American Institute of Small Business
http://www.accessil.com/aisb/home.htm
This organization creates educational materials aimed at helping people start their own businesses. The material isn't available at this site, but you can get information about ordering it.

BizServe -- Entrepreneurship
http://bizserve.com/us/entrepre.html
Aimed at the small business, this site provides a lot of information for new entrepreneurs, including access to government and nonprofit resources, venture capital, and a wide variety of other Internet information.

Entrepreneurial Edge Online
http://www.edgeonline.com/
This site offers all manner of advice and help to entrepreneurs, including a forum, tips, and news of interest to those just starting out.

Entrepreneurs on the Web
http://www.eotw.com/
The strong point of this site is its good set of resources for entrepreneurs, such as many links to magazines and journals and to various trade organizations.

Nicholas Direct
http://nicholas-direct.com/
Incorporate for $75, wipe out personal taxes, publish your own book . . . . Ted Nicholas has lots of ideas. This site provides some of them for free and, of course, lets you buy the rest.

The Small Business Advisor
http://www.isquare.com/
This Web site assists both start-ups and established companies. In particular, you can get help dealing with the federal government. It also has tips for entrepreneurs, links to other Internet resources, and information about ordering this organization's services.

Capital Quest
http://www.usbusiness.com/capquest/home.html
This is a showcase for entrepreneurs looking for investors, with a special emphasis on finding "angels," or private investors, as opposed to venture firms. Place an executive summary of your business plan online here.

FinanceHub: Venture Capital on the Web
http://www.financehub.com/vc/vctab.html
An excellent site that includes a database of 11,000 investors and links to dozens of venture firms.

Foundation Center
http://fdncenter.org/
A nonprofit organization designed to help individuals and organizations find funding from foundations and philanthropists.

InterSoft Solutions FinanceHub
http://www.financehub.com/welcomef.html
This site has tons of information and links to sites not just about venture capital, but also about other financing issues, the law, and more.

Price Waterhouse LLP National Venture Capital Survey
http://www.pw.com/vc/
This site presents the results of a quarterly survey of venture capital trends and results from around the nation.

A Venture Capital Analysis
http://www.kcilink.com/brc/financing/vent-cap.html
This simple but thorough site helps you determine whether or not you want to pursue venture capital and, if so, how to go about it.

CNNfn
http://www.cnnfn.com/index.html
This top-notch site covers a broad range of topics, plus it's easy to use and free. Get quick headlines, in-depth reports, and other business information, such as Hoover's Online business profiles of more than 10,000 companies.

Reuters Business Summary
http://www.yahoo.com/headlines/business/
Great for a quick, if shallow, hit of the top business news stories of the day.

Wall Street Journal Interactive
http://www.wsj.com/
This site now charges for access, but it's worth it. You'll get up-to-the-minute business news from around the world and a wealth of information about the economy and specific companies and industries.

Census Bureau
http://www.census.gov/
Come to this site if you're looking for demographic information.

Commerce Business Daily
http://www.ld.com/cbd/today/index.htm
Commerce Business Daily is the official listing of government bids over $25,000. You can get the basic daily information for free, and you can order extra-cost customized, premium online services.

Department of Commerce
http://www.doc.gov
Links to other sites, many of which have important information for businesspeople.

Doing Business with GSA
http://www.gsa.gov/pubs/dbgsa/dbgsa.htm
Describes the General Services Administration (GSA), which buys $10 billion worth of goods for the government, and how to do business with it.

Environmental Protection Agency
http://www.epa.gov
Much information about the EPA and its regulations.

The Federal Marketplace
http://www.fedmarket.com/
Unlike most other sites in this section, this is a for-profit organization. This site helps businesses sell products and services to the federal government, offering both free and subscription-based services.

Federal Trade Commission
http://www.ftc.gov/
A large amount of information about the commission itself and the laws and the regulations it administers. Good links to other business-oriented sites.

The Federal Web Locator
http://www.law.vill.edu/fedagency/fedwebloc. html
Need to find government information but not sure of an agency's name or what it does? This site will help you get that information in a hurry.

FedWorld Information Network
http://www.fedworld.gov/
A one-stop center for obtaining government publications and other information.

GovCon
http://www.govcon.com/
This site offers free access to the Commerce Business Daily and information about an abundance of government rules and regulations.

Internal Revenue Service -- The Digital Daily
http://www.irs.ustreas.gov/prod/
A surprisingly flashy site, full of free information about the IRS and tax-related issues.

