Entrepreneurial Resources

Steven Stralser Ph.D. The Center for Professional Development, Inc. Voice: 800 758 3464 email: sstralser@aol.com www.mbainaday.com

Business Plans for a new business venture

Websites
The following websites offer tools and information to create forceful business plans for a start-up venture. (a) http://startupjournal.com/: Startup Journal is a site created by the publishers of The Wall Street Journal. This site is a very comprehensive collection of resources to research the market, secure financing, open a shop, hire employees and run the enterprise. a. Provides mini-plans to get the concept off the ground. b. Tools to estimate startup expenses. c. Tools to search for VC and other financing sources. d. Links to partner sites such as careerjournal.com and WSJ.com for relevant resources and information. (b) http://www.bplans.com/: Bplans.com, created by Palo Alto Software, offers thousands of pages of free sample plans, planning tools, and expert advice to help you start and run your business. The following are the salient observations regarding this website: a. Products available for sale are Business Pro and Marketing Pro, providing an excellent solution to create plans. Built-in text, spreadsheets, and examples help develop, manage and track the plans. The Business Pro also includes a huge database of VCs, and other relevant information that will help in targeting the business plans to the VCs. b. The tool is not available for free. However, the sample business plans are. (c) http://www.sba.gov/starting/indexbusplans.html: The U.S. Small Business Administration provides financial, technical and management assistance to help Americans start, run, and grow their businesses. With a venture capital portfolio of $13 billion, SBA is the nation's largest single financial backer of small businesses. Last year, the SBA offered management and technical assistance to more than one million small business owners. a. This website gives a good template for starters. However, it is not supported with sample business plans or forms or built-in text or spreadsheets. (d) http://www.businessplans.org/: This website is by Business Resource Software, Inc., a leading provider of marketing and business planning software. a. This website provides a library of links to hundreds of links offering research material for every possible line of business. b. This website also offers sample business plans that were either winners or finalists in UTs Moot Corp competition. c. The products for creating Business and Marketing Plan are available for a price. These products come with built-in templates, financials spreadsheets etc.

(e) http://www.highschoolstartups.com/index.shtml: This is a good website, though aimed at the youth, is a good primer on Startups and the associated rewards and challenges. (f) http://www.legalities.com/BusPlans.html: This site contains a compilation of self-help books to create a business plan. A good compilation.

Journals/Media
(a) http://tenonline.org/: Get-to-the-point website offering straight answers to the entrepreneurs and inventors. A very practical guide. (b) http://www.planigent.com/html/articles.html: This website provides links to some interesting articles on business plans and raising capital. A must read. (c) Writing business plan: A lender's perspective., By: Stowell, David, San Diego Business Journal, 19961111, Vol. 17, Issue 46 (d) Seven steps to a well-prepared business plan., By: Stevens, Mark, Executive Female, 19950301, Vol. 18, Issue 2

Securing Financing for the new business venture

Services
(a) http://startupjournal.com/partners/kennedy.html: This is a link from startupjournal.com website. This site offers a service of listing Venture Capital companies in a chosen industry. But, for a fee. (b) http://www.startupzone.com/index.asp: Startup Zone is a website offering an array of services for startups in technology industry. Investors, other startups, job seekers and product/service vendors use the companys flagship service, List Zone. This provides hooks to a range of challenges like financing, hiring, partnerships etc. (c) http://www.venturedrive.com/: Venture Drive is a venture catalyst company dedicated to accelerating time to money for early stage businesses. Expressway deal development and acceleration process leads to deal certification and access to their network of "Angel" investors and venture capital funds.

Journals/Media/Websites/Links
(a) http://www.planigent.com/html/articles.html: This website provides links to some of the recent and interesting articles on business plans and raising capital. A must read. and (b) http://www.nwfusion.com/columnists/2000/0925anderson.html http://www.nwfusion.com/columnists/2000/0807anderson.html: These are interesting articles giving a lighter vein perspective of securing venture financing. Two view points: one from VC angle and the other from entrepreneur angle. (c) http://tenonline.org/: Get-to-the-point website offering straight answers to the entrepreneurs and inventors. A very practical guide. (d) A venture finance virtual community: NVST Database; Weston; Apr/May 1999; Jan Davis Tudo

(e) Getting to market: Seed capital may be thin on the ground, but a good idea still has a strong chance of support. European Venture Capital Journal; London; Sep 1, 2001; Michael Murphy

HR and Staffing in a new business venture

Websites
(a) http://www.startupstaffing.com/index.html: An excellent staffing service aimed specifically aimed at startups in Austin. (b) http://www.startupzone.com/index.asp: Startup Zone is a website offering an array of services for startups in technology industry. Investors, other startups, job seekers and product/service vendors use the companys flagship service, List Zone. This provides hooks to a range of challenges like financing, hiring, partnerships etc.

