Information for All Groups:
    Developing the Business or Marketing Plan
    Strategic Planning
    SWOT Analysis
    Consumer Data
Group Topics:
    Fast Food Franchise
    Kennel
    Veterans Association
    Automotive Service

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.

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)

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)

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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

How to Perform SWOT Analysis -- Overview with sample analysis from Bplans.com.

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.

Understanding and Using SWOT Analysis -- Good overview, but lots of advertising.

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

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 Elite.

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Group Topics

Industry Information

IBISWorld - search for "restaurant" - Full-Service Restaurants in the US - 72211 and Limited-Service Eating Places 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.

Current Trends in Foodservice and How They Affect the Marketing Mix of American Restaurants
A 2001 research report from the University of Florida.

The Restaurant Industry
A guide to resources from 2002.

Small Business Sourcebook (Ref HD 2346 .U5 S66 13th)
Provides lists of industry resources for Bakery/Doughnut Shop (vol.1, p.197-206), Delicatessen/Sandwich Shop (vol.1, p.712-719), Healthy Restaurant (vol.1, p.1071-1075), and Restaurant (vol.1, p.1771-1811).

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

Marketing Plan

Business Plans Handbook  (Reference HD 62.7 .B865)
Several plans may be useful: Biscotti Bakery (vol.1, pp.63-69); three Restaurant plans (vol.1, pp.315-368); Restaurant/Bar and Restaurant Franchise (vol.2, pp.263-276 and 277-288); two Fast Food plans and a Sandwich Shop (vol.3, pp.105-134 and 397-408); restaurant, The Whistle Stop (vol.4, pp.373-378); Bread Bakery  and two restaurants (vol.5, pp.11-24 and 327-358).  Plans available online include: Caribbean Cafe (vol.6, p.69-88); Pizzeria (vol.6, p.235-243); Sports Bar (vol.6, p.353-364); Restaurant (vol.7, p.337-356); and Bistro and Wine Bar (vol.10, p.29-45).  These plans are also available from a free web site.

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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Kennel

Industry Information:

IBISWorld - search for "kennel" - Pet Grooming and Boarding in the US - 81291.

Encyclopedia of American Industries  (Ref HC 102 .E53 4th ed. v.2)
Also available online from the Gale Virtual Reference Library list of business titles.
Animal Specialty Services, except Veterinary - SIC 0752 (vol.2, p.103-105).

Small Business Sourcebook (Ref HD 2346 .U5 S66 13th)
Provides lists of industry resources for Pet Boarding/Grooming Service (vol.1, p.1573-1575).

Dog and Cat Kennel Business Plan
Sample plan from Bplans.

Pet Care Services Association
Formerly the American Boarding Kennel Association, the trade association.

Startup a Kennel or Dog Day Care Business
Covers experience and training, startup costs, facilities, staffing, and more.

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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Industry Information

Encyclopedia of American Industries  (Ref HC 102 .E53 4th ed. v.2)
Civil, Social, and Fraternal Associations - SIC 8641 (vol.2, p.1470-1473)

IBISWorld - search for NAICS code 813410 - Youth, Education & Special Interest Organizations in the US.  Provides very little information on page 36 of the report.

Recruitment

Post Salutes Past and Future by Dan Lippe. Advertising Age, v.66, no.29 (7/24/95): p. 16.

This Old Journalist Isn't a Legionnaire Any More by Pat Murphy. American Editor, v.73, no.6 (Jul/Aug 1998): p.19.

Recruiting-Methods for Success by Henry A. Adams. Officer Review Magazine, v.44, no.6 (2005): p.26.

Veterans Benefit By Sticking Together by Lois Hatton. USA Today, 12/09/2005.

Vietnam Vets Find Home in Groups They Once Avoided by Tom Vanden Brook. USA Today, 11/11/2005.

Why I Joined The Order by Michael Halpin. Officer Review Magazine, v.47, no.9 (2008): p.22-23.

Veterans Organizations

General:

     -- American Legion

     -- American Veterans Alliance

     -- AMVETS

     -- National Veterans Organization of America

     -- Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States

Specialized:

     -- American Gulf War Veterans Association

     -- Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America

     -- Iraq War Veterans Association

     -- National Association for Black Veterans

     -- Women Veterans of America

In addition, there are many divisional associations and organizations associated with a particular branch of the military.

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Automotive Services

Industry Information:

IBISWorld - reports to consider: Auto Parts Stores in the US - 44131 and Auto Body, Paint & Glass Repair in the US - 81112.

Encyclopedia of American Industries  (Ref HC 102 .E53 4th ed. v.2)
Best fits: Auto & Home Supply Stores - SIC 5531 (vol.2, p.728-733) or Top, Body, and Upholstery Repair Shops and Paint Shops - SIC 7532 (vol.2, p.1228-1231).

Business Plans Handbookonline

Aftermarket Business
Browse this journal online for articles concerning the industry.

Small Business Sourcebook (Ref HD 2346 .U5 S66 13th)
Provides lists of resources for Auto Supply Store (vol.1, p.168-174) and Automobile Detailing/Painting Service  (vol. 1, p.175-179).

Competitors

Autozone

CARQUEST

MAACO

Pep Boys

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