The document provides information about business resources available through the Burlington County Library System. It outlines tools for developing leads and relationships, gauging market potential, managing a business, and staying on top of industry trends. These include online directories, demographic data, management guides, business plans, videos, and periodicals. The library offers 24/7 online access, programs, meeting spaces, and other services to support businesses.

1. Joan C. Divor
Business Services Librarian
Burlington County Library System
Westampton, NJ
Summer, 2012

2.  Who are target customers?
 What are key market trends that should
inform my strategy?
 What are the key developments in my (or my
customer’s) industry?
 How do I manage and grow my company?

3. Launch strategies
How to write(freelance strategies
Latest
an Brokers & dealers:
Financial assistance
employee handbook selling to physicians
for export business
writing)
(growing gift basket
business)
Licensing requirements
Entering
(group home for teenage girls)
new markets
(printing business)

4.  thousands of $$ of up-to-date knowledge
 demographics, contacts, how-to guides, market
research

5. …like large companies have, from sources NOT
free on Internet.
… FREE to you with your library card…
Online – from your home or office computer!

7.  Email
 Phone
 Visit

8. Synergy
Resources + Expertise
InfoPower!

9. By the end of this workshop, you will
be able to:
 Use the library’s convenient 24-7
online toolkit to build your business
know-how.

10.  Develop leads & relationships
 Gauge market potential
 Managing for YOUR biz stage
 Keep on top of trends / opportunities

11. 1. BCLS Business Gateway
bcls.lib.nj.us/business-gateway

12. 2. 24-7 Online Answers

13. to Find Use BCLS jerseyclicks.org
Leads/Contacts RefUSA x x
Market Potential DemographicsNow x
Managing Management Guides x
Business Plan x
Handbooks
Emerging Business & Company x
Trends & Resource Ctr
Opportunities
EBSCO Business x x
Source
EBSCO Regional x x
Business News
Frost & Sullivan x x
Comprehensive Small Business x x
Bus. Reference Resource Center
Library
Video Bus & Lynda.com x
Tech Courses

14.  Develop leads & relationships
 Gauge market potential
 Managing for YOUR biz stage
 Keep on top of trends / opportunities

15.  Who are my target customers?
 Who are my competitors?
 Who are potential partners, suppliers,
network?

16. Reference USA online directories let
you create lists customized to YOUR
needs:
 Target companies by size, location, sales
 Lists and profiles of competitors
 Residential addresses; new movers
 Health care providers
 Downloadable mailing lists

17. I am targeting medium-
sized heavy construction
companies for
my employee leasing
business.

20. Medium - Sized Contruction Companies - Phila / Camden / Wilmington by 3 digit ZIP
50 - 99 Employees 100 - 249 Employees 250-499 Employees
ZIP # Co's ZIP # Co's ZIP # Co's
080 61 080 25 080 3
081 3 081 1 081 0
083 1 083 2 083 0
085 2 085 1 085 0
180 1 180 0 180 0
189 36 189 12 189 0
190 55 190 35 190 1
191 26 191 21 191 9
193 37 193 13 193 1
194 31 194 32 194 3
197 35 197 18 197 3
198 13 198 9 198 3
219 2 219 3 219 0
Data summary exported to Excel

22. What is the competition in
home health agencies in the
area I am targeting for a new
location (ex. 08087 Tuckerton)?

23.  Map the pizza places in Santa Fe,
NM
 A Virtual Office Assistant wants to
target small- to medium-sized
dental offices in the Philly metro
area
 A landscape architect is targeting
property management companies in
Gloucester, Cumberland, and Salem
Counties

24. Business Gateway; Librarian
 Trade associations
 Networking groups
 Local rankings lists
 Town business organizations

25.  Develop leads & relationships
 Gauge market potential
 Managing for YOUR biz stage
 Keep on top of trends / opportunities

26. DemographicsNow
Geographic business intelligence
 Who are my best customers?
 Where do they live?
 How much do they spend?
 What do they buy?
 Where should I sell (location, territory)?

27. DemographicsNow
 Choose your geography (zip,
county…radii, drivetime)
 Choose your “variable”
 Outputs:
 Reports: comparison, summary, ranking
 Maps
 Census 2010

28. DemographicsNow
Walk Thru 1: Sales estimates and projections:
I’d like to compare what consumers spend on
electronics in 3 north Jersey Counties: Bergen,
Passaic, & Sussex.

