Here is a list of Web resources for small-business owners, compiled from online directories, Small Business Administration publications and the Business Journal’s archives.
E-COMMERCE SERVICES
n www.bcentral.com
A Microsoft site offering e-commerce advice and services.
n www.caboose.com/
Electronic commerce software for Allaire Cold Fusion and Microsoft NT. Features: SSL, online administration, shopping cart, custom taxes and shipping, check-sum validation.
n www.digitaldaze.com/
Digital Daze Internet Services: Web site hosting
n www.ecxweb.com/partners/bizoffice/
E-Commerce Exchange: credit-card processing for e-commerce.
n www.goship.com
Shipping, value added reselling and enterprise system development for e-commerce.
n www.mindrush.com/domain
Amazing Domain Names: buy and sell domain names.
n www.ohgolly.com
Web site design and hosting and e-commerce support for small businesses.
n www.remit.net
RemitNet: online transaction processing.
n www.rockmall.com/secure.htm
Security for online credit-card transactions.
n www.sies.com
Check and credit-card acceptance and Web site posting.
n www.smalloffice.com
B2B commerce opportunities and business tools, plus online advisors.
n www.virtualis.com
Virtualis: Web hosting and e-commerce solutions.
n www.wazzu.com
Web site design and hosting for small businesses.
EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES
n www.all-ink.com
All-Ink.com: sells new compatible Epson and Canon inkjet cartridges.
n www.avnetdirect.com/
AvnetDirect: sells customized business-computing systems.
n www.b2bstores.com
b2bstores.com: business-related supplies and equipment, business services, and relevant business content.
n www.cofix.com
Cofix: an online exchange for matching buyers and sellers of information technology services such as the installation, maintenance, and upgrade of hardware, software and networks. Cofix also offers small businesses free, Web-based tools for helping them to manage their IT infrastructure.
n www.decide.com
Telecom shopping site.
n www.hookup.com
Carpenter & Associates Inc.: equipment leasing, including machine tool, medical, automotive and computers and other office automation equipment.
n www.iswt.com/libertel
Libertel Associates: Telecommunication equipment; computer and telephone headsets.
n www.livecapital.com
A business-to-business e-marketplace for small business financing where businesses can compare, apply for, and secure financing up to $20 million, including loans, lines of credit, equipment leases, credit cards, and more from many of the nation’s best-known financial institutions.
n www.lucent-rrr.com
Lucent Technologies: re-use, re-marketing and repair site
n www.officemax.com
OfficeMax OnLine
n www.simplexity.com
Telecom service broker.
n www.stamps.com
Allows users to print U.S.-approved postage for letters, postcards and packages, directly from their desktop.
n www.staples.com
Staples’ online site.
n www.warehouseinabox.com/Portal.html
Pleiades Group, Inc.: A complete bar-coding kit, specially designed for small mail-order businesses and entry-level e-commerce users, to record receipt of orders, track shipments and control inventory.
FINANCING
n www.abiworld.org
Archive of more than 6,000 research documents on bankruptcy and credit-related topics, written by scholars in the field of bankruptcy law. Also analyses of current trends and legislation.
n www.BetterLending.com
Hundreds of lenders and thousands of plans and programs. Find out about financing options, special programs and “niche” sources of capital, or get personalized advice by e-mail.
n www.bizposter.com
BizPoster.com: service to match high-tech entrepreneurs and investors.
n www.businessfinance.com/index.shtml
America’s Business Funding Directory: list of potential funding sources for business or real estate projects.
n www.entrepreneurmag.com/money/
Entrepreneur Magazine’s Money Channel: guide to raising money for your small or home-based business.
n www.inc.com/incmagazine/archives/02980741.html
A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Capital Resources: list of books and Web sites that can help you find financing. Topics include private investors, bank loans, debt, economic-development programs, factoring, and going public.
n www.onecore.com
ASP offering financial-services software from cash-flow tracking and management to payroll to credit-card processing.
n www.smallbusinesscenter.com
America’s Small Business Center: check customer credit online, apply for small-business loans, compare insurance prices and policies and more.
n www.vfinance.com/
The Venture Capital Resource Library: directory of venture capital resources and related services.
