By David Connell

If you look up “small business” on the Google search engine, it will yield just over 5 million websites. Of course, no one has time to look up even a fraction of these sites and culling through them would be a colossal waste of time. But, if you are an independent agent or advisor, chances are you also consider yourself a small business owner and these pages hold a gold mine of information to address problems you face everyday. With that in mind, we offer the following sites as places entrepreneurs can start looking for answers to their small-business needs.

Magazines, news and reviews
Emerging Business Magazine - www.ebmagz.com
Dedicated to the small-business owner, this magazine’s site has articles on everything from marketing strategies, to public speaking, to keeping computer equipment running smoothly. The site also profiles other entrepreneurs, revealing their secrets to success.

These sites are places entrepreneurs can start looking for answers to their small-business needs.

Entrepreneur Magazine - www.entrepreneur.com
Entrepreneur.com offers a wealth of articles on your small-business needs. Sections on money, management and home office-users may be of particular interest to advisors and agents. The site has information on starting and maintaining a Web presence and reviews of the gadgets you need to make your office run more smoothly.

The Entrepreneurs' Help Page - www.tannedfeet.com
This site was “created, and published by a group of young professionals,” according to its “About Us” page and is designed to distribute basic information on legal, financial and management issues that effect small-business owners. In addition to its own content, the site features articles from around the Web and interviews with other small-business owners.

Inc.com - www.inc.com
Much more than a magazine, Inc.com provides small-business owners with free tools for everything from starting a business to marketing to writing contracts. It also provides advice columns and an updated list of events the magazine holds for entrepreneurs. Perhaps the most valuable aspect of the site is the “guides” section, which compiles the very best articles and tools from the magazine on topics like customer service and human resources.

SmallBizManager.com - www.smallbizmanager.com
This site is chock full of reviews and recommendations of business services and products. The site reviews software, hardware, banking, cell phones and much more. It also has a “portal” function that lists websites for trade shows, magazines and all your technology needs.

Small Business Computing - www.smallbusinesscomputing.com
Dedicated wholly to the computer needs of small businesses this site provides breaking technology news from Internetnews.com and practical reviews on hardware and software. It also has sections on business tools and e-marketing. There’s even a section dedicated to your Webmaster!

ZDNet Product Reviews - www.zdnet.com/products
One of the top tech sites on the ‘Net, ZDNet provides succinct, comprehensive and trustworthy reviews on software and hardware. The “Editor’s Top Fives” lists provide a handy shortcut and side-by-side comparison of most major small-business needs.

Associations and government
Small Business Administration - www.sba.gov
The SBA could be considered the mother of all small-business websites. The government-run organization lists information on everything from starting a small business to obtaining disaster relief. It also offers an online classroom for those looking to advance their entrepreneurial know-how.

Association of Small Business Development Centers - www.asbdc-us.org
We’re not encouraging you to join another trade association, but the ASBDC has a wealth of information on running a small business. The site includes links to several government and private organizations that may be useful, as well as state ASBDC offices that can lend you a hand locally.

Department of Labor’s Small Business Handbook - www.dol.gov/asp/programs/handbook/main.htm
This is a site every small-business owner should have bookmarked. The DOL’s handbook will give you the government’s rules on workplace standards for wages, safety and the latest on the Person’s with Disabilities Act.

Tools
BizStats.com – www.bizstats.com
Did you know that 75.3 percent of sole proprietorship insurance agencies and brokerages turn a profit, while only 65.1 percent of investment advisors have a net income? If you logged on to BizStats you would. This site lacks flash, but it has a wealth of statistical information that should be valuable to your business.

Bplans.com – www.bplans.com
The one-stop shop for forming a business plan, Bplans offers professional advice, examples of successful plans as well as software and to tools for writing a plan.

Buyer Zone – www.buyerzone.com
Buyer Zone is a web portal for buying all the equipment your small business might need. The service allows you to electronically collect email estimates on equipment like chairs and fax machines and services like website hosting and phone systems.

LivePlan.com - www.liveplan.com
LivePlan, in partnership with the Bplans, will securely post your business plan or marketing strategy on the Internet and allow you and any trusted colleagues to view and edit them. The documents remain secure on a password-protected site and can be shared with those providing advice.

Quicken.com Small Business - www.quicken.com/small_business/
A one-stop site from the makers of the financial software, this site offers top business news stories of the day, articles on managing finances and employees, an “online learning center,” and—of course—access to the company’s software solutions.

SmartOnline.com - www.smartonline.com
SmartOnline offers a suite of services for the small-business owner. The site includes comprehensive help in all areas of running a small business, including finance, legal, personnel and sales and marketing. The site’s tools will help you write a business plan, conduct market research, and produce financial statements and legal forms, all at a subscription rate of $19.95 per month.

Resources, Portals and Communities
The AARP Small Business Community Resource Center - www.aarpsmallbiz.com
An all-encompassing, customizable portal, the AARP site is not just for retirees. The site allows you to access news, payroll and public relations tools as well as links to other sites to help your business.

ChamberBiz.com – www.chamberbiz.com
A network of state, local and the national chambers of commerce, ChanmberBiz offers a portal to sites for managing your business, keeping up with regulations, researching, and buying and selling online.

Microsoft’s bCentral – www.bcentral.com
Microsoft might not be the first company you think of when it comes to small businesses, but the company’s bCentral site offers plenty of tools, resources, news and advice for entrepreneurs. Perhaps the most unique aspect of the site is its access to local business news through a partnership with American City Business Journals.

Smallbizsearch.com – www.smallbizsearch.com
A function of the entrepreneur.com website, Smallbizsearch allows you to search the web for small-business related sites. It also has portal categories ranging from “Home Office,” to “Starting Out,” to “Technology.”

Smallbusiness.com – www.smallbusiness.com
A community site, smallbusiness.com does what the Internet does best: connect people. Here you can solicit advice from hundreds of small-business owners and consultants on a variety of very specific topics.

The Young Entrepreneurs Network – www.youngandsuccessful.com
Another community site, the Young Entrepreneurs Network is specifically geared toward younger adults—presumably in their 20s and 30s—who are starting out in business. In addition to online discussion boards, the site has articles that might interest small-business owners.

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