Web Resources:

Unlike library databases, Web resources are available wherever you have web access; they do not require that you access them via the Off-Campus Access button, in the upper right of all library webpages. When using web resources, be sure to evaluate the credibility of these resources. For a subject index to web resources, see Business Resources on the Web on the Foster Business Library homepage.
• The Alliance of Angels:   This organization, a "program of the Technology Alliance, is a regionally-focused group of about 140 individual investors and representatives of investment corporations in the Pacific Northwest. Our organization acts as a "matchmaker" for young technology companies and interested investors." See their Startup Resources, Presentation Guidelines and Events.

• Bplans.com:   Maintained by Palo Alto Software, a company that sells business plan software, books and newsletters, this site offers an extensive amount of free information on business and marketing plans for small business including over one hundred free sample plans for startups and for established businesses. The plans were developed by existing companies or new business start-ups as research instruments to determine market viability or funding availability but names, locations and numbers may have been changed, and substantial portions of text may have been omitted.

• Business and Marketing Plans:   MoreBusiness.Com is another site devoted to small business, billing itself as "by entrepreneurs, for entrepreneurs." This site offers some business plan examples from Palo Alto Software, including plans for hypothetical companies selling computers and software and providing consulting services. There is also a sample marketing plan.

• Business Plans and Profiles Index:   This site, from the Business Department at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, provides an excellent index to business plans in a variety of sources, with links in some cases to online editions of plans.

• Business Planner:   Purdue University and the Agricultural Innovation and Commercialization Center/New Ventures created this Business Planner template "to assist entrepreneurs in the write-up of a business plan." After free registration, this site leads planners through six steps and twenty-two sections to build a business plan that can be updated in later steps. See their Business Planner Examples and Business Planner Tutorial.

• Business Planning:   This site, from BusinessTown.Com, offers tips for creating business plans and planning and financing a new business. There are also suggested web resources including a sample plan for a fictitious kite business.

• Business Planning:   This site, from St. Louis University, provides various resources on the topic of business plans and planning.

• The Center for Business Planning:   This site is maintained by Business Resource Software, Inc., a firm that sells business and marketing planning software. Their site offers links to Planning Guidelines and two dozen winning Sample Business Plans.

• Developing a Business Plan:   This site was developed by Prof. Vandra Huber at the University of Washington Business School and includes sections on Approaching the Business Plan, the Business Plan Outline, and Writing the Business Plan.

• Elements of a Business Plan:   The Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence is a joint business innovation center in Mobile, Alabama, with information on writing business plans, market research and marketing, raising capital, and other elements of entrepreneurship.

• MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition:   This site offers links to over twenty-five U.S. business plan competitions, thirteen European competitions, and two Asian competitions. Some of the websites offer links to the top-rated business plans in their competitions. See their Resources section.

• Moot Corp Business Plans:   The MOOT CORP competition "simulates entrepreneurs asking investors for funding. MBAs from the best business schools in the world present their business plans to panels of investors." This site provides links to over two dozen winning business plans from business plan competitions, in a variety of industries and covering such products as medical devices, a tourism company, drug screening, athletic shoes, etc.

• Small Business Planner:   This U.S. Small Business Administration site is an excellent source for information about starting or expanding a business. Its website includes a business plan outline or template. There is also a link from this outline to some sample business plans.

• Wikipedia:   This free online user-created and maintained encyclopedia can be a good starting point for an orientation to a topic. See their entry for Business Plans.

The Foster Business Library Reference Collection consists of business handbooks, encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other quick reference tools. It is located behind the Reference Desk in Foster, arranged by call number. Reference materials cannot be checked out; they may only be used in the library.
• Model business plans for product businesses.
  This slim volume offers nine examples of business plans for businesses that sell products, including a computer manufacturer, a newsletter, a student guide, a baby food company, a greeting card manufacturer, a childrens book marketer, a cookie producer, a latex glove importer and a used compact disk store.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HD30.28 .C627 1995.

• Model business plans for service businesses.
  This matching volume to the one above is focused on businesses that provide services, with nine example business plans for a small executive aviation company, a Mexican restaurant, a English language tutoring service, an upscale pool hall, a fitness club for those over forty, a lunch delivery business, an export assistance firm, a toner cartridge recycler, and a tax accounting company.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HD30.28 .C627 1995.

• The Prentice Hall encyclopedia of model business plans.
  This paperback encyclopedia includes an overview of the business plan process, over sixty model business plans and guides to sources of information. Business plan examples include plans for retailers, small service firms, small manufacturers, home-based enterprises, research organizations, educational institutions, franchises, nonprofits, and importers/exporters.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HD30.28 .C76 1998.

• Anatomy of a business plan.
  This paperback provides step by step, detailed instructions on creating a business plan, with two sample business plans in the appendix for a landscaping firm and a direct mail order company.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HD30.28 .P5 1996.

