Foster Business Library Databases:

The Foster Business Library offers an extensive collection of over fifty databases on its homepage; see under Databases. For a complete list of Foster databases, see the List of All Business Databases. Access to these databases from off campus requires that you first go to the Off-Campus Access button, in the upper right of all library webpages. These resources may not be accessed from off campus except by those with a valid UW Net ID and password. For more information on Foster business databases, click Databases, A-Z. For information on which Foster business databases to use, see the Database Index. For information on accessing Foster databases from off campus, see Database Access. For guidelines on responsible database usage, see Database Usage.
• Gale Virtual Reference Library:   On the Foster Business Library homepage, listed under List of All Business Databases.   The Gale Virtual Reference Library is a database of encyclopedias, almanacs, and specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary research; go to Business for three major business sources:   the Encyclopedia of American Industries (4th ed., 2005), the Encyclopedia of Business and Finance (2001), and the Encyclopedia of Small Business (2nd ed., 2002).

• Hoovers Online:   Hoovers Online may be found on the Foster Business Library homepage under Databases. Hoovers Online also includes extensive information about 40,000 companies worldwide, both public and private, including more than six hundred companies in Washington state.

• ReferenceUSA:   On the Foster Business Library homepage, listed under Databases. Directory information for 14 million companies in the U.S. Companies can be searched for by name, business activity, size and location.

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.

General:

• BizBuySell:   One of the ways to start a small business is to buy an existing one. This site, in alliance with the Wall Street Journal Online, claims it "is the Internet's largest and most heavily trafficked business for sale marketplace, with more business for sale listings, more unique users, and more search activity than any other service. BizBuySell currently has an inventory of over 50,000 businesses for sale." See their listings for Seattle.

• BizStats:   "BizStats is the leading free online source for small business statistics. BizStats collects, analyzes, edits and adds value to public data and delivers it without cost in an easy-to-read, easy-to-understand format." Among the statistics available are those for benchmarking, balance sheets, financial ratios, net profit, productivity, corporations and S-corporations,industry markets, calculators, and more.

• Business Owner's Toolkit:   This CCH Incorporated site, publisher of many business books and services, offers a wealth of free information about starting a business, planning a business, getting financing, marketing products, etc.

• Entrepreneur's Resource Center:   The Edward Lowe Foundation assists entrepreneurs by providing "information, insight, and inspiration for business owners" or those who wish to create a business. The site provides a very large number of short articles about every aspect of establishing a business.

• Franchise Gator:   This site is a good starting point for exploring franchise possibilities, with over 700 franchises covered, and industry, location, and capital indexes to their database of franchises, plus articles and guides to franchising. While U.S.-based, this site is expanding to the United Kingdom and internationally. A Microsoft subsidiary, the company has a Seattle office.

• Inc Magazine:   This small business magazine offers a wealth of information at its website. See their How-To Guides, including Raising Start-Up Capital. See also their Articles By Topic section, for articles on writing a business plan, starting a business, buying a business or franchise, marketing and advertising, offices and operations, running a one-person business, and sales. See also their Inc 500 List, of companies with an average age of eight years and with a median employee headcount of 68.

• National Federation of Independent Business:   This organization, with 600,000 members, is the largest advocacy organization representing small and independent businesses in Washington, D.C. and each of the fifty state capitals. In addition to its lobbying efforts, the federation provides discounted business products and services to its membership. See the Tools & Tips for tutorials and information about a wide variety of business topics. See also their Research section for small business economic trends and research; check the Washington state box at the bottom of this page for state-related data and research, such as the 2004 Washington State Report, a two-page PDF document. There is also a site search feature.

• New York Times Small Business:   This special online section of the New York Times collects all of their small business articles in one free, online section.

• SCORE Association:   "SCORE is the Service Corps Of Retired Executives, a national, nonprofit association with 11,500 volunteer members and 389 chapters throughout the United States and its territories. SCORE is a resource partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration and its members offer free counseling to the small business community nationwide. Its website offers many useful resources for those starting or expanding a small business, as well as a link to its chapters in each state, city or territory." In addition, the site offers free e-mail counseling on a very broad variety of businesses and business topics (including business plans). See the homepage for the SCORE chapter in Seattle.

• US Legal Forms:   This commercial site offers a wide variety of legal forms, including real estate, employment, landlord, wills, power of attorney, incorporation, bills of sale, with a section for forms by state.

