Randi Trzesinski's List: Business

Part of a nationwide effort dedicated to protecting the intellectual property interests of small businesses from theft that can occur both at home and abroad. FAQ section helps small businesses, home-based businesses, inventors, and entrepreneurs decide when, where, and how to file for intellectual property protection.

Good reference source for procuring grant money from state and local programs as well as private organizations. Also provides sources of low-interest loans and venture-capital financing from commercial lenders via federal and state government agencies.

Provides online mentoring and training in the form of email and online workshops. Also helps with locating a local SCORE office for in-person mentoring.

Administered by the U.S. National Science Foundation on behalf of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Technology. Info targeted toward the nation's small, high-tech, innovative businesses. Included are solicitations from different government agencies, government-sponsored SBIR events, and other federal and state resources.

Small Business Planner and Tools categories have information and resources that address every stage of the business life cycle. Also offers financial, disaster, and counseling assistance as well as other services. Most helpful is the link to local resources that helps identify SBA district and regional offices and Small Business Development Centers at the state level.

Created by the Lemelson-MIT Program to address the independent inventor's and aspiring entrepreneur's most frequently asked questions regarding U.S. patents.

Official site of U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for independent inventors. Provides comprehensive information on intellectual property, patents, trademarks, and copyrights. Includes extensive FAQ section.

Franchising opportunities sorted alphabetically or by industry, location, high-investment, low-cost, home-based, women-based, ecofriendly, and many other categories.

Maintained by Entrepreneur magazine. Starting a Business section offers how-to guides, free sample business plans, success stories, and more. Entrepreneur Connect is a networking tool that provides the opportunity to promote products and services. Entrepreneur Assist is a collection of free business-planning and productivity tools.

Official site of the U.S. Small Business Adminstration (SBA) helps small businesses understand their legal requirements and locate government services from federal, state, and local agencies. Online government forms to assist the novice entrepreneur with each stage of the business start-up as well as tools to register and obtain licenses and permits.

Articles, videos, podcasts, and blogs that provide timely information for the small business owner. Topics covered include: starting and running a business, green business, franchises, and business taxes. Also has a Finance Resource Center. Sponsored by Dun & Bradstreet.