Although perhaps not as exciting as first-hand business research sources, secondary business research sources are just as important to entrepreneurs, and are used heavily when creating a business plan or attempting to get business funding. Books, research studies and government data all fall into this category, and all tend to be analytical or data-based in nature, instead of the more touchy-feely, first hand information that primary business research sources provide.
Create A Business Research Binder
To start, create a binder with a section for each of the business research bits needed. Many entrepreneurs start with a divider for each area of a business plan, and create more sections as needed, while others use clipping files and place all of the relevant data into the appropriate files until they can be analyzed at a later date. Either way, as business research sources are found and copied or noted, they are immediately filed into the proper category so that when the time comes to use the business research, it is ready and organized for use.
Secondary Business Research Sources
The first stop in any entrepreneur's business research journey is the library, where most of the information required will be found. Get friendly with the business librarian or the business department of the local university library, and either ask for help or look for the following:
- The Small Business Sourcebook by Gale Research, which is a yearly publication that chronicles 300 different businesses offering crucial business research information to entrepreneurs, such as trade publications and financial sources of information;
- Trade publications and journals specific to the type of business research being sought after;
- Newsletters and published documents created by relevant trade associations;
- Government publications, including those put out by the SBA (Small Business Administration) and SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives);
- The Journal of The Association of Small Business Development Centers, which provides case studies to readers for a wide variety of business situations, all with the intent of taking real-world entrepreneurial issues and providing useful solutions;
- Access to online database clearinghouses that offer a wealth of raw business research data, such as Business Premier Search, Academic Search Premier, Regional Business News, the Tourism and Hospitality Index, Gale Virtual Reference Library, MASTERFile Premier and government census data.
Depending on location and time, there are several other places to look for secondary business research sources, such as the Center for Entrepreneurial Management, local post-secondary institutions that have business programs and SBDCs (Small Business Development Centers).
Bonny Albo - Bonny offers 20 years of writing experience to her readers. CNN, MSNBC, The LA Times and Macleans all reference her for expert advice.
