Information for All Groups:
    Developing the Business or Marketing Plan
    Strategic Planning
    SWOT Analysis
    Consumer Data
Group Topics:
    Chess Club
    Coupon Clipping
    Youth Volleyball 

Information for all Groups:

Developing the Business or Marketing Plan:

Business Plans and Profiles section of the Small Business Web page

Business Plans Handbook  (Reference HD 62.7 .B865 and online) 
A continuing set of volumes compiling actual business plans developed by small businesses throughout North America.  The first 5 volumes are in print, and volumes 6-12 are available online in the Gale Virtual Reference Library.. Appendix A in volumes 2-5 provides a template to use in developing a business plan. Selected plans are also available from a free web site.

How to Write a Business Plan by Bplans.com
Links to articles and other information.

Model Business Plans for Service Businesses (Reference HD 9980.5 .C64 1995)
Appendix B provides forms to aid in developing the plan.

The Owner’s and Manager’s Market Analysis Workbook for Small to Moderate Retail and Service Establishments by Wayne A. Lemmon. (Reference HF 5429 .L44)
Old, but still useful guide to the process of market analysis.

SBDCNET - Small Business Information Center
Links to helpful sites and to specific business plans for various types of small businesses.

Small Business Sourcebook (Reference HD 2346 .U5 S66 13th)
Provides lists of resources on the topics of Business Growth and Statistics (vol. 2, p.2234-2247); Business Plans (vol. 2, p.2267-2279); Competition (vol. 2, p.2317-2322);  Marketing (vol. 2, p.2834-2875); and  Publicity/Advertising (vol. 2; p.2987-3005)

Write a Business Plan
A series of guides from the Small Business Administration

For books in Milner Library, use the subject heading MARKETING PLANNING or BUSINESS PLANNING when searching the catalog.  Sources include:

Big Marketing Ideas for Small Service Businesses: How to Successfully Advertise, Publicize, and Maximize Your Business or Professional Practice by Marilyn and Tom Ross. (HD 9980.5 .R68 1990)

Business Planning Guide: Creating a Winning Plan for Success by David H. Bangs, Jr. (HD 30.28 .B362 2002)

Entrepreneur's Guide to Writing Business Plans and Proposals by K. Dennis Chambers (HD 62.5 .C423 2008)

Execution Premium: Linking Strategy to Operations for Competitive Advantage by Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton (HD 30.28 .K35434 2008)

How to Write a Business Plan by Mike McKeever (HD 30.28 .M3839 2008)

The Market Planning Guide: A Handbook to Help You Design, Write, and Use a Marketing Plan Tailored to Your Specific Business Needs by David H. Bangs, Jr. (HF 5415.122 .B36 1990)

The Marketing Plan: A Step-by-step Guide by John Westwood. (HF 5415.13 .W48 2002)

Marketing Plans: How to Prepare Them, How to Use Them by Malcolm McDonald. (HF 5415.13 .M369183 2002)

Marketing Your Services: A Step-by-step Guide for Small Businesses and Professionals by Anthony O. Putnam. (HD 9981.5 .P88 1990)

The Successful Marketing Plan: A Disciplined and Comprehensive Approach by Roman G. Hiebing, Jr. and Scott W. Cooper. (HF 5415.13 .H523 2003)

Writing a Convincing Business Plan by Arthur R. DeThomas and Stephanie A. Derammelaere (HD 30.28 .D477 2008)

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Strategic Planning

Developing a Strategic Business Plan
Advice and links from Planware.org.

Small Business Sourcebook (Reference HD 2346 .U5 S66 13th)
Provides lists of resources on the topics of Business Plans (vol.2, p.2267-2279) and Entrepreneurship on the Web (vol.2, p.2468-2480).

Strategic Planning
Page by Carter McNamara from The Free Management Library.

Strategic Planning for the Growing Business
Information from the Small Business Administration.

Strategic Thinking for Smaller Businesses and Divisions by William R. Lasher. (HD 30.28 .L374 1999)

Find books using the subject words STRATEGIC PLANNING or SMALL BUSINESS - UNITED STATES - PLANNING.  A few recent books are:

The Agile Enterprise: Reinventing Your Organization for Success in an On-demand World. Edited by Nirmal Pal and Daniel C. Pantaleo. NY: Springer, 2005. 332 p. (HD 58.9 .A44 2005)

Competition Demystified: A Radically Simplified Approach to Business Strategy. Bruce Greenwald and Judd Kahn. NY: Portfolio, 2005. 399 p. (HD 30.28 .G733 2005)

The New Strategic Thinking: Pure & Simple. Michel Robert. NY: McGraw-Hill, 2006. 246 p. (HD 30.28 .R624 2006)

Strategic Management and Online Selling: Creating Competitive Advantage with Intangible Web Goods. Susanne Royer. NY: Routledge, 2005. 240 p. (HF 5548.32 .R694 2005)

Strategy as Action: Competitive Dynamics and Competitive Advantage. Edited by Curtis M. Grimm, Hun Lee, and Ken G. Smith. NY: Oxford University Press, 2006. 278 p. (HD 41 .G695 2006)

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SWOT Analysis

strategy - SWOT analysis -- Brief overview from tutor2u.com.

SWOT Analysis -- Overview from MindTools.

SWOT Analysis -- Overview from NetMBA.

SWOT Analysis -- From QuickMBA.com.

SWOT Analysis: Lesson -- Lesson from Marketingteacher.com with samples.

SWOT analysis method and examples, with free SWOT template -- Good overview, with comparison to PEST analysis.

The Strengths and Weaknesses sections will depend on internal data.  Work with your client to obtain information about their management, marketing, and financial situation.

