software, this is a very good site providing free full-fledged business plans for all kinds of businesses. You can download sample business plans that have proved successful that you can read and emulate. In addition the corresponding commercial software has received high marks in the specialized press.

Smart Business Supersite

SmartBiz SBS was designed with one clear mission: to be the single most important source of high-quality, "how-to" business information on the 'Net.This "free" site offers very interesting links and information in the "browse SBS" section. I particularly liked their "Doing Business on the Internet", "Home-based Business" and "International Business" sections

Idea Cafe: The Small Business Channel

Idea Cafe is a web guide for small businesses, providing tips and advices as well as pointers to useful resources. What I liked most was the emphasis on down-to-earth practical approach. Despite the space taken by advertising banners it is a very good site. Do not miss the "Idea Cafe Fridge".

Power Homebiz Guides

Power HomeBiz Guides is an online magazine offering a wide-range of information and tools for home businesses, the focus being on "How-To" Information for the new or the would-be entrepreneur in mind.

The CCH Business Owner's Toolkit is also labelled "total know-how for small business". It's more than just plain marketing "hype" as it includes lots of information, including all the essentials on starting, planning, financing, and marketing your small business.

Business Week Enterprise

Created by Business Week magazine, this new site offers news and features for small-business owners and entrepreneurs, plus advice, regular columns, and a wide range of business resources.

The Profit Clinic describes itself as an "innovative, entrepreneurial, free-wheeling, subversive, no-bull, no-frills, USEFUL site for Small Business" and indeed it is as unorthodox as can be, and very useful as well.

The online version of Entrepreneurial Edge magazine, which provides in-depth feature articles covering every aspect of starting, managing and growing a business. Includes excellent resource connections

SUCCESS: The Online Magazine for the Entrepreneurial Mind

SUCCESS is a business magazine for today's entrepreneurial mind. It is written for business owners, entrepreneurs, and entrepreneurial thinkers, with the entire editorial aimed at improving their personal and organizational effectiveness. Do not miss their section on "The Source" an electronic guide for the entrepreneur, or their back issue on "working at home".

Dun & Bradstreet solutions and strategies

The Dun & Bradstreet homepage includes solutions and strategies to help you manage your business. Very useful collection of how-to’s and tips.

EntreWorld is an online information resource for entrepreneurs which attempt to provide a solution to information overload on the Web by providing filtered information coded by stage of business development (Starting Your Business, Running Your Business, Rapid Growth, and Supporting Entrepreneurship.)

EntrepreNet is an electronic resource center for the entrepreneur. The site features information and links for entrepreneurs and small business owners. EntrepreNet maintains an online reference library containing information on a variety of topics.

A service of the Edward Lowe Foundation, SmallbizNet is an information toolbox for starting, running, and growing a small business;. The heart of SmallbizNet is a collection of over 4,000 documents, selected from government agencies, small business consultants, etc.

Business Resource Center is a commercial site providing free resources mostly for new business starters. The Center includes four main sections: getting started, the marketing department, the management center, the financing guide. Basic information but good. Includes a discussion group.

Small Business Survival Center

A free service of the Business Journal, this site offers "how to" articles, surveys and reports of interest to the small business owner. You can also ask questions to a panel of experts.

The Small Business Resource Center is a collection of free reports, hypertext links and an illustrated catalog containing books and tapes of interest to current and prospective business owners.

Entrepreneurs on the web is a "database of information relevant to Entrepreneurs both big and small, future and present".

Big Dreams is a monthly Canadian newsletter on personal development and topics related to starting a small business. Back issues are available from the National Library of Canada website.

The Entrepreneur Resources Center

A commercial site dedicated to assisting Entrepreneurs worldwide on succeeding in Cyberspace. Of interest is the link to resources for online marketing success