• USABizMart:   "USABizMart was started to give … business buyers, business owners, business brokers, and agents an advanced forum to communicate with each other. Business buyers and sellers can sell and buy businesses throughout the USA easily and effectively." See their Articles on this topic and their listings for Washington state, including Seattle.

• 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 Small Business.

  Governmental:

• Basic Facts About Trademarks:   This website, from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, provides a primer on the trademark process including registration, filing requirements and trademark services.

• Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance, Business and Commerce:   This U.S. General Services Administration site provides "access to a database of all Federal programs available to State and local governments (including the District of Columbia); federally-recognized Indian tribal governments; Territories (and possessions) of the United States; domestic public, quasi-public, and private profit and nonprofit organizations and institutions; specialized groups; and individuals."

• Central Contractor Registration Database:   This database of more than 300,000 small businesses is operated by the U.S. Defense Logistics Information Service, a division of the U.S. Department of Defense. It is the government's database of vendors that are doing business, want to do business, or are applying for a grant from U.S. federal agencies. This site enables anyone to search over 300,000 vendors, registered with the CCS, obtain profiles for those firms, or add a firm to this database. Over 1,400 Seattle companies are in this database, among more than 9,200 firms in the state of Washington.

• Forms.Gov:   This U.S. General Services Administration portal provides access to a wide variety of federal forms that businesses may require, including tax forms, small business forms, social security forms, and more.

• Information for Small Businesses:   This U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission website "provides a shortcut to much of the information on the SEC's website relating to smaller companies," including rules, regulations, forms, and other resources.

• Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization:   This U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development agency's mission is "to ensure that small businesses, small disadvantaged businesses and women-owned businesses are treated fairly and that they have an opportunity to compete and be selected for a fair amount of the agency's contract dollars. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is committed to ensuring that small businesses, small disadvantaged businesses and women-owned businesses participate fully in HUD direct contracting as well as in contracting opportunities generated by HUD grant funds."

• Small Business Research & Statistics:   This U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Advocacy site, provides a wealth of background statistical data about small business in the U.S. and in the individual states, including general small business data, the demographics of small business owners including minorities and women, financial and firm size data, technology, procurement, state and local information and environmental, export, mergers, regulation and tax information.

• Statistics About Business Size:   "The Census Bureau does not define small or large business, but provides statistics that allow users to define business categories in any of several ways," including statistics about employers, size of employers, size of business establishments, receipts, form of organization, small business birth and death rates, etc.

• Tax Information for Businesses:   This U.S. Internal Revenue Service site explains what business owners need to know about taxes, identification numbers, forms of business, business taxes and expenses, and record keeping.

  Washington State:

• Doing Business in Washington:   Links to information on starting a business in this state, licenses and permits, business taxes, business resources, doing business with government, business technologies, employees and employers, and state resources.

• Population Data for Washington:   This site, from the Washington State Office of Financial Management, is a good source for Washington information from the 2000 U.S. Census, with links to other information products at both the Office of Financial Management and the U.S. Census Bureau.

• Trade Name Information:   This Washington State Department of Licensing site provides a wealth of information about trade names (any name used in the course of business that does not include the full legal name of all the owners of the business) including why a trade name should be registered and how to register.

• Washington Small Business Development Centers:   This organization is a "cooperative effort of Washington State University, Western Washington University, community colleges, economic development organizations, and the U.S. Small Business Administration. Counselors have certified broad-based skills and significant experience as business owners or managers. They provide one-on-one, confidential assistance at no charge for management and technical business affairs...." This site offers a Directory of Washington State Small Business Counselors, with free confidential counseling available statewide.

• Washington State Annual Demographic Information:   This site, from the Washington State Employment Security Department, offers a demographic profile of Washington state population, labor force, industries and personal income.

  Seattle/King County:

• Bellevue Entrepreneur Center:   "The Bellevue Entrepreneur Center is a partnership of local governments, higher education and private enterprise providing resources to help small businesses succeed," aimed at Eastside entrepreneurs. The center provides "services at no cost to local small businesses through one-on-one counseling sessions, events and seminars, partnerships with community resources, and integration with student consulting teams from Bellevue Community College, University of Washington-Bothell, and City University.  BEC Business Development Specialists provide the guidance and technical assistance that entrepreneurs need to start and grow a successful business." See their FAQ for more information.

