Business Resource Guide

MPEI's award-winning Business Resource Guide will help you open a business from start to finish. Learn about filing requirements, regulations, and contact information from the local to Federal level. Hard copies are available at Village Hall and the Mount Prospect Public Library.

Entrepreneurship 101

Small Business Administration | Resources to Plan, Launch, Manage or Grow your business - the SBA Business Guide has information for all stages of entrepreneurship. Discover Funding Programs or take a free online course through the SBA's Learning Center. 

AllBusiness.com | One of the world’s largest online resources for small businesses, providing essential tools and resources to start, grow, and manage your business. Check this site for informative and timely articles on issues impacting small business, including business trends, advice, and in-depth discussion.

Marketing and Demographics

American Marketing Association | Offers free downloadable e-books and online guides on consumer patterns, social media and traditional marketing, and entrepreneurial productivity.

United States Census Bureau | Learn how to access statistics about your market, customers, and other businesses like yours. The Census Business Builder (CBB) provides selected demographic and economic data from the Census Bureau tailored to specific types of users in a simple to access and use format.  CBB's Small Business Edition is built for small business owners and entrepreneurs who need data for their business plan or to better understand their potential market. It presents data for a single type of business and geography at a time.

Web Resources from Mount Prospect Public Library

Online resources for small business are available for free through the Mount Prospect Public Library. These databases are subscription-based to the general public, but are available online to anyone with a Mount Prospect Public Library Card. Don't have an MPPL card? Stop by the library to use the databases on site. Here are a few of the library's web resources specifically for entrepreneurs:

Industry Select – Research U.S. manufacturers in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio.

LinkedIn Learning - Learn software, creative, and business skills to achieve your personal and professional goals. Join today to get access to thousands of courses. 

Mergent Intellect - Business directory, executive contracts, residential listings, demographics and health care listing. Records can be downloaded for mailing/contact lists. 

O’Reilly - Unlimited access to 50K+ titles, 30K+ hours of video featuring business and technology topics. 

Reference Solutions - Create targeted of consumers or businesses from a database of 240 million residents and 30 million businesses and executives. 

 For more resources for entrepreneurs, visit the Business and Financial Research Guide on the Mount Prospect Public Library website

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