Business Plan Research

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Business Plan Research

• Christine Drew
• Manager, Instruction Outreach
• WPI Gordon Library

• wpi.edu/library
• Help ? Guides Tutorials ? Business Plan
  Resources
• Help ? Course Related ?ETR592 Research Strategies

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Agenda

• Idea generation
• Sample business concept
• Business plans sources samples
• Finding books for inventors/entrepreneurs
• Research Strategies
• Identify the Right Terms Tools
• Effective web searching
• Effective searching of library databases
• Info Gaps? More Specific Information Sources
• Beyond WPI Interlibrary Loan Your Public
  Library

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Research from Off Campus
Connect through our proxy server to gain access
to library subscription sources. Even if web
searching. This is different from the VPN! View
Quick Clip on Research from Off Campus minutes
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Idea generation
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Business Concepts

• Online Interactive Game
• Target age 9-Adult casual players

• Board Game
• Target age 9-Adult

Begin to know your industry, competition,
customers, numbers, supply chain distribution
options
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Business Plans Sources Samples

• United States Small Business Administration -
  Business Plan Basics
• Business Plan Preparation - Tools for Writing
  Business Plans - excellent financial template in
  Excel format

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Business Plans and Profiles Index _at_ Carnegie
Library of Pittsburgh
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Find Competitors

• Company Directories
• Patent searching
• Where would you buy it?
• Stores
• Distributors sites
• Catalogs
• Online Shopping
• Specialty sites

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Track Down Trade Journals
Start _at_ wpi.edu/library Search Library Journals
Search game, gaming, toys
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Find Industry Information Sources

• Encyclopedia of Business Information Sources
• Trade associations
• Toy Industry Association
• International Council of Toy Industries

REF HF5353 E9
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Find Books for Inventors/Entrepreneurs

• at WPI (library catalog) Beyond (WorldCat)
  Amazon
• Not finding anything? Broaden search
• Try Interlibrary Loan to request books or
  articles that WPI doesnt own

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A Few Search Strategies

• Effective Web Searching
• Identify the Right Search Terms Tool

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Web searching? Be more specific
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Follow leads
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Search Library Databases

• Connect to wpi.edu/library ? All Databases
  Electronic Resources ? Industry

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Keyword Crazy Just A Few To Start With

• MARKETING advertising OR marketing OR campaigns
  OR sales promotion OR product samples OR target
  market OR physical distribution OR pricing OR
  packaging OR sponsor OR NPD OR new product
  development
• INDUSTRY Use your industry keywords AND
  (industry OR market OR forecast OR trends OR
  sales OR units OR market share OR market size OR
  barriers)

• COSTS and OPERATIONS labor OR materials OR
  suppliers OR supply chain OR logistics OR
  transportation OR distribution OR overhead OR
  capital invest OR production OR manufactur
• TIP Use (asterisk) to truncate in most
  databases, but within LexisNexis Guided News, use
  ! (exclamation point)

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The Right Terms The Right Tool

• Typing in the keyword competitors and your
  product just wont work
• Search Hoovers, other company directories
• Check 10-K (EDGAR or Hoovers) for competitor
  section of a peer company that may be publicly
  traded (Use Ctrl-F to find compet)
• Track down specific directories of companies
  print or online
• Toy Directory
• Track down member directory of industry
  association
• Member list of Toy Industry Association (must be
  a member)
• Search or visit sites where this type of product
  would be sold with a competitive matrix chart in
  hand

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Get Organized Search Specific Areas
Download useful spreadsheets such as this one _at_
http//leeds-faculty.colorado.edu/moyes/bplan/Too
ls/Competitors.xls and use web library database
searches to fill in the blanks
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The Best Source May even be
a book!
Table of Contents Sample Pages
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More Terms Tools

• Typing in market barriers wont work
• Find out whos entered the market by reading
  articles, looking at new product introductions
  (announcements in trade magazines,
  customer/product reviews)
• Search industry sources by NAICS code 339932
  Game, Toy, and Children's Vehicle Manufacturing
• in EBSCOhost Business Source Premier, use filter
  option to look at SWOT (Strength, Weaknesses,
  Opportunities, Threats) for toy companies,
  distributors, manufacturers. Also check for toy
  industry profiles, and market research reports.
• Search for industry news within LexisNexis
  Academic and article databases
• Zone in on consumer adoption issues - Consumer
  Reports or Epinions.com
• Economic Census Concentration Ratios - classifies
  industries by the percent of output accounted for
  by the largest 4, 8, 20 and 50 companies.

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Info Gaps? More Specific Information

• Ask a librarian for suggestions
• Market research reports .
• For industry size/growth - Economic Census
• Consumer data preferences how many potential
  buyers where do they live/shop?
• Check American Factfinder
• New Strategist publications in library (Household
  Spending Millennial Generation, etc.)
• WPI's databases which have statistical data
• Government sources such as the Consumer
  Expenditure Survey

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Financials Industry Ratios/Peer Groups
ALMANAC OF BUSINESS AND INDUSTRIAL FINANCIAL
RATIOS
RMA ANNUAL STATEMENT STUDIES Definition of
Ratios(PDF) Sample Financial Ratio
Benchmarks(PDF) Listing of industries in the
Annual Statement Studies sorted by NAICS(PDF)
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More Financials

• Try to pick a publicly traded company you could
  benchmark with (check Hoovers or THOMSON ONE
  Banker PDF tips)
• Find a similar recent IPO (check Hoovers IPO
  Central linked at bottom of Hoovers.com).
  Analyze IPO data within SEC filings S-1,
  Securities Registration Statement and 424B
  Prospectus. Example Rosetta Stone

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Beyond WPI Interlibrary Loan Your Public
Library

• Use Interlibrary Loan to get things we dont own
  easy to use
• Public Library Resources
• Worcester Public Library Boston Public Library
  have databases of possible interest remotely
  with your public library card
• Visit WPL for Standard Poor's Industry Surveys
  which are useful in determining how to analyze an
  industry. See sample.

Within WorldCat
Within Library Catalog
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Get Research Help from the Gordon
Library 508.831.6700 wpi.edu/library/Help
chat wpiref Off Campus Student? Check out our
Distance Learning Services wpi.edu/library