• Business Finance Programs (King County):   King County provides resources and information targeted at small business via the Economic Development Program of its Office of Regional Policy and Planning. The Business Finance website provides links to a long list of funding sources for small business in the county, from a wide variety of sources.

• Business Licenses and Permits:   This City of Seattle site provides links to information on business licensing in Seattle as well as in the county and state, with information on various licenses and taxes.

• City of Seattle, Office of Economic Development:   This City of Seattle office provides links to information about economic conditions in the city of Seattle, economic and community development, funding resources, and small business assistance. See, in particular, the Neighborhood Business District page.

• Demographics (Downtown Seattle Association):   This association of businesses in downtown Seattle maintains a demographics page just for downtown Seattle, with population, housing unit, employees, office square footage, office vacancy, parking, bus and ferry ridership data from a variety of sources. See also their Downtown Neighborhood Profiles.

• Data Products (Puget Sound Regional Council):   The Puget Sound Regional Council is a regional data center that provides a wide variety of economic, demographic, geographic, and transportation data to its member cities, counties, businesses, and other interested parties. Data is available on a wide variety of demographic information, in spreadsheet formats, on race, income, housing, building permits, employment, transportation, etc. plus links to labor force, per capita income, population and regional CPI information.

• King County Economic/Demographic Data:   This site, from Enterprise Seattle, provides data on demographics, the economy, education, business incentives, international trade, real estate, taxes, transportation, utilities, and quality of life, for King County and Seattle. Demographic data includes a King County overview, population statistics, ethnic composition, income and cost of living, and retail sales data.

• King County Profile:   This report, also from the Washington State Employment Security Department, offers a demographic profile of King County's population, labor force, industries and personal income, in a 43-page PDF format. The King County profile is dated March 2001. Similar profiles are available for other counties in the state of Washington.

• Regional Economic Conditions (FDIC):   This site, from the U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, provides data, graphs, and maps for every county and MSA in the country, including Washington state, for industry activity, employment and income, real estate activity, selected commodity prices, unemployment, bankruptcy filings, etc. Go to Select a State, to pick Washington. This site also includes data for every county in Washington state as well as the state's metropolitan statistical areas of Bellingham, Bremerton, Olympia, Portland-Vancouver, Richland-Kennewick-Pasco, Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, Spokane, Tacoma, and Yakima.

• Small Business Administration, Seattle Office:   This site offers a wealth of free resources for starting, financing and expanding a business. See particularly the Local Resources links and their 43-page PDF Small Business Resource Guide. See also their Startup Guide.

  Industry information:

• Career Guide to Industries:   This U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics site, part of the online Occupational Outlook Handbook, offers a career-oriented description of many industries, with information on the nature of the industry, working conditions, employment, occupations in the industry, training, earnings and outlook, as well as sources of additional information.

• Industries Statistics:   This U.S. Census Bureau site offers an A to Z index, by subject, to its wealth of statistical data on industries and other topics. Browse the index for the name of your industry or use the search feature at the bottom of the page to access information from such sources as the Economic Census, the Census of Manufactures, the Census of Retail Trade, etc.

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.
• Seattle metro yellow pages.
  An excellent and easy to use source for local business information, this directory is also a link to resources often more valuable than web and print resources: people working in business and industry.
  Foster Business Library Reference Desk (Annual)

• The sourcebook of zip code demographics.
  This thick paperback provides up-to-date demographic information, by zip code, for every residential and non-residential zip code location in the U.S., with population, households, ethnicity, age, income, spending potential on financial services, home, entertainment, and personal, dominant lifestyle segmentation, business data including number of businesses and dominant industry, forecasts, etc. See Washington state on pages 348-A to 354-C; for Seattle, see zip codes 98001 to 99403 on pages 506 to 508, and pages 653 to 655.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HA203 .S66 (Annual)

• MSA profile: metropolitan area projections to 2020.
  Population, employment, earnings, personal and household income and retail sales data and projections for the years 1970, 1980, 1990, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2020 for states, regions and metropolitan areas. In the 2000 edition, see pages 238 to 239 for Washington state, pages 276-277 for the Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton area, and pages 812 to 813 for the Seattle-Bellevue-Everett area.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HC106.8 .M77 (Annual)

• Key indicators of county growth, 1970 - 2025.
  This source covers households, population by age, income (per capita, per household and earnings per job) and employment for U.S. counties as far back as 1970, with projections in each category through 2025. For King County, see page 496.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HC106.82 .K48 1998.

