Understanding Your Industry
- What are the trends?
- What are the challenges and obstacles?
- What is the profitability?
- Who are the key players?
- NAICS:North American Industry Classification SystemThe North American Industry Classification System was developed by the Census Bureau to classify businesses for the purpose of collecting, analyzing, and publishing statistical data related to the U.S. business economy. You can search for the proper NAICS codes for your business by keyword.
Researching Your Industry
The resources below are a great place to start for a broad scope of an industry. Some of your ideas may cross over a few different industries, so be sure to look at all of the research. Goizueta Business Library has additional research sources for specific industries like high tech, sports, and entertainment. A business librarian can help you figure out which resources will be ideal for your project.
- ABI/Inform Complete (at ProQuest)Includes several excellent sources of U.S. and global industry and market research:
First Research Industry Profiles - industry trends, challenges, forecasts, CEO perspectives, and more for 200+ U.S. industries, including small and niche sectors. BMI Global Industry Reports - in-depth global market research reports, including country-specific analysis. BMI Country Industry Reports - in-depth global market research reports for 24+ industries across 200+ global markets. Plunkett Corporate Benchmarking Reports - key benchmarks and metrics comparing U.S. headquartered companies to their peers and primary industry.
- Business Source CompleteIncludes several great sources of industry research:
Marketline Industry Reports - global industry profiles include: market value, overview, data, segmentation, outlook, Porter Five Forces, and leading companies; most industries have a global report as well as country-specific reports. Barnes Industry & Market Reports - metrics on industry establishments and sales & employment trends for U.S. states and Metropolitan Areas (MSAs).
- AtoZdatabases: Target Company ListsCreate custom target lists from 30 million U.S. business profiles by geography, industry, size, and more. Results can be downloaded to Excel.
- PitchBookResearch and target firms by industry and financing history. Includes startups, VC and PE-backed companies, as well as mature private and public firms
Create a Saved Search
Creating, Saving, and Using Lists
Create and Edit Alerts
Collaborate on Lists, Searches and Market Maps
- Standard & Poor's NetAdvantage50+ industry profiles, U.S. public company Stock Reports with 10 years of financials.
- StatistaAggregates over 1M statistics from 18,000 sources, including market researchers, trade organizations and governments. Includes some reports and downloadable data.
Understanding Your Market
- Who are the customers? (demographics)
- How do customers behave? (psychographics)
- What is the demand for the product/service?
- What is the pricing?
- BCC ResearchMarket research reports covering many industries, including healthcare, medical devices/surgical, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, manufacturing, semiconductors, photonics, chemical, information technology, biotechnology, environment, plastics, franchises, food & beverages, consumer, finance, VC, startups, and more.
- eMarketer ProMarket research reports on digital consumerism, including marketing, advertising, mobile, retail, ecommerce , social media, and more.
- EMIS IntelligenceEmerging country coverage including global industry and market research reports, news, statistics, economic data, country ratings, company profiles, and financials. You can even create country-specific company lists.
- Richard K. Miller Research Handbooks (RKMA)Guides for researching consumer markets, including sources and data snapshots on market trends, size, forecasts, statistics, and more.
Consumer Data
- SimplyAnalyticsThe Nielsen PRIZM data defines every U.S. household in terms of 66 demographic and behavior segments to discern consumer lifestyles, lifestages and preferences. Simmons includes brand-level data and demographics. The follow variables are also available: Nielsen Consumer Buying Power database with estimates of potential annual consumer expenditures for more than 350 household expenditure items and Nielsen Retail Market Power database with retail sales estimates for a number of merchandise items as well as retail store types.
- State & Country Quick FactsFrom the US Census, QuickFacts includes data for all states and counties, and for cities and towns with >5000 people
- US. Census DataGateway to US Census data, including the American Community Survey and 2010 Census.
Understanding Your Competitors
- Who are the direct competitors?
- What differentiates their products or services from yours?
- What are their strengths and weaknesses?
- LinkedInSearch Emory or Goizueta to locate alumni in area of interest to you.
- Alumni DatabaseYou must register first - great source, our alumni are everywhere!
- Associations Unlimited450K+ international, U.S. regional, state, local, and non-profit organizations including IRS data on U.S. non-profits.
Newspapers and Articles
- ABI/Inform Complete (Proquest)Business journals including "Smart Business Atlanta" & "Georgia Trend." Select the Advanced Search tab. Start with a broad search, then use the Suggested Topics on the Results page to narrow your search.
