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BUSINESS RESOURCE LIST

Edgewood College Training Programs

· Addresses business needs for on-the-job management training - http://www.edgewood.edu/newsItem/000001.htm

· Contact - http://www.edgewood.edu/directories/clc.htm

Small Businesses

· Events - http://www.wisconsinsbdc.org/events/ Calendar of events with help in getting your business started, how to deal with a sluggish worker, and other learning courses. For Entrepreneurs, new businesses, marketing plans

· One to one assistance - http://www.wisconsinsbdc.org/1to1-assistance/ Receive free over the phone business answers to your start-up and management questions.

· Small Business Planner - http://www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/index.html

· Local Resources provided by SBA - http://www.sba.gov/localresources/district/wi/index.html - The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) was created in 1953 as an independent agency of the federal government to aid, counsel, assist and protect the interests of small business concerns, to preserve free competitive enterprise and to maintain and strengthen the overall economy of our nation.

· What type of Business are you? - http://www.smallbusinessmadison.com/ – a resource for prospective and existing small businesses. SmallBusinessMadison.com was one of SBAC’s first initiatives.

· University of Wisconsin Small Business Development Center - http://exed.wisc.edu/sbdc

· US Small Business Administration - http://www.sba.gov

· Know how For Small Business http://www.toolkit.cch.com

Entrepreneur

· Training program- http://exed.wisc.edu/sbdc/startup/etp/default.asp

· Training program for entrepreneurs - http://www.wisconsinsbdc.org/training-program/

· For Young Entrepreneurs - http://www.sba.gov/services/specialaudiences/youngentrepreneurs/index.html

· Entrepreneur - http://www.entrepreneur.com/

· Entrepreneur Sales and Marketing - http://www.entrepreneur.com/salesandmarketing

· Inc. Magazine http://www.inc.com

New Business

· http://www.wisconsinsbdc.org/new-biz/ First steps to determine your strengths and weaknesses along with current business owners success stories

· http://exed.wisc.edu/sbdc/startup/default.asp

· http://www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/start/index.html - Ways to get started and manage the business once up and running

Existing Business

http://www.wisconsinsbdc.org/existing-biz/ One on one counseling for CEO’s, presidents, and business owners with counselors who are experts and understand the opportunities and challenges of owning your own business.

· Established business solutions - http://exed.wisc.edu/sbdc/established/default.asp

Funding/Grants –

· Funding/ Grants - http://www.wisconsinsbdc.org/funding-grants/ Different grants and programs offered to get your business or project up and running.

· Financial Assistance - http://www.cityofmadison.com/Business/financialAssistance.cfm Loan programs, Venture Capital, and other City of Madison assistance

· More Financial Assistance Options - http://www.sba.gov/services/financialassistance/index.html

· Different Types of Services - http://www.sba.gov/services/index.html Learn about SBA-backed loans, government contracting opportunities, disaster assistance and training programs to help your business succeed.

Resources for Women – http://exed.wisc.edu/sbdc/women/default.asp Attend a breakfast presentation of success stories that will refresh your mind, body and soul.

· Office of Women’s Business Ownership - http://www.sba.gov/aboutsba/sbaprograms/onlinewbc/index.html

Minority Business Directory

· www.thembd.com – The Minority Business Directory is a listing of the many local businesses owned by African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Latinos and women.

Business Plan - http://exed.wisc.edu/sbdc/startup/dbp/default.asp

Franchise Opportunities
http://www.wisconsinsbdc.org/events/index.aspx?ID=1194 Franchise opportunities for women, minorities, and veterans

· Franchising - http://www.franinfo.com and http://www.franchising.com/

Demographics and City of Madison Information

· http://www.cityofmadison.com/econdev/econdev.html - The Office of Business Resources provides business start-up, retention, expansion, attraction and technical assistance services for entrepreneurs and businesses.

o Business Assistance - http://www.cityofmadison.com/Business/businessAssist.cfm Need assistance with starting you business planning? Find resources here.

o Economic/Demographic Information - http://www.cityofmadison.com/Business/demographics.cfm Community information and demographics

Small Business Advisory Council

· http://www.greatermadisonchamber.com/news_articles/small_business_advisory.php - Have questions on public policy and economic development? These GMCC leaders will provide and guide you in assistance with these questions.

