Small Business Resources

These links are provided for your convenience to further enhance your research. The North Texas Small Business Development Center assumes no responsibility or liability for the content or suitability of any external link.

Business Startup

• Texas Wide Open for Business - The official brand for the Texas Economic Development Division within the Office of the Governor.
• MyTexasBiz - Initiative of the Office of the Governor of the State of Texas to help prospective business owners acquire the permits and/or licenses needed to launch a business.
• Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) - Part of a local/state network dedicated to developing the workforce of Texas.
• Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center (TMAC) - A local Texas resource to address the challenges of today's hyper-competitive business environment.
• Knowledge Engineering - A division of Texas Engineering Extension Service, bringing information, research, and market intelligence together in an actionable way to make a difference.
• Dallas Regional Chamber - Investing in the region's business community today and for the future.
• American Indian Chamber of Commerce of Texas (AICCT) - The premier advocacy organization for entrepreneurial and educational development of American Indian businesses.
• Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce - Advocate for the creation, growth and general welfare of African American businesses in the Dallas community.
• Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce - Business resource, forum and advocate for Hispanic business issues and a united voice for the Hispanic business community.
• Office of Women's Business Ownership - SBA's information for women-owned businesses.
• Small Business Administration - Information on startup and all aspects of running a small business. Includes downloadable programs to help you get started!
• SCORE - More great startup assistance.
• Entrepreneur Magazine - An excellent on-line resource for business startups.
• FranNet (Franchise Consultants) - This consulting service may be useful in helping you search for and evaluate a franchise business.
• American Association of Franchise Dealers - Includes resources to help you understand and explore a franchise business.
• Starting a Business - SBA's section of resources to get you started.

Financing

• Wachowicz's Web World - A plethora of links on finance-related topics that is helpful for everyone.  Compiled by a University of Tennessee professor, it is an outstanding resource for financial information of all types.
• Business Funding Directory - Potential sources of funding, including government and private sector.
• The Small Business Credit Process - A service of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
• SBA Loan Programs - SBA offers a variety of loan programs for very specific purposes.

Management & Marketing

• BusinessUSA - A centralized, one-stop platform to make it easier than ever for businesses to access federal government services to help them grow and hire. Links to search engines covering over 100,000 government databases.
• Center for Women's Business Research - Reports and news affecting women business owners.
• GoLogo - Get your corporate identity from logo creation to commercial jingles.
• Small Business Toolkit - Includes sample letters, contracts and other documents. Most material is free, but there is a small fee for some services.
• SBA Managing a Business - Information and guidance that will help you manage and grow your business effectively

Legal & Tax Issues

• HG.org - An extensive legal site with some great links.
• NOLO Press - The leading provider of self-help legal information for individuals and small business owners.
• LawGuru - A great site for legal research. Over 340 links to various legal resources.
• National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE) - Discounts on insurance and other benefits for the self-employed.
• Mediation Training Institute International - A good resource for businesses needing conflict resolution training.
• IRS.gov - IRS Information and Forms
• U.S. Patent and Trademark Office - Protect your work before it's too late.

General Research & Information

• Smart Business - A good on-line version of the magazine.  Great links, too.
• SOHO America - A good source of information, resources and benefits for small-office, home-office entrepreneurs.
• Inc. Magazine Online - An amazing amount of information on all types of small business concerns. Don't miss this wonderful site.
• Northwestern Mutual - Not just for life insurance anymore. Excellent Small Business information.
• Franchise Expo - An excellent source for franchising information. Contains many good links. A researchers dream.
• Hoovers - A good site to research franchisers as well as other companies.
• U.S. Census Bureau - A comprehensive source of data about the U.S. people and economy.
• Industry Information Resources - A free resource guide to industry-specific resources and data for over 400 industries.
• American Express Open Forum - A wealth of resources for business owners - videos, articles, blogs, podcasts, and expert advice to boost your business.