- Business Source Complete8500 business journals. Type in a term and select AB Abstract from the drop down box.On results screen, look at subjects in left panel to narrow your search.
- FactivaBest place to find most recent articles. On search page, select Companies tab in top nav bar, then select Company. Enter your company name to retrieve short description, competitors and latest news.
Planning Your Operations and Marketing
Operations Research
- Doing BusinessObjective measures of business regulations for local firms in 189 economies and selected cities at the subnational level.
- Doing Business in GeorgiaTax, licensing, registration and a wealth of resources for small businesses.
- Georgia USAData from the Georgia Department of Economic Development. Find information on available buildings in GA. as well as the Incentives offered to companies to locate in GA. Locate Contract Manufacturers. For other states, search Economic Development in Google and site:org
Supplier Research
- AlibabaLocate a supplier for your product or the equipment you will need for your business. Source it in China or any region of the world- Browse by category or region.
- AtoZdatabases: Target Company ListsCreate custom target lists from 30 million U.S. business profiles by geography, industry, size, and more. Results can be downloaded to Excel.
- Sourcetool.comGlobal Sourcing Directory with 750,000 suppliers. Find products or services for your new venture. The directory is based on the United Nations Standard Products and Services Code (UNSPSC.)
HR/Personnel/Taxes
- IRS Small Business Tax CenterForms and publications for self-employed and small businesses, information on taxes, expenses and more.
- Occupational Outlook - U.S. Dept. Of LaborFor hundreds of jobs, tell you the training and education needed,earnings,expected job prospects,what workers do on the job and working conditions.
- Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesThe Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program publishes a quarterly count of employment and wages reported by employers covering 98 percent of U.S. jobs, available at the county, MSA, state and national levels by industry.
Marketing & Advertising Research
- SimplyAnalyticsData is from the U.S. Census, EASI Analytics, Mediamark Consumer, Nielsen and Simmons. Utilize demographic information, consumer behaviors, businesses and other tools to create customized data visualization maps and reports.
- StatistaAggregates over 1M statistics from 18,000 sources, including market researchers, trade organizations and governments. Includes some reports and downloadable data
Patents & Prototypes
- U.S. Patent and Trademark OfficeSearch for existing patents and trademarks and get to know more about U.S. patent and trade mark policies. This kind of research can be complex, so don't hesitate to ask your business librarian for help.
- Emory University Tech LabThe Student Digital Life TechLab offers an area for new technologies to be introduced to the campus and evaluated for their use in academic life. Various technologies, including 3D printing and 3D scanning, are now available in the TechLab. Students are encouraged to stop by to experiment with the technology and to partner with our staff to develop academic projects that incorporate these emerging technologies.
Researching Investors & Funding
- Alternative Investments (Startups, PE, VC & Hedge Funds)Resources to help you search for information on funding for startups, private equity, venture capital, hedge funds, and more.
- PitchbookResearch and target firms by industry and financing history. Includes startups, VC and PE-backed companies, as well as mature private and public firms.
How to Search for Investors by Investment Activity in Pitchbook
Search for investors based on the type of deals they're involved in, and the types of industries they invest in. You'll look at the details of each investment and walk through the process of exporting the data into Excel.
Create a Saved Search
Creating, Saving, and Using Lists
Create and Edit Alerts
Collaborate on Lists, Searches and Market Maps
- Greyhouse Venture Capital & Private Equity FirmContact information and investment and fund data for 2300+ U.S. and international VC and PE firms. Look up companies/funds or create custom lists. Includes firm address, phone/fax numbers, email, web addresses for primary/branch locations, industry and geographic preferences, average and minimum investments and investment criteria, managing partner information including education (college and degrees), professional background and directorships held, and email address.
Free Web Funding Resources
- Garage Technology Ventures
Assuming you have an idea for a new business, you are probably thinking about contacting prospective investors about your new venture. Before you start pitching to investors, you want to make sure you understand what investors are looking for, and that you are telling your story in a way that investors can best understand.
- Y Combinator
New model of startup funding: Twice a year they invest a small amount of money (average $18k) in a large number of startups (most recently 84). The startups move to Silicon Valley for 3 months, during which people at Y Combinator work intensively with them to get the company into the best possible shape and refine their pitch to investors.
- CircleUp
A funding source for consumer product companies with $1M in revenue. Investors provide strategic guidance to the entrepreneurs. Pass the test to list your company on the site, then funding could be available in 60-90 days. Read the FAQs from Entrepreneurs on Fundraising and Compliance.
