8 Ways To Give Local Businesses An Edge

Who Needs Business School? The Hidden Startup Resources at your Local Library

Posted on January 25, 2016

These robust assets allow libraries to replace multiple product subscriptions with one affordable resource your users will return to time and again for business information. Small business owners can compile a variety of reports—standard and custom—that will help them make informed decisions. DemographicsNow: Business and People helps boost your local economy by providing:

1.  Customer upload and data blending — Users can obtain Census block-group demographic data, maps, and more on their actual customers. Other eyeopening data is also available for B2B businesses.

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Entrepreneurs Lack the Resources Necessary to Start Successful Businesses

Public Libraries support local business

Librarians can find themselves in difficult positions when budding entrepreneurs, in search of answers that may determine the SteveAssarianfate of their businesses, rush into the library. Steven Assarian, a business librarian at Grand Rapids Public Library, remembers well the day he found himself in such a situation. “An entrepreneur obviously interested in serving tourists came in and asked very specifically whether a particular town was a resort town,” Assarian recalled.

Not only is it Assarian’s job to provide consultation for entrepreneurs in need of business plans, but he’s also responsible for teaching business research techniques to classes of between 10-20  people. The ability to locate and use relevant information during the formation of a startup is a determining factor in whether the business will succeed. The pressure on librarians like Assarian to link entrepreneurs with current and rich data can be great.

“Usually these are people who really need help,” Assarian said. “They just don’t know what’s available or where to begin the process.”

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