• Washington state almanac: an economic and demographic overview of counties and cities.
  Two-page profiles of the state as a whole and of each county, with information on population, population change, personal income, taxable retail sales, registered business, new businesses, property assessments, employment by industry sector and unemployment.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HC107 .W2 .E25 (Annual)

• Puget Sound Business Journal book of lists.
  This annual publication is an invaluable source of information about public and private companies in the Puget Sound area, culled from lists that appeared weekly in the Puget Sound Business Journal. Besides lists of the largest and fastest growing public and private companies in the area, this reference work includes commercial real estate deals, banks and securities firms, contractors, education and employment, health care, title companies, marketing firms, nonprofits, professional services, executive compensation, real estate, retailers, software developers, biotech and travel and recreation. There is an index to companies and topics in the back of this volume. In the 2003 edition, for instance, see page 14 for the top area SBA Program Lenders.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HC108 .S77 .P83 (Annual)

• Employment, hours, and earnings: states and areas.
  This compilation of data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is the first to use the NAICS codes for employment data, for the U.S., the fifty states, and the country's largest metropolitan areas. See Washington state, and Seattle, Spokane, and Tacoma, on pages 1099 to 1118.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HD5723 .A26 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.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HD62.5 S62398 1997.

• The business start-up kit.
  This new paperback, by the small business columnist of USA Today, claims to include "everything you need to know about starting and growing your own business."
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HD62.5 .S79 2003.

• 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.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HD62.7 .B865

• Encyclopedia of small business.
  This two-volume set covers over 500 small business topics, arranged alphabetically by topic.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HD62.7 .H553 1998.   (Also available, in the 2002 edition, Online)

• 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.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HD62.7 .F34 2005.

• The ultimate small business guide: a resource for startups and growing businesses.
  This paperback covers planning a new business, protecting your idea, setting up or acquiring a business, finding a property, financing a business (with many relevant calculators), marketing your idea, working and communicating with customers, growing your business, setting up a website, selling online, managing yourself and others, and selling or exiting a business.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HD2340.8 .U48 2004.

• Financial studies of the small business.
  This annual ring-binder offers financial analyses of various kinds of small business, culled from data from over 30,000 small business financial statements.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HD2346 .U5 .F55a 2004.

• Small business sourcebook.
  This massive two volume set is a good starting point for information about nearly 350 types of small businesses. For each type of business, there are references to startup information, associations and other organizations, reference works, statistical sources, trade magazines, franchises and business opportunities, Internet databases, libraries, and research centers.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HD2346 .U5 .S66 1999.

• The state of small business.
  This annual paperback, a report from the President to the Congress of the United States, serves as an annual report on the state and condition of small business in this country, with copious amounts of data about small business job creation, the impact of small firms on the nation's economy, characteristics of small business owners and employees, the financing of small business, and on federal procurement preference goals and small business. There is also many references to the state of small business in each state.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HD2346 .U5 S78 2004.
  (Also available in a more recent edition Online, under the title the Small Business Economy)

• The Washington entrepreneurs guide.
  Older guidebook to starting a business in this state.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HD2346.U52 W386 1993.

• Beyond 401(K)s for small business owners.
  This paperback is subtitled "a practical guide to incentive, deferred compensation, and retirement plans."
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HD7105.4 .S54 2004.

• The Washington services directory.
  This large paperback is a directory of services companies in Washington state, published by Harris Infosource, with an analysis of employment in services in this state, companies listed by city in alphabetic order, companies sorted by Standard Industrial Codes, an alphabetic index of companies, a services index and companies sorted by 3,000 service classifications, from Academic Tutoring Services to Youth Hostels.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HD9981.7 .W2 .H37 2002.

• Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce Membership and Business Directory.
  While some of this information is available at the Chamber's website, this print edition is sometimes easier to use, with information about the local business situation and major companies in the area as well as profiles of local successful organizations.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HF296 .S4 2003.

• Demographics USA. County edition.
  1,500 pages of maps, demographic and economic information, covering population, race and ethnicity, age and sex, income, retail sales, business establishments, consumer expenditures and employment data for states, counties, metro areas and cities.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HF3007 .S96 (Annual)

• Washington state international trade directory.
  This annual directory provides brief profiles of Washington state companies involved in importing and exporting. There are indexes by product, by industry code and a geographic index by country, as well as support service listings for attorneys, consultants, translators, and transportation.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HF5065 .W2 .W37 (Annual)

• Seattle metro business directory.
  This large annual two-volume directory lists every business in the Seattle metropolitan area. Volume one is an A to Z listing of busineses; volume two provides indexes by industry, by key individual, etc. The amount of information for each of the 80,000 businesses is not great but often the information provided is the only information available. The publisher of this directory is the same as the provider of online business database Reference USA.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HF5068 .S6 .C6 1999.

