Surround yourself with a strong support system
Entrepreneurship requires dedication, hard work and the ability to adapt to constantly changing circumstances. Fortunately, you don’t need to do it alone. You’ve got a team of librarians at the Marriott Library available to answer questions and connect you with the information you need. To help get you started, check out the entrepreneurial toolkit and wrap your mind around the facets of starting and maintaining your own business.
Research your industry, competition, and market
Library databases are vast online collections that connect both aspiring and seasoned entrepreneurs with reliable and credible information about their industry, competition, and market. Rather than sifting through countless search engine results, get to the heart of the matter using library databases. This ensures that the information you’re using is accurate and up to date. Here are a few to get you started:
- IBISWorld
- IBISWorld is an industry specific database. You can find risk reports, industry summaries, business environment variables, market research, market conditions and forecasts, supply chain information, and competition data. Items can be viewed online or downloaded for offline use.
- Factiva
- Factiva contains in-depth company analysis, executive and industry profiles, expert analysis, market data and other reports.
- Markets and Markets
- Markets and Markets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth emerging opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies’ revenues. Their 850 full-time analysts are tracking global high growth markets.
Plan your pitch
Financing your business is such a crucial step in launching your business, so extra time is needed to make sure that it’s the best it possibly can be. The Plan Your Pitch tool will walk you through step by step helping you think through the different facets of pitching your business and using library resources as support.
