Entrepreneurship
Find Articles
Database Searching
Entrepreneurship Journals
Find Books
Business Plans
Examples
- SBDC National Information Clearinghouse
- BPlans - Free Sample Business Plans
- Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Business Plans and Profiles Index
- Business Plans Handbook (print book at Business Learning Center)
Free Resources
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American FactFinder: http://factfinder.census.gov
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North Dakota Traffic Counts: www.dot.nd.gov/road-map/traffic
NDSU Libraries Resources
Industry Overviews:
Industry Financial Ratios:
- Mergent Intellect
- RMA Annual Statement Studies (print books at the BLC)
Competitors:
Target Market
Library Resources
Survey Research Resources
Handbook of Marketing Scales (ebook)
Provides over 150 marketing scales, including information on their validity, use in the literature, and more.
Government Information Resources
Names and Trademarks
Registering Your Company Name
In most states, the Secretary of State Office handle company registration. For North Dakota, you can find more information on their Business Services website. Minnesota similarly has a Search Business Filings webpage.
Trademarks
You should also search trademarks to make sure a national company has not already taken the name, which would also do business in your state. For more information on trademarks, see Trademark Basics.
Patents
What Are Patents?
Patents can give you the right to exclude others from selling an invention like yours based on protected claims. Utility patents are the most common type, as they have to do with machines, processes, business methods, articles of manufacture, compositions of matter, and improvements on these. Inventions must be useful, novel, and non-obvious to be granted patent protection. For more information, see the United States Patent and Trademark Office information.
Searching for Patents
Patents searching can help you determine if someone else already patented your invention and help you gain competitive intelligence. By law, patents disclose enough information that someone in the field could reproduce an invention. Thus, patents can be a great source of technical information. Patent holders may license patents for a fee and could be the basis of your new business, such as those listed on the NDSU Research Foundation's website.
Additional Resources
Technical Assistance
Once you have a clear idea of what you want to do, the Small Business Development Center can help you determine out next steps for your business venture.
If you are still exploring your options, SCORE can help you think through business ideas.
Funding
Many different organizations manage loans for small businesses, including:
- Bank of North Dakota
- ND Department of Commerce Development Fund
- Lake Agassiz - Business Lending and CDC
- Dakota Certified Development Corporation
- Lewis and Clark CDC
For more, see www.business.nd.gov/uploads/12/financingandincentives.pdf
Equipment
NDSU Research and Technology Park provides cost-effective access to expensive equipment. Browse or search their NDSU Research Equipment database for available equipment.