Need help evaluating your business idea? Need demographic or census information? How about federal and state agency information? Read more to view the various Web links and descriptions of each.

Evaluate Your Business Idea

• The questions included in the Evaluating Your Business Idea tool will help you and your business adviser examine your business idea and determine your potential for success before you spend time and money developing a business plan.

• The IRS and Small Business Administration (SBA) Small Business Resource Guide was developed in order to provide small businesses with easy access and to understand answers to their tax questions and other important topics. In addition to organizing tax and nontax information by business life cycle, the CD-ROM provides all of the tax forms in fill-in-the-blank format, all of the tax publications, and direct links to other regulatory agencies via the Internet.
• Every small-business owner can benefit from this product. It is specifically designed to help entrepreneurs navigate the vast array of federal, state, and local tax rules and regulatory requirements.

• MO-BIS (Missouri's Business Information Source) is an online library of references, tools, and links that provides ready access to reliable and timely business information. The Web site is organized into seven primary categories, 33 subcategories, and links to more than 860 Web sites

• The Missouri Small Business Start-Up Kit is supported by the University of Missouri Extension Outreach Development Fund. Order your own personal copy of the kit on CD-ROM by clicking on the image below.

Demographic/Census information

• 2002 Census of Agriculture ~ Information down to the county level for all states; also, for good Missouri trend information and analysis about the 1997 Census of Agriculture.
• Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council ~ Enter a street address and find the census tract, FIPS code, etc.
• Geospatial and Statistical Data Center at the University of Virginia ~ Easy access to Regional Economic Information System (REIS) data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Information is provided down to the county level for all states (1969 to the most current year available). Categories include: personal income by major source and earnings by industry, total full- and part-time employment by industry, transfer payments, and farm income and expenses. 
• Missouri State Archives ~ Missouri census records from the past. 
• Missouri State Census Data Center (MSCDC) ~ Missouri population estimates and projections, Internet applications to design customized census reports, geographic correspondence engine (to find out what zip codes fall within a county, what census tracts fall within a town, etc.) A-Z list, Missouri Census Update newsletter highlights, and MSCDC affiliate links. 
• MSCDC Internet Applications for age/gender/race/Hispanic Origin ~ Origin data for Missouri, Missouri counties, other states, and other states' counties. 
• Office of Social and Economic Data Analysis - County Data for Missouri ~ Missouri county social and economic information
• U.S. Bureau of The Census ~ Social, demographic & economic information

Federal Agencies

• Better Business Bureau ~ An agency of the U.S. government, dedicated to "helping consumers and business to maintain an ethical marketplace" 
• FFIEC ~ Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council
• Louisiana State University Libraries ~ U.S. Federal Government Agencies Directory 
• The Service Corps of Retired Executives ~ Volunteers serving as "Counselors to America's Small Business." 
• Small Business Administration ~ An agency of the U.S. government, created to "aid, counsel, assist, and protect the interests of small business concerns ..."
• The U.S. SBA's, Small Business Startup Kit 
• The U.S. SBA's, Business Plan: Road Map to Success 9/97
• Small Business Advancement National Center ~ Provides a wide array of resources and information for small business. 
• Small Business Development Centers ~ An SBA program to help local organizations provide managerial assistance to new and existing small businesses. 
• U.S. Business Advisor ~ Designed to provide business with one-stop access to federal government information, services, and transactions. Our goal is to make the relationship between business and government more productive. 
• U.S. Copyright Office ~ "To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries" (U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 8).
• U.S. Dept. of Labor ~ News and information about labor laws and regulations, labor statistics, DOL agencies, etc. Includes "elaws," Employment Laws Assistance for Workers and Small Businesses

Missouri Resources

• Missouri SBDC ~ Missouri Small Business Development Center  Business Information ~ University Extension business programs, publications, newsletters, guide sheets, related resources, more ... 
• Home-Based Business ~ A resource for home-based business owners: guides, discussion board, government alerts, calendar, HBC newsletter, more... 
• Business-2-Business (B2B)~ B2B offers a free e-commerce link for Missouri business and allows users to search by business category for a specific type of business.

• ciber.msu.edu/ ~ Michigan State University Center for International Business Education & Research 
• www.proposalwriter.com ~ Info on proposal writing and government contracting, doing business with the government, small, minority, and women-owned business 
• www.missouribusiness.net/hbb/ ~ Home Based Business - A resource for home-based business owners: guides, discussion board, government alerts, calendar, hbe newsletter, more ... 
• extension.missouri.edu ~ Provides access to University of Missouri Extension business programs, publications, newsletters, guide sheets, related resources, more ... 
• www.sba.gov/world/states.html ~ SBA State Home Pages 
• www.statelocalgov.net/index.cfm ~ State and Local Government on the Net 
• www.isquare.com ~ Small Business Advisor 
• sbinformation.miningco.com ~ The Mining Co: Small Business Information 
• www.fambiz.com ~ Resource for family business owners and executives 
• www.mnsfld.edu/depts/lib/business.html ~ Business & Economic Reference Library 
• www.govcon.com ~ The On-Line Community for Government Contractors 
• www.smartbiz.com/sbs/about.htm ~ Smart Business Supersite 
• members.tripod.com/~KWilliamsResources ~ K. Williams Business Resource