qprev_HBB Manual 2.qxd - Small Business BC

Get Off to a Good StartA “research source” is a place where you findinformation. Research sources include people,information offices, Web sites, media programs,publications such as books and magazines, andless obvious ones such as suppliers, customers,and even competitors.Collect the names of people you speak to so youwill have contact information in the same placeas other information you get. Keeping track ofwhom you speak to is an important part oforganizing research – and it will greatly enhancethe task of putting your business plan togetherlater.Search the Internet. There’s a whole world ofinformation available at your fingertips –although finding information that’s relevant andreliable among the chaos can be challenging.• Use search engines – These are sites that helpyou search by keywords or topics. Some willallow you to select Canadian only information.Some have tools for narrowing the type ofsearch you want. Click on the help icons forassistance.Google www.google.comAltaVista www.altavista.comExcite www.excite.comLycos www.lycos.comNBCi www.nbci.msnbc.com/nbci.aspWebCrawler www.webcrawler.comYahoo Canada www.ca.yahoo.com• Search directories – Many sites act aslibraries of information that are stored by thehost or hotlinked to other sites on the Internet.Often the site provides a series of menus tohelp you navigate your way around the site, aswell as local search capability. Some to try are:Strategis www.strategis.ic.gc.caMediaFinder www.mediafinder.comCanoe www.canoe.caFinditwww.findit.comKnowX www.knowx.comVisit the library – especially if you don’t haveInternet access at home yet. The price is right,and the reference librarian may be your mostuseful, low-cost consultant. Local public,community college and university libraries havemany resources including current directories andcollections of standard business references, as dolocal business information centres. If you areuncertain what questions to ask, use the businessplan framework (see page 28) and make a“shopping list” of research questions. Ask alibrarian to help you find the references that havethe information you need.Use your business network. Make the most ofnetworks you belong to. If you know a lender, orknow that your business idea is only possible ifyou can get financing, consider meeting with abanker to discuss your idea. Your lender may beable to suggest other sources of information, suchas similar businesses in another area, or goodlocal suppliers. Your local Chamber ofCommerce is a good lead for making contactsand for business seminars and workshops.Contact business centres – Small business andenterprise development centres may exist in yourarea of the province. Often they are associatedwith community colleges. These centres bringtogether much useful information into onelocation. There may be a fee charged.Community colleges and School Districtssolutions for small business home-based business 21