• Standard legal forms and agreements for small business.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HF5371 .S72 1990.

• The lifestyle market analyst.
  Market analysis information including demographic, geographic and lifestyle information to identify who customers are, where they live, how they spend their time and money and how to reach them. See Seattle-Tacoma, pages 572 to 573 in the 2002 edition.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HF5415.33 .U6 .L54 (Annual)

• The encyclopedia of accounting systems.
  This older two-volume encyclopedia is a primary source of information about the accounting systems of a very wide range of specific enterprises, from accountants (public) to voluntary health and welfare organizations.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HF5635 .E54 1994.

• Portfolio of accounting systems for small and medium-sized businesses.
  This 1,000-page publication from the National Society of Public Accountants covers accounting systems for artists, attorneys, auto repair shops, dentists and 55 other specific types of small business.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HF5635 .P86 1992.

• 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. 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.

• Financial planning applications.
  This textbook of financial planning details how to develop financial plans, with examples of plans for clients, families, younger clients, self-employed professionals, officers of large organizations, surviving spouses, for successful closely held corporations and their owners, and, on pages to 6.1 to 6.99, for the small family-owned business and its owners.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HG170 .C326 2003.

• Handbook of small business valuation formulas.
  This book provides rule-of-thumb formulas for valuation of small businesses, for whatever reason:  sale, purchase, insurance, tax, dissolution, etc.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HG4028 .V3 .D478 1987.

• Valuing small businesses and professional practices.
  This large book provides business valuation standards including those for very specific purposes, with illustrative examples.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HG4028 .V3 .P73 1993.

• Understanding business valuation.
  This 900-page book provides is a practical guide to valuation of small and mid-sized businesses; it is published by the AICPA.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: HG4028 .V3 .T78 2002.

• Starting a limited liability company.
  This book includes numerous sample forms and agreements for many common small business situations and requirements, as well as information on how to use limited liability companies for specific purposes and goals, with an appendix of applicable statutes in the U.S.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: KF1380 .S53 1996.

• Guide to limited liability companies.
  This CCH book provides complete information on organizing, operating, and dissolving limited liability companies, with synopses of relevant legislation in each U.S. state.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: KF1380 .Z9 .G84 1999.

• LLC or corporation?: how to choose the right form for your business.
  This Nolo Press publication bills itself as providing "everything you need to know to: select the right type of liability protection, get the best tax treatment, and keep legal and tax options open." The book includes four case studies.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: KF1380 .Z9 .M362 2005.

• Incorporate your business: when to do it and how.
  This paperback covers why a business should be incorporated; how incorporating can result in tax savings; alternatives to forming a corporation; how to structure a corporation; planning the corporation, and how to create and run the corporation.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: KF1420 .Z9 .C65 2005.

• The complete small business legal guide.
  This older paperback explains how to get started in business, which form of business to use, buying or selling a business, franchises, taxes, contracts, patents and trademarks, employee and small business laws, with sample forms.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: KF1659 .F75 1993.

• The legal guide for small business.
  This thick paperback, published by the American Bar Association, covers how to set up and site a small business, types of business organization, franchises, employees, contracts, taxes, business endings, and getting help.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: KF1659 .Z9 .A43 2000.

• How to get your own trademark .
  This 1993 book is complete with trademark application forms, requests for trademark search, federal regulations and codes, and information about the trademark process.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: KF3180 .Z9 N53 1993.

• Small business taxation: planning & practice.
  This 500-page text explains and analyzes small business tax law, with concepts, examples, and tips.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: KF6491 .M36 1997.

• Incorporation forms for Washington.
  All the forms necessary for setting up a corporation in this state.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: KFW213.5. Z9 I537 1993z.

• Incorporation and business guide for Washington.
  How to form your own corporation in Washington.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: KFW213.5. Z9 V36 1996.

• Starting and operating a business in Washington.
  A step-by-step guide.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: KFW234 .J46 1997.

