Sales volume and the number of employees in the company also help define a small business.
Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy.
The Business Information Center and the Sulzer Regional Library of the Chicago Public Library collect sources for the small business person or the potential business owner. There are books on such subjects as small business management, venture capital, marketing, franchising, finance, accounting, human resources, and taxation. To complement these information sources, there are directories, bibliographies, pamphlets, indexes, periodicals, electronic databases and Internet access. By using these various tools, one can get basic information on starting a business, find out what the outlook of a specific industry might be, get the names of other companies in the same market, and obtain the names of organizations and associations to contact for even more information. The following is a list of small business Internet sites selected by librarians of the Business Information Center at the Chicago Public Library.