Patent and Trademark Office
http://www.uspto.gov/
Search the patent office's database. Many links to other sites of interest.

Securities and Exchange Commission
http://www.sec.gov/
This site is quite helpful for researching specific industries. Also offers information for small businesses.

SEC Edgar Database
http://www.sec.gov/edgarhp.htm
If a company is publicly traded, it must submit a variety of documents to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Those papers are in the EDGAR database, which you can search at this site.

Small Business Administration
http://www.sbaonline.sba.gov/
Lots of information about starting, financing, and expanding your business. Links to other sites, including franchising information.

U.S. Business Advisor
http://www.business.gov/
This large, excellent site offers a lot of information about government agencies and regulations that affect entrepreneurs.

The World Bank
http://www.worldbank.org/
Keep up with the latest news from The World Bank, including its research studies and other publications.

A2Z: Business & Investing

http://a2z.lycos.com/Business_and_Investing/Corporate_Home_Pages_A2Z/
An excellent way to find the home page of thousands of businesses.

IndustryLink
http://www.industrylink.com/
This is an excellent compilation of links to sites of interest to those in a number of specific industries.

Thomas Register
http://www.thomasregister.com:8000/
This is the online version of the massive Thomas Register of American Manufacturers. It includes information about 1.5 million individual products, services, and companies. Best of all, it's free.

Business Information Sources on the Internet
http://www.dis.strath.ac.uk/business/
This British site has an astounding number of links to other Web business sites, primarily in England and Europe.

The Business Times
http://www.asia1.com.sg/biztimes/
This is an exceedingly thorough site providing business-related information from the Far East, including Taiwan.

The Economist
http://www.economist.com/
The online site for this excellent international business journal.

ExportNet
http://www.exporttoday.com/
This thorough site offers tips for businesses that want to trade internationally. Not a free service.

Export USA
http://www.exportusa.com/
This is a consultancy that addresses selling and marketing overseas.

Foreign Exchange Rates
gopher://una.hh.lib.umich.edu/00/ebb/monetary/tenfx.frb
This drab site has fairly up-to-date foreign exchange rates.

Global Trade Center
http://www.tradezone.com/tz/
This site includes many business links, as well as listings of international business opportunities.

International Business Forum
http://www.ibf.com/
For entrepreneurs who want to participate in the international marketplace. Included are extensive lists of resources in various countries, postings of opportunities, and information about various associations.

The Internationalist
http://www.internationalist.com/
An excellent source for information on a wide range of international issues.

International Trade Administration
http://www.ita.doc.gov/
A division of the Department of Commerce, the ITA offers help to companies that wish to export their wares. It has information about export opportunities for specific industries, as well as information about specific nations.

World Index of Chambers of Commerce & Industry
http://www1.usa1.com/%7eibnet/chamshp.html
A thorough listing of chambers of commerce from around the world.

WWW Home Servers Guide for the Companies in Japan
http://www.jicst.go.jp/dir-www/com.html
Looking for the Web site of a Japanese company? Look no further. This Web site has it.

Browse the Federal Tax Code
http://www.tns.lcs.mit.edu/uscode/
You can search the code for specific words and phrases. It's hyperlinked, so you can jump to related sections.

The Company Corporation
http://virtumall.com/CC/
Incorporate quickly, cheaply, and online in any state of the union.

Corporate Agents Inc.: The Business Incorporating Guide
http://www.corporate.com/
Another site that will help you incorporate quickly and inexpensively in any state.

Essential Links to Taxes
http://www.el.com/totheweb/taxes/
This excellent resource has links to a remarkable number of sites with tax information, advice, and news.

Inventions & Patents
http://www.tucson.com/patents/
This Web site is full of good information for people who want to make money off their patents while still protecting their interests.

MicroPatent
http://www.micropat.com/
This site will cost you money to search for patent and trademark information. The database includes patents issued since 1974.

Small Business Law Center
http://www.courttv.com/legalhelp/business/sites/
Sponsored by CourtTV, this site has links to a number of legal resources for entrepreneurs.

Trademark Law
http://www.law.cornell.edu/topics/trademark.html
Read the United States' trademark law (known as the Lanham Act) and recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions regarding trademarks. This site also discusses other intellectual property issues.

American Society for Quality Control
http://www.asqc.org/
One area in which small businesses can excel is quality control. This organization is committed to quality improvement -- it claims more than 130,000 members worldwide.