• Washington manufacturers directory.
  This annual volume profiles over 8,000 Washington state manufacturers and suppliers, in six sections: a buyers guide listing companies by product or industrial service; an SIC code index; an alphabetical index by company name; a parent company index; a geographic index by city; and a county breakdown. Company profiles may include company name, subsidiary information, mailing address, phone (both local and national), fax, web address, the names of senior officers, the SIC code, number of employees and annual sales estimate, whether the company is public or private, parent company, and total employment.
  Foster Business Library Reference, CALL NUMBER: T12 .W35 (Annual)

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).

A keyword search for Small Business, limited to the Foster Business Library, retrieved a list of more than 700 records, including:

• Start your own business: the only startup book you'll ever need   (2007)
• The economics of small firms: an introduction   (2007)
• Opening a restaurant or other food business starter kit   (2005)
• Electronic commerce in small to medium-sized enterprises   (2004)
• Business plans that work: a guide for small business   (2004)
• Small business solutions: how to fix and prevent the thirteen biggest problems that derail business   (2004)
• Financing your small business   (2004)

A similar search for Small Business and Seattle retrieved a list of 16 records in the UW Libraries. Overall, a subject search for Small Business retrieved almost 4,000 records, systemwide. The Small Business subject heading is divided by country, such as United States, by state, such as Washington state, and by topic, such as finance. Some relevant subjects (and Foster Business Library titles) include:

• New Business Enterprises -- Management
• Small Business -- Growth
• Small Business -- Management
• Small Business -- Planning
• Small Business –- Technological Innovation
• Small Business –- United States
• Small Business –- United States -- Management
• Small Business –- United States – Personnel Management
• Small Business –- Washington (State)
• Success in Business

Foster Business Library Periodicals:

Among the 800 periodicals in the Foster Business Library's Periodicals Collection are several about small business:
• American journal of small business.
• Inc.
• Journal of small business management.
• NFIB quarterly economic report for small business.
• Small business economic trends.
• Small business economics.

In addition to the 800 journals in the Foster Business Library Periodicals Collection, the Foster Business Library offers access to over 10,000 full text periodical articles through its full text article databases such as Factiva, and Lexis-Nexis Academic, and ProQuest Databases. These article databases may be found on the Foster Business Library homepage, listed alphabetically under Business Databases.

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 Databases, A to Z.

For local information, limiting the search for articles to the local media might be more productive than searching databases such as ABI/Inform Global, Factiva, and Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe. Washington State Newstand is the best database for local articles.

• Washington State Newstand:

  Scroll down and select this database for full-text coverage of major Washington newspapers including the daily newspapers from Seattle, Tacoma, Spokane and Vancouver, plus selected coverage of other regional sources.

  For instance, a search for Small Business and Seattle, in this database, retrieved over 2,000 articles.

• 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 peridicals, 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.

  Your search terms will be highlighted in red in each article. For tips on searching this database, see the Foster Business Library research guide About ProQuest.

  This database includes such small business titles as the International Small Business Journal, the Journal of Entrepreneurial and Small Business Finance, the Journal of Small Business Management, Small Business Economic Trends, Small Business Economics, Small Business Forum, Small Business Reports, among others.

  A subject search for SUB(Small Business), for all databases, produced a list of over 63,000 articles. By searching for this subject in the Topic Guide, you can use one of 350 narrowing terms to refine your search, from Accounting Firms to Year 2000.

  Examples of articles, from the searches above, include:

  • "Cash flow can kill blooming startup"   (Seattle Post - Intelligencer. Seattle, Wash.: Jun 9, 2006.  pg. C.1)
  • "Author outlines business benefits of blogs "   (Seattle Times. Seattle, Wash.: May 22, 2006.  pg. E.)
  • "Tips for valuing your business"   (Seattle Post - Intelligencer. Seattle, Wash.: Feb 3, 2006.  pg. C.2)
  • "Program supports small businesses"   (Yakima Herald - Republic. Yakima, Wash.: Dec 20, 2005.  pg. B.1)
  • "How to pursue a trademark application"   (Seattle Post - Intelligencer. Seattle, Wash.: Nov 25, 2005.  pg. D.1)
  • "Small businesses backbone of state economy"   (Seattle Post - Intelligencer. Seattle, Wash.: Nov 7, 2005.  pg. B.5)

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 Management.

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
  • Business Plan Resources
  • Demographics
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Marketing

Small Business/Home Office Links (Foster Business Library):   On the Foster Business Library homepage, under Research, see Business Resources on the Web for an annotated list of over a dozen relevant web sites.