• The ABC's of writing winning business plans.
  This title covers the basics of writing a business plan and more, including mission and goals, executive summary, logistics, marketing, market trends, funding and forecasting financials, presenting the plan, and implementing it. See the sample business plan for a taco business in an appendix at the end of the volume.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HD30.28 .S923 2005.

• SmartStart your Washington business.
  This paperback provides detailed information on starting a new business including initial considerations, business structure, startup details, employer duties, sources of business assistance, marketing, business plan, financing, accounting, human resources, insurance, office setup and specific Washington state information. See the sample business plan for a lawn care business on pages 7.22 to 7.47.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HD62.5 .S62398 1997.

• The business plans handbook.
  This multi-volume set is a compilation of over 200 actual business plans developed by entrepreneurs seeking small business funding. See the cumulative index in the latest volume to locate business plans by type of business. See the latest volume as well for listings of venture capital firms, business plan templates, and small business development centers.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HD62.7 .B865
  (Also available online, under Databases, in the Gale Virtual Reference Library, above)

• How to set up your own small business.
  This two-volume work, in unusually large print, published by the American Institute of Small Business, covers starting up a new small business, finance and accounting, marketing and sales, management and operations, the business plan, and extensive appendices and an index. See their business plan chapter in volume two, pages 758 to 779.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HD62.7 .F34 2005.

• Perfect phrases for business proposals and business plans.
  This paperback's subtitle is:   "hundreds of ready-to-use phrases for winning new clients, launching new products, and getting the funding you need."
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HF5718.5 .D43 2006.

• Pratt's guide to private equity sources.
  This reference work, formerly Pratt's Guide to Venture Capital Sources, starts with over 120 pages of information about the venture capital industry, with essays on the background of private equity, how to raise it, sources for business development financing, and other topics. See the essays on writing a business plan and on business plans for leveraged buyouts, starting on page 41. The major part of this reference is a directory of U.S. and non-U.S. private equity firms (arranged by state), with indexes by individual, industry and stage preferences, and by company name. See Washington state on page 1483.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HG64 .P73 2004.

• The venture capital sourcebook.
  This older paperback is aimed at entrepreneurs, with an explanation of who is the entrepreneur, the entrepreneurial process, the factors that result in the success or failure of a new company, the ultimate business plan, the oral pitch, and a due diligence checklist.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HG4751 .S54 1994.

• Developing business plans.
  This 99-page publication, published by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, is designed for small business consultants working with clients to develop and improve ongoing businesses. There are samples for various consulting products that might be used with such clients.
  Foster Business Library Reference Accounting, CALL NUMBER: HD30.28 .C86 1996.
  Shelved under AICPA Committee Series -- Management Consulting Services (Small Business Consulting Practice Aid Series); look for the blue label.

Foster Business Library Books:

The Foster Business Library maintains a collection of over 70,000 books on all business topics. To search for materials on all three campuses of the University of Washington, go to the UW Libraries Catalog, in the upper left corner of the Foster Business Library homepage. Search by keyword, title, author, series, etc.

To limit the results of your search just to materials in the Foster Business Library collection, use the Modify or Limit options at the top of the search results and change the library location to Foster Business Library. Availablity is indicated on the right of each online catalog record. First, note in which collection, within Foster, your materials are in, since the library has ten different Collections, each in a different location and often with differing arrangements. "Available" indicates that the book should be on the shelves under that call number and available for you to check out. "Due" and a date indicates that the book is already checked out to someone and is due back on the date indicated; you can have the "Request/Place Hold" feature to recall the book for your use.

If the material you want is not in the collections of the University of Washington, you can use the "Search Summit" feature to repeat your search in the combined holdings of over thirty cooperating libraries in Washington and Oregon. Use the "Request This Item" feature in Summit to have books in those library sent here to Foster for you to check out.

The Foster general stacks collection is located south of the main part of the Foster Business Library, through the two pass-throughs into the basement of Balmer. The arrangement is by call number, from A (at the east end, near the Copy Center) to Z (at the far west end).

Try searching under Subjects--Library of Congress, such as those below, or searching by Keyword, limiting the results of your search to the Foster Business Library location:

• Business Plans
• Business Planning
• New Business Enterprises -- Finance
• New Business Enterprises -- Planning
• Small Business -- Planning

Some examples of titles in the Foster Business Library:

• Perfect phrases for business proposals and business plans   (2006)
• The ABC's of writing winning business plans   (2005)
• Business plans for dummies   (2005)
• Bankable business plans   (2004)
• How to prepare a business plan   (2004)
• Business plans that work: a guide for small business   (2004)
• A short course in international business plans: charting a strategy for success in global commerce   (2003)
• Business plans to game plans: a practical system for turning strategies into action   (2000)
• High tech start up: the complete handbook for creating successful new high tech companies   (2000)
• Business plans that win: lessons from the MIT Enterprise Forum   (1985)
• Inc. Magazine presents how to really create a successful business plan   (1990)

Foster Business Library Article Databases:

In addition to the 800 journals in the Foster Business Library Periodicals Collection, the Foster Business Library offers access to over 100 million full text articles in over 10,000 periodicals through its full text article databases such as EBSCO Business Source Premier, Factiva, LexisNexis Academic, and ProQuest Databases. These article databases may be found on the Foster Business Library homepage, listed under Databases.

