Français About Main Menu What's New Submit a site

Business Support Services

An essential element for the small entrepreneur is the ability to easily access business support services and/or business centers which will provide him/her with business information and business support including advisory services necessary to improve his/her personal and organizational effectiveness, and succeed both at home and abroad. This page lists and rates valuable Internet resources which will help start, manage and grow a successfull small business.

Version Française

Last updated October 21st 2005

no star: Average ; Fair ; Good ; Very good ; Excellent ; Outstanding

Sites are reviewed individually and rated mostly according to content depth and value added, while also considering ease of navigation and speed of loading. For each category best resources are listed first.

Small Business Administration An excellent and essential site, homepage of the Small Business Administration in the US. 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 An essential site providing a search engine on small business information as well as direct links to organizations, publications, conferences, business opportunities, education, etc. Strategis Created by Industry Canada, Strategis provides business information to canadian SMEs in order to help them succeed at home and abroad. An excellent and very comprehensive site, of interest to everyone whether you are a canadian or not. Canada Business Service Centres 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) US Business Advisor 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. Excellent site very useful even for non US businesses. SBDCNET 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. An excellent site which provides information of interest to the budding entrepreneur and the small business owner. What I liked best is the fact that the site has been clearly structured to respond to the needs and interests of the small businesses. Do not miss their on-line resources, especially the link to publications. SME Toolkit A project of the International Finance Corporation, the SME Toolkit offers free business management information and training for small businesses and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) on accounting and finance, business planning, human resources (HR), marketing and sales, operations, and information technology (IT). The SME Toolkit offers a wide range of how-to articles, business forms, free business software, online training, self-assessment exercises, quizzes, and resources to help entrepreneurs, business owners, and managers in emerging markets and developing countries start, finance, formalize, and grow their businesses. Excellent site. Contact! The Canadian Management Network Targeting Canadian small businesses, Contact! offers a wide range of resources for Entrepreneurs and Small Business Support Organizations. What I liked best is the way it is divided in three sections whether you own, start or advise a small business. Bplans.com 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. Very good and practical site. CCH Business Owner's Toolkit 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. Very much focused on the U.S but still extremely useful for anyone starting or operating a small business. Business Week Online Small Business 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. Although very much US focused it is a very good site with a down to earth orientation. Profit Clinic 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. A very good site full of australian humor. Online Small Business Workshop This canadian site presents online training sessions covering the essentials of starting a business, from identifying a good idea and finding financing to marketing basics and planning fundamentals. A very good site. 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 : Entrepreneurs in business 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. ) Impressive collection of links and related documents. In my view more focused on academics than on entrepreneurs but still a very good site. Business Development Bank of Canada The Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) is Canada's small business bank. It is dedicated to supporting the creation and development of small and medium-sized businesses by providing timely and relevant financial and management services. The BDC's services are available across Canada in both English and French through a network of more than 80 branches, and its head office in Montreal. An essential site for Canadian small businesses ( I'm biased, I worked for them 20 years ago !!) LogisticsWorld LogisticsWorld is a directory of logistics resources on the internet providing information on logistics, transportation, warehousing, distribution, supply, maintenance, manufacturing, etc. An unusual and excellent site. Do not miss the WWW Virtual Libraries on Trucking and Logistics. Small and Home-Based Business Virtual Library From the University of Maine, this virtual library provides information on small business management topics and also includes home-based business fact sheets. Despite the obvious local focus it is an interesting and well designed site unfortunately plagued by java-script related problems. Business Resource Center 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. CanadaOne The site includes an online magazine, a Canadian business directory, Canadian specific business resources, a technology centre, and several other promotional tools designed to help Canadians grow their businesses. Despite the obvious focus on Canada it is of interest to anyone wishing to develop his/her own business. National Fraud Information Center The NFIC was originally established by the National Consumers League, a nonprofit consumer organization in the United States, to fight the growing menace of telemarketing fraud. An interesting site useful for both consumers and small business owners. PANGAEA Global Business Resource Centre A commercial site defining itself as a comprehensive global business resource center, including, news, trends, trade leads, databases and more. Communicate with one another, make new contacts, exchange ideas and get listed in PANGAEA's directory company showcase. Includes interesting feature articles on international trade. Big Dreams: Starting a Small Business 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.