GET CONNECTED TOOLS
Online and off-line stuff to make your business buzz
Legal Eagles Online
Entrepreneurs needing free legal and general
business guidance should make a stop at Findlaw.com’s small business center,
http://biz.findlaw.com. You’ll find
authoritative information on more than 400 legal
topics as well as a searchable directory of more
than one million lawyers and legal
professionals.
This site delivers a wealth of information, all
clearly organized into easy-to-navigate
sections. For instance, under the Self-Help
Legal Guides you’ll find sections devoted to:
-
Business
formation, which includes legal structures
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Finance, including
information on taxes, accounting and funding
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Human resources,
for advice about hiring, firing and
compensation
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Business Planning,
including valuation, franchising and selling a
biz
-
Legal, which
covers intellectual property and contracts
There’s much more here to help you research
tax codes, economic information, government
grants and almost any other topic relating to
small business. And it’s all free.
Lessons To Learn
Whether you’re starting up a small business or
facing new challenges in your existing
enterprise, you don’t have to learn lessons
the hard way by repeating the mistakes of
others. Instead, turn to Jan Norman’s book
What No One Ever Tells You about Starting Your
Own Business: Real Life Start-up Advice from
101 Successful Entrepreneurs (Upstart
Publishing, 1999).
Norman, a veteran writer who specializes in
small-business issues, draws on more than 100
interviews with seasoned entrepreneurs who
have “been there, done that” in every stage of
business startup. You’ll learn valuable
lessons that deal with the real issues
entrepreneurs face every day. You’ll also get
practical advice, insight and resources to
help you succeed. This highly readable and
entertaining book is a must-have for every
self-employed professional’s bookshelf.
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