GOVERNMENT AND
ORGANIZATIONS
nwww.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/cfr-table-search.html
The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) is the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the departments and agencies of the federal government.
n www.business.gov/busadv/index.cfm
Federal government information, services and transactions.
n www.census.gov
Census Bureau: statistical abstracts of U.S., states and regions
n www.hoaa.com
Home Office Association of America Web site.
n www.irs.ustreas.gov
IRS Web site.
n www.mbda.gov
Minority Business Development Agency Web site.
n www.nawbo-oc.org
National Association of Women Business Owners, OC chapter Web site.
n www.ocbc.org/index.asp
Orange County Business Council Web site.
n www.oc.ca.gov
Orange County Web site.
n www.pueblo.gsa.gov/smbuss.htm
Federal Consumer Information Center: provides online versions of books on the legal issues involved in starting and running a small business.
n www.sbaonline.sba.gov
U.S. Small Business Administration provides programs, information and financing for small businesses.
n www.wedc.org
Women’s Entrepreneurial Development Center Web site.
HUMAN RESOURCES
n www.employeepolicies.com
Employee Policies on Disk: can be customized.
n www.personality-plus.com
Personality Plus employment testing system.
n www.prioritypay.com
Online payroll service.
n www.trainonvideo.com
This site offers free download of a General Ledger Bookkeeping System (GLS) for UNIX. The main service is video training courses, with a complete range of computing topics in UNIX, C++, Windows NT and Windows applications.
n www.valuefocus.com
Business and employee development and training in values-based management.
n www.workseek.com
Online recruitment site.
LEGAL
n www.freeadvice.com
Provides free answers to legal questions.
n www.lawhog.com/smallbusiness.shtml
Small-business law site for the non-lawyer. Answers to common questions, without jargon or legalese, plus ask-a-lawyer forums, discussion groups, and more.
n www.lawguru.com
A law Web site offered as a free service. From the Legal Research page, state laws can be accessed. A search on more than 500 legal search engines and tools can also be carried out.
LINKS AND INFORMATION
RESOURCES
n infoonline.com/videos2.htm
Business, professional and special interest videos, CD-ROMs, and audio cassettes.
n www.allsmallbiz.com
Provides links to small business-related Web sites. Also has an email news service with information relevant to small businesses.
n www.bankrate.com/brm/biz_home.asp
Information and links on various issues related to starting and running a small business.
n www.bizoffice.com
Web site for small businesses, with links to several sites offering services to small and home-based businesses.
n www.bizresource.com
Tips and links for small businesses.
n www.corporate.com
Information on starting and running a business.
n www.edgeonline.com
Entrepreneurial Edge: information, advice and links for entrepreneurs.
n www.entrepreneurmag.com
Site on how to successfully start and run a small business.
n www.infoiway.com
INFOiway: free how-to articles pertaining to business start-up, writing sales letters and press releases.
n www.ltbn.com
The Let’s Talk Business Network: audio programs, resources, links, FAQs, articles and edutainment.
n www.profitbooks.com/
Profit Source Publishing: Books, CD-ROMs, links and other offerings for small businesses.
n www.smartbiz.com
How-to resources for small businesses.
n www.tsnn.com
The Trade Show News Network owns and operates this database for the trade-show industry.
MARKETING
n www.actionplan.com
Action Plan Marketing: information on marketing for service businesses.
n www.addnet.com
Adnet: Small business Internet advertising and marketing service.
n www.allpromotionalproducts.com/
Manufacturer’s Direct: imprintable promotional products from low-end giveaways to high-end executive gifts.
n www.bizoffice.com/submit/
Submit 2000: submits Web sites to 2,000-plus search engines and directories.
n www.digitalstore.com/marketing/mstern
Marketing for Small Businesses: a look at traditional media and new media, including the Web, and its effective use by today’s small businesses.
n www.discribe.ca/yourhbiz/yourhbiz.htm
A Canadian Web site set up to provide space for home-based businesses to use for advertising.
n www.gebbieinc.com
Gebbie Press: publishes the All-In-One Media Directory, listing 23,000 US TV and radio stations, daily and weekly newspapers, trade and consumer magazines, Black and Hispanic media, syndicates, networks and other. In print, on disk or mailing labels.
n www.gmarketing.com
Guerrilla Marketing: Help with marketing small or home-based businesses.
n www.labko.com
Labko Web Designs
n www.manrabbithouse.net
Web site design and custom applications for small businesses.
n www.marketingtips.com/tipsltr.html
The Internet Marketing Center: Marketing tips and strategies for Internet marketing, online advertising and Web site promotion.
n www.marketingtools.com
Three magazines devoted to marketing strategies and consumer trends: American Demographics, Marketing Tools, and Numbers News.
n www.messageblaster.com
MessageBlaster.com: send the same message to many people by email, phone, pager, fax, postal mail or overnight delivery; poll recipients for yes or no responses; and track online who received messages and when.
n www.netnetmoney.net
Internet Business Marketing: Advertising and Web site promotion and Internet marketing for small businesses.