- Kickstarter
Funding Platform for Creative Projects. Project creators set a funding goal and deadline. Anyone can pledge money to make it happen. Funding on Kickstarter is all-or-nothing — projects must reach their funding goals to receive any money. Projects must fit into one of these categories: Art, Comics, Dance, Design, Fashion, Film, Food, Games, Music, Photography, Publishing, Technology, and Theater.
- Indiegogo
Funding platform for entrepreneurs in Food, Small Business, Sports and Technology. If you meet your goal, you pay 4%. If you don't have a goal, you pay 9%. Merit-based platform - where the most active campaigns are featured based on an algorithm called the gogofactor.
- Startup Atlanta
A non-profit whose mission is to introduce, connect, support, and expand the entrepreneurial ecosystem within the greater Atlanta region to bolster the creation of jobs, companies and wealth. They serve growth-focused entrepreneurs in the Atlanta region who are focused on scaling their business. Goizueta alums on board.
Stay up-to-date
Online Tutorials
- Begin the BeginJeff Hilimire's blog about entrepreneurship, leadership, and doing good.
- Begin the Begin PodcastJeff Hilimire talks to people that inspire him, either because they've accomplished great things or done a lot of good in the world.
Overdrive eBooks
A curated list of entrepreneurship focused eBooks and audio books.
- Overdrive Business eBooks and AudioBooks: EntrepreneurshipAll the titles are easily checked out and downloaded to your mobile device for quick reading or listening. Convenient e-access to business books is always important, and now even more when access to print editions is so limited. So when your faculty mentions a business book, when you have some down time and want to catch up on your reading, or when you are preparing for an interview – check out Overdrive’s collection.
- Overdrive Business eBooks and AudiobooksExplore all of the Overdrive eBooks and audio business books including topics such as creativity and innovation.
Magazines
Researching for Your Business Plan
The process of researching and writing your business plan helps you answer the BIG question: "Is my idea viable?" There are many types of analysis that can help you answer that question: Market Analysis, Industry Analysis, and Competitive Analysis.
What you learn from these analyses can help you develop your operations and marketing plans and inform your financial assumptions. Your business plan will help you stay on track with your vision, inform investors and partners about the profitability and risk of your business, and set you up for success in your entrepreneurial endeavors.
The sources you use may differ depending on your intended industry, market, regulatory environment, and many other factors, so it is important to exercise patience and persistence and use the resources and expertise available to guide your process.
Examples of Business Plans
- Bplans
Does a good job of walking you through all the sections of a business plan; site includes examples of business plans, market plans, and mission statements, many for free.
- BusinessTown
Good overview of all the sections of the plan; includes copy of a completed plan.
- Entrepreneur.com Business Plans
Start-up Essentials/Business Plans.
- SCORE Business Plans
SCORE "Counselors to America's Small Business" is a nonprofit association dedicated to educating entrepreneurs and helping small business start, grow and succeed. Check this site for business plans for non-profits, start-ups, finance templates and more.
- Writing a Business Plan (U.S. Small Business Administration)
An excellent guide that walks you through and analyzes each section of the plan; particularly good for putting together financials.
The following items are in physical format. These books can be found on the Business Reference shelves in the GBL Library.
Emory Entrepreneurship Programs and Local Resources
- Roberto C. Goizueta Center for Entrepreneurship & InnovationRoberto C. Goizueta Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation fosters entrepreneurship and innovation born of critical inquiry, developed to serve fundamental societal needs, executed according to sound business principles, and conceptualized in ways that open possibilities and spark imagination.
- Emory University The Hatchery, Center for InnovationThe Hatchery supports student innovators and entrepreneurs from all Emory schools, and covers all stages of innovation from inspiration and learning to projects and startups. Together, let’s innovate more inclusive, equitable, and progressive solutions to everything.
- Emory University TechLabThe Student Digital Life TechLab offers an area for new technologies to be introduced to the campus and evaluated for their use in academic life. Various technologies, including 3D printing and 3D scanning, are now available in the TechLab. Students are encouraged to stop by to experiment with the technology and to partner with our staff to develop academic projects that incorporate these emerging technologies.
- Emory Biotech Consulting ClubThe EBCC connects students from a variety of backgrounds to projects and startups that bring scientific innovation to the market. EBCC offers hands-on, volunteer consulting experiences and recruitment preparation workshops.
- Atlanta Startup VillageAtlanta Startup Village is the largest bi-monthly gathering of entrepreneurs in the southeast, hosted here at Atlanta Tech Village. Goizueta is a member; attend an upcoming event.