Name an industry, and we guarantee there are maybe two, possibly
a handful, of trade or professional associations that serve it. All
industry associations are not the same, however. The big,
well-funded ones have more power and, naturally, are better
information sources. Some have thousands of members spread across
the United States, whereas small regional ones may have only a few
hundred or a few dozen. Keep in mind, either type can be useful if
you make valuable connections.
And connections are key. You're bound to pick up leads from
people in your industry--for example, information on the best
vendors, outlets for raw materials, market data, hot trends and so
on. The more contacts you make, the better the odds of capturing
exclusive information.
A great source for locating all the associations serving your
industry is the Encyclopedia of Associations (Gale Research),
available at most public libraries. Expect to uncover associations
you've never heard of. New organizations in virtually all
industries are started daily.
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It also doesn't hurt to stay on top of industry
publications. Like trade organizations, some carry more clout than
others. The sheer size of a publication tells you a lot. Many are
gorged with news, events, opinions and information you might deem
valuable in launching your business.
These are just a few of the top sources for start-up help. Once
you start talking to people, you'll uncover others. It also
pays to regularly surf the Net for start-up advice. Many banks have
Web sites offering advice and some of the financial sites, such as
Motley Fool (http://www.fool.com)
and financial publications such as The Wall Street Journal
Interactive Edition (http://www.wsj.com), also feature articles
about launching a business. The best advice is to keep your eyes
peeled. Do that, and we guarantee you'll uncover more
information than you need.
Contact Sources
Bank of America Entrepreneurial Center,dennis@infi.net
Batten Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership,battencenter@darden.gbus.virginia.edu,
http://www.darden.virginia.edu
First Capital Bank of Arizona, 2700 N. Central, #210,
Phoenix, AZ 85004, (602) 240-2700
Nebraska Center For Entrepreneurship, University of
Nebraska, 209 College of Business Administration University of
Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68586-0487, http://www.cba.unl.edu/additional/ent
University of Houston Small Business Development Center,
1100 Louisiana, #500, Houston, TX 77002, (713) 752-8444
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