Research and Reference Resources

· http://www.madisonpubliclibrary.org/ref/mpl_business.html - Madison’s Public Library offers a website for many different references for starting your own business including associations and non-profit groups.

UW Business Resources Directory

· http://www.ocr.wisc.edu/docs/campusresources.pdf - Contacts at Universities around the State of Wisconsin and their areas of expertise.

· http://www.madison.com/features/bob/articles/business_resources.php

· Time Magazine Business Section http://www.time.com/time/business

Free patent searching, and PDF downloading http://www.FreePatentsOnline.com

MIT Free Online Courses

· http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/ - Read about MIT and see what classes they have to offer

· http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Sloan-School-of-Management/index.htm - The curriculum MIT has for the School of Management

Advertising & Marketing

· AdAge Magazine - http://www.adage.com

· American Advertising Federation - http://www.aaf.org

· American Marketing Association http://www.marketingpower.com or www.ama.org

· Green Book - http://www.greenbook.org A guide for buyers of marketing research services

· B2b Sales and Marketing - http://www.imarketinc.com

· Guerrilla Marketing Articles http://www.gmarketing.com/articles

Information for Research and Education

· U.S. Census Bureau - www.census.gov

· Bureau of Labor Statistics - www.bls.gov

· Wall Street Journal - http://online.wsj.com/public/us

· Gallup Organization - http://www.gallup.com

· Time Magazine Business Section http://www.time.com/time/business

Online Personal Assessment

· Free Career Assessment - www.assessment.com

· Questionnaires to assess your perspectives in many different areas. From measuring your happiness, to uncovering your strengths, to defining your level of optimism, you will have fun going through the various questionnaires. - www.authentichappiness.com

· What kind of communicator are you? http://secure.actualme.com/checkout.php?step=1

· Personal Assessment - http://www.discprofile.com/whatisdisc.htm This website explains the concepts of DISC. You can also take the survey on-line. The DISC Classic is $25.95 and the DISC Classic Plus is $59.95. The DISC is a four quadrant behavioral model. DISC is an acronym for: Dominance: People who score high in the intensity of the 'D' styles factor are very active in dealing with problems and challenges, while low D scores are people who want to do more research before committing to a decision. High "D" people are described as demanding, forceful, egocentric, strong willed, driving, determined, ambitious, aggressive, and pioneering. Low D scores describe those who are conservative, low keyed, cooperative, calculating, undemanding, cautious, mild, agreeable, modest and peaceful.

Influence: People with High I scores influence others through talking and activity and tend to be emotional. They are described as convincing, magnetic, political, enthusiastic, persuasive, warm, demonstrative, trusting, and optimistic. Those with Low I scores influence more by data and facts, and not with feelings. They are described as reflective, factual, calculating, skeptical, logical, suspicious, matter of fact, pessimistic, and critical.

Steadiness: People with High S styles scores want a steady pace, security, and don't like sudden change. Low S intensity scores are those who like change and variety. High S persons are calm, relaxed, patient, possessive, predictable, deliberate, stable, consistent, and tend to be unemotional and poker faced. People with Low S scores are described as restless, demonstrative, impatient, eager, or even impulsive.

Conscientious: Persons with High C styles adhere to rules, regulations, and structure. They like to do quality work and do it right the first time. High C people are careful, cautious, exacting, neat, systematic, diplomatic, accurate, tactful. Those with Low C scores challenge the rules and want independence and are described as self-willed, stubborn, opinionated, unsystematic, arbitrary, and careless with details.