Business Plan Research Guide

This is a guide to some of the most helpful sources for developing a business plan. Try these resources and meet with a Research Librarian who can direct you to the resources specific to your industry and market.

Overview

For margin analysis and developing financial statements and projections:

  • Benchmark with a key publicly-held company. Look up the annual 10-K or registration statements for companies similar to yours. Use the competitor sources to identify companies - especially Mergent and Capital IQ
  • Use Biz Miner database (below) to find the aggregate financials of all of the companies in a specific NAICS industry and sales size and use these to estimate your firm's expenses and margins. 
  • Consult the U.S. Census monthly, annual and Economic Census reports described on the Market Share/Size page for seasonality, sales/wages ratios and other data.

Electronic Resources