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Introduction to Business 2e

Working the Net

Introduction to Business 2eWorking the Net

Working the Net

  1. Visit the Business Plan Hub at https://www.bplanhub.com/blog/ to review examples of all types of business plans. Select an idea for a company in a field that interests you and, using information from the site, prepare an outline for its business plan.
  2. Find a business idea you like or dislike by searching the web. Explain why you think this is a good business idea or not. List additional information the entrepreneur should have to consider for this business, and research the industry on the web using a search engine.
  3. Evaluate the export potential of your product idea at the Small Business Exporters Network website at https://www.nsbaadvocate.org/sbea. Explore three information areas, including market research, export readiness, and financing. Select a trade link site from government, university, or private categories. Compare them in terms of the information offered to small businesses that want to venture into overseas markets. Which is the most useful, and why?
  4. Explore the SBA website at https://www.sba.gov. What resources are available to you locally? What classes does the Learning Platform offer? What about financing assistance? Do you think the website lives up to the SBA’s goal of being a one-stop shopping resource for the small-business owner? Why or why not?
  5. You want to buy a business but don’t know much about valuing small companies. Using the BizBuySell site at https://www.bizbuysell.com/, develop a checklist of questions to ask when buying a business. Also summarize several ways that businesses arrive at their sale price (“Business for Sale” includes the price rationale for each profiled business).
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