n www.newsbureau.com
The Internet News Bureau: press release writing and distribution services, targeted modules, international services, and custom media relations.
n www.novaimc.com
Marketing, advertising, retailing, consulting solutions for businesses on the Internet. Web design, computer consulting, Christian principles in marketing.
n www.platypusmultimedia.com
Platypus Multimedia Solutions: multimedia tools for sales and marketing, including Web site design, promotional CD-ROMs, screen savers and more.
n www.printfellow.com
Printfellow Online Printshop: the site allows visitors to design business cards, bumper stickers, and other materials, which are printed and delivered.
n www.profnet.org
Profnet Inc.: professional networking specialist teaching online and offline networking techniques.
n salesdoctors.com
SalesDoctors magazine: A publication devoted to helping sales people, sales managers and small business owners develop better methods of selling, to close new business and have customers come back for more.
nwww.successhelp.com/store/334/index.html
E-Commerce in Plain English: marketing strategies, secrets of the Internet, and online promotion and advertising for conventional or home-based business.
n www.websketch.com
Websketch: Web site design and development for businesses.
OTHER SERVICES
n www.anyday.com
This Web site provides a free online day-planner that combines an integrated calendar, address book, reminder service and task manager with an event directory.
n www.bidcast.com
BidCast: requests for bids from the federal government and prime contractors.
n www.bizfilings.com
Business Filings: service that drafts and submits paperwork to incorporate a business or form a limited liability company or a nonprofit corporation in any of the 50 states.
n www.digitalwork.com
DigitalWork.com: provides entrepreneurs with a suite of online services from marketing to human resources to financial services.
n www.discreetresearch.com
Discreet Research: Public records search site offering business reports and pre-employment background checks.
Credit-card acceptance.
n www.huddle247.com
Huddle24-7: collaborative project software to integrate work being performed at more than one location.
n www.inreach.com
Provides dial-up Internet access, web hosting, dedicated connections and business Internet solutions to consumers and businesses.
n www.nexchange.net
This is an online gift store for flowers, chocolate and corporate gifts.
n www.paytrust.com
Paytrust.com: an online bill-payment service.
n www.quickforms.com
QuickForm Contracts Online: automates the drafting of agreements for computer industry, Internet commerce and general business transactions.
n www.score.org
SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) is a resource partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration. Working and retired executives and business owners donate their time and expertise as volunteer business counselors and provide confidential counseling and mentoring free of charge.
n www.thehartford.com/homebusiness/
AARP Home Business Insurance Program from The Hartford
n www.timebills.com
TimeBills.com: Web-based time billing designed for solo practitioners and small businesses.
n www.upshot.com
Upshot Online: Internet service for managing sales teams.
PURCHASING
n www.buyerszone.com/
BuyersZone: buyer’s guide and purchasing resource for the entrepreneur, small business, and home office consumer.
SHIPPING AND DISTRIBUTION
n www.fedex.com
Federal Express Web site.
n www.fedexground.com
More Federal Express services.
n www.netship.com
Netship: product inventory, fulfillment and distribution to domestic and international on-line retailers. On-line inventory reports, shipment and account history available for clients.
n www.nowdocs.com
Two-hour document delivery to various U.S. locations.
n www.smartship.com
National service based on alliances with a network of regional shippers.
n www.ups.com
UPS Web site.
n www.usps.com
U.S. Postal Service Web site.
SOFTWARE
n www.camcommerce.com
CAM Commerce Solutions: point-of-sale software and systems and e-commerce software
n www.expertpractice.com
ASP providing medical practice management software.
n www.mbisoftware.com
MBI Business Software: General business and medical office management.
n www.meetingroomtools.com
Meeting Room Tools: communication solutions, audio and video tools, data presentation and conferencing products.
n www.mysoftware.com
MySoftware : mailing, invoicing, labeling and brochure/business card software aimed to help small businesses create professional-looking materials.
n www.needoffice.com
needoffice.com: ASP site offering subscribers office 2000, quick books, FTP sites, e-mail, calendar, voice mail, and Web hosting.
n www.nwns.com/~trs/
Northeast Network Solutions Inc.: software for point-of-sale, retail inventory, accounts receivable, customer tracking and time-clock system.
n www.timeslips.com
Timeslips Corp: time management software for service professionals.
n www.trizetto.com
TRADEMARKS
n www.nameprotect.com
This Web site offers trademark research and registration services.
n www.tmweb.com
TM Web: trademark-related information and search service for both American and Canadian federal trademarks.
,Compiled by Meenakshi Viswanathan and Roger Bloom