The Better Business Bureau
http://www.bbb.org/^1476410970/council/ main/index.html
You can find local Better Business Bureaus and learn about specific companies and current consumer fraud issues at this site.

Black Enterprise Online
http://www.blackenterprise.com/
Full of tips and techniques that focus on helping black entrepreneurs.

Business Opportunities Handbook: Online
http://www.ezines.com/
This online magazine features articles about running a small business and marketing your products. It's almost like having free business consultants. Also lists business opportunities.

Employee Relations Web Picks!
http://www.webcom.com/~garnet/labor/
This site focuses on New York State labor relations issues and has large amounts of information about a broad range of federal employment issues and U.S. Supreme Court decisions.

Franchise Handbook: Online
http://www.franchise1.com/franchise.html
Information about franchising opportunities, features, tips, and links to relevant Web sites.

Glossary of Insurance and Financial Planning Terms
http://www.bus.orst.edu/faculty/nielson/glossary/glos_idx.htm
A simple but extremely handy site.

Institute of Management & Administration Business Pages
http://starbase.ingress.com/ioma/
Sample articles about a wide range of topics like employee benefits and handling receivables. You'll have to pay for a full subscription to go beyond the samples. Hundreds of links to other business-related sites.

Training and Seminar Locators
http://www.tasl.com/tasl/
Do you or your staff need training but don't know where to get it? Look for it at this site.

AdvertisingAge
http://www.adage.com/
This Web version of the print magazine emphasizes the advertising industry. But it also has information on marketing and advertising services, plus updated daily business news from around the world.

American Demographics/Marketing Tools
http://www.marketingtools.com/
Browse previous versions of publications that will help you learn how to focus your marketing efforts intelligently.

American Marketing Association
http://www.ama.org/
All manner of information about the American Marketing Association and its services.

Dun & Bradstreet
http://www.dbisna.com/
This site has plenty of tips about a variety of business-related topics, as well as marketplace information. You can purchase D&B services here, too.

EXPOguide
http://www.expoguide.com/
This site has an enormous list of trade shows and conferences.

How to Price Your Products and Services
gopher://www.sbaonline.sba.gov/00/business-development/general-information-and-publications/obd5.txt
This solid, if elementary, page from the Small Business Administration provides advice regarding pricing strategies.

Retail Futures
http://e1.com/RF/
This fascinating site covers the issue of retailing in today's rapidly changing environment.

Understanding Your Market
gopher://www.sbaonline.sba.gov/00/business-development/general-information-and-publications/obd3.txt
Another document from the Small Business Administration that helps you think through the process of understanding your customers. Good information, but not aimed at experts.

ANSI Online
http://www.ansi.org/
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) sets the American standards for a wide variety of products and technologies. Also provides links to many other organizations.

ISO Online
http://www.iso.ch/
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is an international standard-setting organization. This site explains some of ISO's work, including the ISO 9000 standard for quality management and assurance.

The National Technology Transfer Center
http://www.nttc.edu/
This organization, created by Congress, is a focal point for helping companies work with federal laboratories to turn the laboratories' work into technology that businesses can use and sell.

Technology Transfer Information Center
http://www.nal.usda.gov/ttic/
This is another site that will help you turn federally funded research into profits.

AT&T Business Network
http://www.bnet.att.com/?75-30-nytim-r-ros-bnh
AT&T has done an excellent job of putting together lots of important information for businesspeople. A great starting point for finding business-related information.

AT&T Toll-Free Internet Directory
http://www.tollfree.att.net/dir800/
Search for toll-free telephone numbers.

BigYellow
http://s6.bigyellow.com/
Find businesses you want by name, state, zip code, and area code. Links to business-related sites.

Hoover's Online
http://www.hoovers.com/
This is a massive site that provides information about thousands of companies. You'll pay for most of the information, but there's still a lot for free.

Minority Business & Professional Directory
http://www.minbizdir.com/
A thorough directory of businesses owned by minorities and women.

Standard Industrial Classification Search
http://www.osha.gov/oshstats/sicser.html
Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes are frequently used for specific industries. However, they can be hard to remember. Find SIC codes at this site.

USPS ZIP+ 4 Code Lookup
http://www.usps.gov/ncsc/lookups/lookup_zip+4.html
Are those important business letters being bounced back to you? Enter a correct street address, city, and state, and this site will give you the zip + four-digit code, compliments of the United States Postal Service.