29. DemographicsNow
Walk Thru 2: Lifestyles in a new location:
Santa Fe County New Mexico

30. DemographicsNow -- Mapping
Walk Thru 3: Where are the concentrations of
older people in and around Tuckerton 08087?

31. Select
geog.

32. Select
variable (85
- plus

33. Mapping Controls
tools
Check
“thematic
layer”

34. Resulting data
ranges
(scroll down)

35. 2016

36. Let’s Explore!
Pick a zip code
 1 fact about population
 1 fact about retail sales potential
 Most prevalent lifestyle category

37. Let’s Explore!
Pick a zip code
 1 fact about population
 1 fact about retail sales potential
 Most prevalent lifestyle category
 Map a variable

39.  Develop leads & relationships
 Gauge market potential
 Managing for YOUR biz stage
 Keep on top of trends / opportunities

40. Should I grow? What are best
practices for keeping
customer loyalty? How do I
recruit & hire employees?

41.  Management Handbooks & Guides
 10 management reference ebooks
 Business Plans Handbook – multi-volume, several
hundred plans
 Business Plans Handbook
 Small Business Resource Center (new/statewide)
 all of the above
 much more - list

42. Management Handbooks & Guides –
ebook library
 Management reference guides
 Sample business plans (ALSO SEPARATE
LINK)
 Major marketing campaigns
 iPhone, iPad, Kindle compatible

43.  24/7 online business advice and tools
 All major areas of starting, operating
and maintaining a business
 Easy, intuitive screen
 Pre-compiled info on popular topics

44.  Comprehensive eLibrary:
 Business Plans Handbook Series
 Encyclopedia of Management
 Popular guides
 Small Business for Dummies
 Unofficial Guide to Marketing Your Small
Business
 Trade & management journals
 Close to 300 e-sources total

45. Example: Writing a business plan
 How to / guidelines
 Samples
 Templates
 More tools

46. Should I grow? What are best
practices for keeping
customer loyalty? How do I
recruit & hire employees?

47. SBRC Exercise - Basic Search and “buttons”
 How do I finance? Venture capital, loans
 How do I market? Pricing
 How do I manage? Marketing on the Internet
 How do I grow? Growth / expansion advice

48.  Develop leads & relationships
 Gauge market potential
 Managing for YOUR biz next stage
 Keep on top of trends / opportunities

49. are the latest
developments in my
field?
How can I strengthen my brand or
positioning?
What has worked
for competitors /
industry leaders?

50. SNAPSHOT OF COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT
Business & Company Resource Ctr
 industry analysis
 company profiles
 wide range of global business info. in one place

51. EBSCO Business Source
 trends, challenges, opportunities
 2,300+ business & trade magazines
 Professional forecasts
 Success stories
 Industry profiles and analysis
 Company, industry, management
 Daily updates; alerting

52. Industry
 Alternative energy – wind/solar, etc.
 Landscaping
 Retail Clothing
Look for:
 Overview of the industry
 Profile of a leading company
 Articles about recent developments

53.  Local focus from 75+ regional
publications from all over the US.
 TV and radio transcripts
 Newswires (eg Telecom newswire)

54. National, regional, local
Stay connected to stay competitive:
 Alerting
 My EBSCO – folder
 Alert save share
 Free iPhone app.

55.  Healthcare
 Electronics/Security
 Energy & Power
 Information & Communications
 Chemicals/Materials/Food
 Aerospace & Defense
 Automation & Process Control
 Environment & Building Technologies
 Measurement & Instrumentation.

56. 750 plus self-paced video Duarte
Design - Presentation Design
 Graphic Secrets for Business
Professionals
 Social Media Marketing with Facebook
and Twitter
 iPad Tips & Tricks

57. By the end of this workshop, you will
be able to:
 Use the library’s convenient 24-7
online toolkit to build your business
know-how.

58. bcls.lib.nj.us
bcls.lib.nj.us/business-gateway

59. 1. BCLS Business Gateway
bcls.lib.nj.us/business-gateway
2. 24-7 Online Research

60. to Find Use BCLS jerseyclicks.org
Leads/Contacts RefUSA x x
Market Potential DemographicsNow x
Managing Management Guides x
Business Plan x
Handbooks
Emerging Business & Company x
Trends & Resource Ctr
Opportunities
EBSCO Business x x
Source
EBSCO Regional x x
Business News
Frost & Sullivan x x
Comprehensive Small Business x x
Bus. Reference Resource Center
Library
Video Bus & Lynda.com x
Tech Courses

61.  Custom Business Answers, your
"Personal Trainer" @ the Library

62.  Business programs; networking
 Business counseling
 Meeting rooms
 “Branch office”: hotspot, computers,
fax
 Adjunct breakroom: Café

63. Biz bestsellers & classics

67.  Leverage, your commute:
Audiobooks
 Save fuel!! Library-in-a-Bag;
downloads
 Downloadable ebooks
 No time to read: Chapter a day book
summaries
 Borrow-a-Book-Club

69. www.making-cents.info
Learn to make your money grow!

70. “To make a small business work you need
considerable knowledge, skill, management,
experience, as well as a high level of
commitment, plenty of hard work, access to
finance, and some good luck.”
-- Paul Clitheroe - famous Australian financial author, television
host of the "Money Show", and business man.

71. Joan C. Divor
Business Services Librarian
jdivor@bcls.lib.nj.us
bcls.lib.nj.us/business-gateway