All four of these databases are available from any computer on the campus network as well as from home (via the UW Connectivity Kit or the Libraries' Off-Campus Access link, using your UW Net ID and password). The easiest of these databases to use is ProQuest Databases. For more information about accessing Foster Business Library databases from off campus, see Database Access. For more information about business databases, see the research guide entitled Databases, A to Z.

• ProQuest Databases:

  This database--actually, a family of over two dozen databases--offers full text articles for over 10,000 publications, including scholarly journals, magazines, trade and industry periodicals, newspapers, and reports on a very wide range of topics. To find articles on specific topics, search by word or phrase by keying your search phrase into the search box--or search for your topic in the Topic Guide. Article full text is often available in several formats, including text, text plus graphics, and PDF. This database also offers a very useful subject structure, to narrow search results, as well as article citation information.

  Your search terms will be highlighted in red in each article. For tips on searching this database, see About ProQuest Databases.

  A basic search in this database for Business Plans produced over 65,000 articles. A narrower subject search for SUB(Business Plans) produced over 3,700 articles.

  Try combining subjects to narrow the results of your searches, such as:

  • SUB(Business Plans) and SUB(Entrepreneurs), over 780 articles
  • SUB(Business Plans) and SUB(Small Business), over 500 articles
  • SUB(Business Plans) and SUB(Startups), over 500 articles
  • SUB(Business Plans) and SUB(Marketing), over 280 articles
  • SUB(Business Plans) and SUB(Financial Performance), over 200 articles
  • SUB(Business Plans) and SUB(Competition), over 170 articles
  • SUB(Business Plans) and SUB(Venture Capital), over 160 articles

  Examples of articles, from the searches above, include:

  • "How Much Money Does It Take to Start a Small Business?"   (Asian Pages. St. Paul: Oct 1-Oct 14, 2006. Vol. 17, Iss. 3;  pg. 10, 1 pgs)
  • "What do small business lenders look for?"   (Call & Post. Columbus, Ohio: Sep 21-Sep 27, 2006. Vol. 90, Iss. 38;  pg. 3A, 1 pgs)
  • "Start-Ups Mix Green And Black"   (New York Times. (Late Edition (East Coast)). New York, N.Y.: Sep 12, 2006.  pg. G.4)
  • "Business plans should be simple, passionate "   (USA TODAY. McLean, Va.: Jul 31, 2006.  pg. E.5)
  • "Thinking of Starting Your Own Business?"   (Sentinel. Los Angeles, Calif.: Jun 15-Jun 21, 2006. Vol. 71, Iss. 65;  pg. D1, 1 pgs)
  • "Nothing ventured, nothing gained"   (Industrial Engineer. Norcross: Aug 2005. Vol. 37, Iss. 8;  pg. 40, 4 pgs)
  • "Going it alone"   (Occupational Health. Sutton: Sep 2002. Vol. 54, Iss. 9;  pg. 26, 3 pgs)
  • "Intellectual property: The driving force for growth and funding"   (Journal of Commercial Biotechnology. London: Spring 2002. Vol. 8, Iss. 4;  pg. 320, 5 pgs)
  • "Creating customer value in online grocery shopping"   (International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management. Bradford: 2002. Vol. 30, Iss. 4;  pg. 211, 10 pgs)
  • "So you want to start your own business"   (Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences. Alexandria: 2000. Vol. 92, Iss. 5;  pg. 92, 1 pgs)
  • "Owning and operating a destination management company"   (Journal of Professional Services Marketing. New York: 1998. Vol. 16, Iss. 2;  pg. 21, 37 pgs)

Help:

The Foster Business Library Reference Desk is staffed most of the hours that the library is open. The staff at the desk will be happy to help find information about any business topic. The telephone number for the reference desk is (206) 543-8012. Questions are also welcome via e-mail to balib@u.washington.edu.

See also the Foster Business Library's Business & Economics FAQ, and, in particular, the section for Company and Industry.

For research guides on a wide variety of industries, products, companies, issues and topics, see the Team Librarian Consultation archives.

• Team Consultation Archives (arranged by class or program)
• Team Consultation Archives (arranged by industry)
• Team Consultation Archives (arranged by title of assignment)
• Team Consultation Archives (arranged by academic quarter)
• Index to all Team Consultations and Research Guides
  • Demographics Resources
  • Entrepreneurship Resources
  • Industry Research
  • Small Business Resources