Journals/Media
(a) http://hr.smartpros.com/x18214.xml, http://hr.smartpros.com/x17447.xml, http://hr.smartpros.com/x19130.xml, http://hr.smartpros.com/x19818.xml, and http://hr.smartpros.com/x20035.xml: These sites contain a excellent series of articles about issues faced by HR professionals in a startup business. A must read. (b) http://www.wetfeet.com/employer/articles/article.asp?aid=388: This site is an article on finding the right people to grow a business. (c) http://www.wetfeet.com/employer/articles/article.asp?aid=364: Is an article on scaling up an organization. (d) http://denver.bcentral.com/denver/stories/2000/09/25/smallb1.html: An article about outsourcing the staffing activities in a startup. (e) http://www.avce.com/files/editorial/200001/consultantscorner.html: Article on staffing startups in a strong economy. (f) http://www.zonecommunications.com/feb00/entwayoflife.html: An ex-MBA student, now an entrepreneur. His view of staffing. (g) http://tenonline.org/: Get-to-the-point website offering straight answers to the entrepreneurs and inventors. A very practical guide.

Marketing Communications for a new business venture

Services available
(a) http://wallrichlandi.com/indexfl.htm: From core message development through tactical implementation, Wallrich Landi provides a full range of communication services to help companies get the word out to their markets. Wallrich Landis capabilities include company and product branding, Web development, marketing collateral and environmental communications.

Journals/Media/Websites:
(a) http://hr.smartpros.com/x20749.xml: This site contains an article about promoting a new venture on a shoestring budget.

Other aspects of a startup

Legal Services
(a) www.nolo.com: By far the best law resource on the net. Provides Law Centers for free. Law Centers provide free information and advise on various aspects of business. This includes the ones specific to a start up organization. http://www.nolo.com/category/sb_home.html?t=0030LFNAV03202000 is a good page to start at. This page focuses on Small Business with a number of pages of advise and information on areas such as: Writing Business Plans, Choosing a Business Name, Renting office space, Employment, Taxes etc. (b) www.law.com: This is another free resource on law on the net. This site offers a great amount of information on limited areas such as Corporate Law, Employment Law, IP Law, Litigation and Tech Law. The information includes up-to-date news and relevant articles. (c) http://www.entrepreneur.com/Your_Business/YB_Node/0,4507,142-----,00.html: A page out of www.entrepreneur.com. This site lists articles and information very pertinent to an entrepreneur starting out new. Information such as choosing the business structure (incorporation! Or partnership! Or). (d) http://www.intelproplaw.com/: This website is dedicated for information and resources on Intellectual Property. (e) http://www.eff.org/Intellectual_property: A site hosted by EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation, a donor funded organization protecting the fundamental rights). This site offers a good compilation of related links on IP Protection. (f) Clicks vs. bricks: A bankruptcy comparison Commercial Law Bulletin; Chicago; Jul/Aug 2000; Harry W Greenfield; Jeffrey C Toole

Other important websites and information to remember

(a) The National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) is the trade association that represents the venture capital industry. It is a member-based organization. Its membership consists of venture capital firms and organizations that manage pools of risk equity capital designated for investment in young, emerging companies. Currently, the NVCA represents 400+ member firms, representing the majority of venture capital invested in U.S. based companies. (b) The National Association of Small Business Investment Companies (NASBIC) is dedicated to building and maintaining a strong and profitable Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) industry. For 42 years, NASBIC has played a pivotal role in promoting the growth and vitality of this business sector through effective representation in Washington and successful professional programs. (c) European Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (EVCA).

(d) Venture Capital Report is the UK's foremost business angel network, matching private investors with entrepreneurs seeking equity capital. VCR publishes the "bible" of the Venture Capital Industry, the VCR Directory 2001/2002 Edition. VCR is regulated by the SFA and is an associate member of the BVCA (British Venture Capital and Private Equity Association). (e) Venture Capital Institute: Sponsored by the National Association of Small Business Investment Companies (NASBIC) and the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA), the Venture Capital Institute is respected worldwide as the educational foundation for professionals in the venture capital and private equity profession.