How to Open A Small Business Resources

The Clearwater Public Library System offers a variety of resources on HOW TO OPEN A SMALL BUSINESS and ENTREPRENEURSHIP. Through a collection of books, information finders, electronic resources and agency contacts, you can find the information you need for your new venture. To find Clearwater Public Library System resources check the Catalog. Use the SUBJECT or KEYWORD search options and enter the subject you wish to search. You will get the titles and call numbers of materials in the Clearwater Public Library System for that subject. Most of the books for these subject headings are located in the following range of call numbers: 331 - 338.74 and 650 - 658.8708. These are examples of the subject headings you can use:

BUSINESS ENTERPRISES CORPORATIONS ENTREPRENEURSHIP FRANCHISES HOME-BASED BUSINESSES INCORPORATION INVENTIONS MANAGEMENT

MARKETING NEW BUSINESS ENTERPRISES NEW PRODUCT-MANAGEMENT PATENTS SELF-EMPLOYED SMALL BUSINESS TRADEMARKS VENTURE CAPITAL

Business Plans

To find out how to write a business plan and to see sample copies of business plans for different businesses, look at the books:

• Small Business Start-Up: How to Write a Business Plan
  658.11/McK
• Model Business Plan for Product Businesses
  658.4012/Coh
• Model Business Plans for Service Businesses
  658.4012/Coh
• Business Plans Handbook
  REF658.4012/Bus v.1-7

Books on how to open a business in Florida include:

• How to Start a Business in Florida: With Forms
  346.065/War
• How to Form a Simple Corporation in Florida: With Forms
  346.759/War
• How to Form Your Own Florida Corporation: With Computer Disk
  346.066/Man

Demographics

The Reference Department has compiled a City of Clearwater Demographic Notebook (located at the Reference Desk at the Main Library) that contains demographics for the Clearwater area from a variety of publications and local sources. These include the U.S. Census, The Florida Statistical Abstract (REF317.59/Flo), The St. Petersburg Times Zip Code Profiles (Vertical File) and the City of Clearwater Annual Report.

National, regional, state and county demographics are also available from a variety of online and print sources. Check with a Librarian for more information.

Government Documents

The Clearwater Public Library is a government documents depository site. Business serial sources from the U.S. Government Printing Office include: Commerce Business Daily which lists notices of U.S. procurement and contract awards; Export America, the federal source for your global business needs is designed to help U.S. businesses export by providing practical information about every step of the exporting process; Survey of Current Business provides statistics on the U.S. government's economic situation. The National Trade and Data Bank (NTDB) which is available through the STAT-USA government database also contains information about exporting and international trade.

Many Government sites on the World Wide Web can be accessed from the Clearwater Public Library's Government Documents web page. These links include the IRS Federal Tax Forms as well as different government agencies such as the Commerce Business Daily. Other good link: the Code of Federal Regulations for OSHA rulings.

Internet Resources

Through the Clearwater Public Library's web site, you can access a wide variety of information both local and global in scope. The library's website at offers links to various business sites as well as to different Internet search engines. Access to the Internet is available at all the Clearwater Public Library locations. Internet training classes are available at the Main Library on a regular basis. Call the Reference Desk (727-462-6800 x257) for information.

A variety of business information finders for the small business and entrepreneurship client are available. These include business plans, franchise, import/export, incorporation, inventions/patents/trademarks, marketing, small-business management and home-based businesses.

The City of Clearwater's web site contains information on the various city departments. Under Planning & Development Services you can find information on permits and applications, occupational licenses, site inspections, planning and zoning codes and laws. The Economic Development Department page has information on commercial and residential loans, doing business in Clearwater and a Business Guide for starting a business in Clearwater. You can also access a variety of local, county, state and national business sites. The Public Works/Engineering page has information on city construction, environmental regulations, field engineering and parking.

Laws

To find out which laws and regulations you need to be aware of as a business owner in the Clearwater area, check the Clearwater Code of Ordinances (REF348.023/Cle); the Pinellas County Code (REF348.023/Pin) and the Florida Statutes (REF348.022/Flo). More documents can be found here.

Marketing

To research other businesses and competitors in the area as well as to research marketing leads, the library has many business directories and online sources.

• Reference USA is available anywhere with a Clearwater Public Library card. It is an online that contains information on over 12 million businesses in the U.S. It is can be searched by the name of the company, SIC code or yellow page heading. The geographic area can be selected for national, state, city, county or zip code. For example, by using the yellow page heading for restaurants and narrowing the geographical location to the City of Clearwater, you can find out how many restaurants there are in the Clearwater area.
• Business Directory for Pinellas County-Contacts Influential is another marketing tool for the area that can be searched by name of the company, SIC code, key individual sections business telephone index or zip code. If you are looking for specific type of businesses only, the section on "FIRMS CLASSIFIED BY SIC" will give the number of businesses that fall into your target category. Among the information given is the number of employees, estimated sales volume/output code and key personnel.
  Check at the Main Library Reference Desk for more information about this resource.
• Hill-Donnelly Cross Reference Directory for Clearwater gives lists of neighborhoods or street addresses that a business may want to focus on. To find research market areas, the "LOCATION" section determines the characteristics of a neighborhood. Is it residential or business? Single or multi-family? Relative affluence rating for the neighborhood compared to other neighborhoods in the area is given in a scale format.
  Check at the Main Library Reference Desk for more information about this resource.

Researching the Market

There are various tools you can use to research a particular market segment. Check out our Subscription Databases, which includes InfoTrac, which is available anywhere with a Clearwater Public Library card, is a periodical index database that includes articles on business and management topics.

Print resources include:

• RMA Annual Statement Studies (REF338/RMA) contains composite financial data on manufacturing, wholesaling, retailing, service, agricultural and contracting lines of business.
• Small Business Sourcebook (REF658.022/SMA) is designed to facilitate the start-up, development and growth of specific small businesses. It provides information on specific small business profiles, general business topics, such as business plans, competitive pricing, marketing, etc. It also contains a state listing of small business consultants, educational programs and financial and local programs.
• Standard & Poors Industry Survey (REF Business Section) contains industry information for 52 industry groupings. These issues include recent developments, industry basics and company data. Updated twice a year.

Check with a Librarian for more information about other resources.

Trademark Searches

State and national trademark searches are provided by the Pinellas County Cooperative's Answer Center as a business service to Pinellas County library clients.

Patents and trademarks can be searched online at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office web site.

Local Area Business Contacts

• City of Clearwater Economic Development Department.
  Provides technical assistance to businesses in the loan application process.
  112 S. Osceola Ave. Clearwater, FL 33758-4748 (727) 562-4220
  
  
• Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce.
  Provides business referrals, Resource Center, networking events, and a monthly newsletter.
  1130 Cleveland St. Clearwater, FL 33755 (727) 461-0011
  
  
• Pinellas County Economic Development.
  County agency that provides business assistance, retention and new business start-up information.
  14010 Roosevelt Blvd. Ste. 704 Clearwater, FL 33762 (727) 464-7332 or (800)759-JOBS
  
  
• SCORE-Service Corps of Retired Executives.
  Volunteer counseling organization associated with the U.S. Small Business Administration that offers free counseling for small businesses.
  4707 140th Ave. N. Ste. 311 Clearwater, FL 33762 (727)532-6800