The Opportunities and Threats sections assess the external situation.  Consider especially the industry, the economy, and the local market.

• Industry - as these are small industries, you may need to get much of your information from your client.  Any published industry sources are listed in the section below pertaining to your client.
  
  
• Economy - these are the regional and national economic forces that impact your client.  Use sources like the economic data for the US provided by the Global Market Information Database, or in the Economic Report of the President, and similar sources.
  
  
• Local Market - consult the Economic Census, County Business Patterns (DOC. C3 .204), and resources listed in the Market Research handout. NAICS codes for the industries are listed in the Where to Look section for each group.

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Consumer Data

Data on which to base marketing decisions can be gleaned from such sources as:

Census of Population

Community Sourcebook of Zip Code Demographics (Reference HA 203 .S6601)

Consumer Expenditure Surveys - Bureau of Labor Statistics data on spending patterns.

County Business Patterns - Illinois
Choose the state and then use the drop-down menu to choose a county.

Demographics USA - County Edition  (Reference HF 5437 .S3202)

Economic Census
For data on business customers. Use the correspondence tables to determine the relevant NAICS codes, then consult the industry reports.

Household Spending: Who Spends How Much on What  (Reference HC 110 .C6 O34)

The Lifestyle Market Analyst  (HF 5415.33 .U6 L54)

MSA Business Patterns (NAICS)

2007 County and City Extra:  Annual Metro, City, and County Data Book  (Reference HA 203 .C68 2007)

For articles, search Business Source Premier.

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Group Topics

Industry Information

IBISWorld - Youth, Education & Special Interest Organizations in the US - 81341

Note:  Many chess clubs meet in restaurants or food courts, but there are few listings for stand-alone clubs that service food or beverages.  The internet lists many vendors of coffee kiosks or related products and supplies.

Food Service Industry Information

IBISWorld - search for "fast food" - Fast Food Restaurants in the US - 72221.

Encyclopedia of American Industries  (Ref HC 102 .E53 4th ed. v.1)
Eating Places - SIC 5812 (vol.2, p.806-812 and online).

National Restaurant Association
Industry trade association site with research data.

Restaurant Start-up Profile (TX 911.3 .V62 H466 2007)

Small Business Sourcebook (Ref HD 2346 .U5 S66 13th)
Provides lists of industry resources for Bakery/Doughnut Shop (vol.1, p.197-206) and Delicatessen/Sandwich Shop (vol.1, p.712-719).

MSA Business Patterns (NAICS)
Data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Expansion Plans

Determining Business Expansion Costs
A short article outlining costs to consider.

Entrepreneur.com Self-Financing and Bootstrapping
A list of links.

Small Business Encyclopedia: Business Expansion
Basic article.

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Industry Information

Association of Coupon Professionals

Promotion Marketing Association
Has a Coupon Council, and issues press releases (Sample)

Articles About Coupon Clipping

The Best Sites for Coupon Clipping - from the Wall Street Journal

Coupon-Clipping Guru Faces Big Lawsuit - from about.com

Coupon-Clipping Online: Where to Find Coupons Online for the Products and Services You Buy - from the Wall Street Journal digital network

Easy Coupon Clipping Can Save You Big - from ABC News

5 Best Coupon-Clipping Web Sites - from SmartMoney

How to Understand Coupon Clipping Services - from Associated Content
Rates various clipping services

Should a Frugal Person Bother with the Coupon Section in the Sunday Paper? - from The Simple Dollar

Snipping, Clipping, Scrimping - from washingtonpost.com

Warren Buffet for Coupon-Clippers - from Slate

Competitors

CentsOff

The Coupon Clippers

The Coupon Master

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Organizations

United States Youth Volleyball League

Great Lakes Power League
Information about the center and four volleyball clubs.

Illini Elite
A local youth volleyball club.

Journals

International Journal of Sport Finance (online only - search for articles in ABI/INFORM)

International Journal of Sport Management  (GV 713 .I57)

Journal of Sport Management (GV 713 .J678 and online)

Books

Administration for Exercise-related Professions (GV713 .L35 2004)

Administrative Side of Coaching: A Handbook for Applying Business Concepts to Coaching Athletics (GV 711 .L46 2005)

Financing Sport (GV 716 .H69 2004)

Financing the Sport Enterprise (GV 716 .S29 2004)

Governance and Policy in Sport Organizations (GV 713 .H86 2004)

The Management of Clubs, Recreation, and Sport: Concepts and Applications (GV713 .S29 1999)

Management of Sports Development (GV 713 .M34 2008)

Managing Sport Organizations (GV 713 .A36 2002)

Sports Event Management and Marketing Playbook (GV 716 .S86 2005)

Successful Sport Management (GV706.8 .S92 2000)

Understanding Sport Organizations: The Application of Organization Theory (GV 713 .S576 2006)

Industry Information

IBISWorld - Sports Coaching in the United States - 61162 and Sports Franchises in the United States - 71121a are the best two reports.  Also consult: Leisure and Recreation - Participation in Sport in the US - Business Environment Report for background information.

The Feasibility Study

Cooperative Feasibility Study Guide
A brief guide from the USDA for rural agricultural cooperatives, but contains a good outline of a feasibility study useful for many applications.

Starting a Small Business: The Feasibility Analysis
A good basic guide from Montguide, a pulication of the Montana State University Extension Service.

Feasibility Study Outline
An outline for conducting a feasibility study, with links to information on feasibility studies in general and when to do a feasibility study and how to use the results. From the Ag Marketing Resource Center at Iowa State University.

Business Plan Outline
Outline from the Howard University Small Business Development Center.

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