Entrepreneurship and Incubators

Are you looking to start a business? Not sure of how to begin? A good place to start is the Science and Technology Room / Patent and Trademark Resource Center. In this Central Library room, entrepreneurs can discover several resources that are valuable.  The Handbook of Business Plans offers a twenty-five volume series of completed business plans. By checking the index of the last volume produced, you most likely can find the type of business you are keen to start. Find the volume, then go to it and discover a completed business plan. This is the most useful.

The Anatomy of a Business Plan is another helpful book for the entrepreneur. Inside you will discover the steps required to prepare a basic business plan.  An old-fashioned method of editing a previously written plan can help you get started.  The heading required to "sell" your idea is usually you 3-year and -year plan, your competitors, and your expenses and assets.  No doubt having your numbers in order before you approach a bank o a philanthropist will help to sell you idea and get start-up money.

Access to the Reference USA database is also found in the Science / Technology room, besides forty other reference computers found within Central Library.  This database should be used to learn who you competitors are. By putting in the zip codes of the neighborhood where you plan to have you new business, will help you learn not only company names of you competitors, bu also their sales figure, location, management names, and number of employees.

While you might already have you business as a start-up, you might need to find a few books on leadership, advertising, and marketing.  A Complete Guide to Google Adwords, Google+ for Business, Facebook Marketing, Pininterest Marketing,  andB2B Social Media Book are just a few books that you can to check out from the Science and Technology / Patent and Trademark Resource Center room.

If you are not certain what you are looking for, do not hesitate to give our Science / Technology staff a call at (314)539-0390. We will be happy to help you get started!

Local Business News

Local Startup Aisle411 is getting a national client with Toys R Us, by Brian Feldt (St Louis Business Journal)


NurseWise, a subsidiary of Centene Corporation, recently received a Gold Stevie Award for Women in Business (Category: Communications or PR Campaign of the Year: Internal Communications).


A conversation with Maxine Clark, founder of Build-A-Bear, by Edward Domain (Techli)


A personal reflection on protests in the South Grand Business District by Thomas Crone (St Louis Magazine)

Book Review: On Message

On Message: How A Compelling Narrative Will Make Your Organization Succeed by Zach Friend, 176 pages

In On Message, Friend, a former Obama campaign spokesman, offers up some tips on creating a good brand and marketing campaign. As can be expected, he illustrates his points about narratives and branding with examples from Obama's 2008 and 2012 campaigns; however, he also discusses brands with a cult following, including Apple, Starbucks, Nike, and Southwest Airlines.

Friend's book is easy to read and understand, with clear language and examples. I found very little to disagree with here. What makes this particularly appealing is that a lot of what Friend suggests can be done at any price point, and on any scale, from an individual promoting him or herself to a global corporation trying to recover from a controversy. Well worth the short amount of time it will take to read it.

CEOs' Beloved Books

Ever wonder what books inspire the most powerful CEOs in the world? Wonder no more! CEO.com created a fantastic infographic showing the favorite books of everyone from Warren Buffet to Richard Branson to Marissa Mayer to Mark Zuckerberg. While some are business and leadership books, others are classic fiction novels. Check out what they're reading here (click it to enlarge), then request it for yourself at the SLPL catalog. Happy reading!

Lean Start Ups

Unless you have unlimited funds (or angel investors), this article from Forbes is sure to come in handy when you're starting out!

7 Things You Can Cut Corners On When Starting Your Business This listicle is focused on common areas where we overspend early on in business development, and how to avoid those tendencies while still making your business a success.

You can also try one of these books, available for pick up, request, or e-format at your local branch library!