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.
There are books on such subjects as small business management, venture capital, marketing, franchising, finance, accounting, human resources and taxation. To complement these informational sources, there are directories, bibliographies, indexes, periodicals and specific industry journals . By using these various tools, one can get basic information on starting a business, find out what the outlook for 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 materials listed here are only a sample of what can be found in the Business Information Center. The following books may be used to identify materials and resources in a wide range of categories.