Entrepreneurs & Small Business

Suggested Reading

  • Anatomy of a Business Plan: The Step-by-Step Guide to Building Your Business and Securing Your Company’s Future

    Anatomy of a Business Plan: The Step-by-Step Guide to Building Your Business and Securing Your Company’s Future

    Pinson, Linda
  • Business Boutique: A Woman’s Guide for Making Money Doing What She Loves

    Business Boutique: A Woman’s Guide for Making Money Doing What She Loves

    Wright, Christy
  • Business Plans Kit for Dummies

    Business Plans Kit for Dummies

    Peterson, Steven
  • Choose : the single most important decision before starting your business

    Choose : the single most important decision before starting your business

    Levesque, Ryan
  • Finance your business : secure funding to start, run, and grow your business

    Finance your business : secure funding to start, run, and grow your business

  • Harvard Business Review Entrepreneur’s Handbook: Everything You Need To Launch and Grow Your New Business

    Harvard Business Review Entrepreneur’s Handbook: Everything You Need To Launch and Grow Your New Business

    Harvard Business Review
  • Invent It, Sell It, Bank It!: Make Your Million-Dollar Idea Into a Reality

    Invent It, Sell It, Bank It!: Make Your Million-Dollar Idea Into a Reality

    Greiner, Lori
  • LLC or corporation?

    LLC or corporation?

  • Small Business Taxes For Dummies

    Small Business Taxes For Dummies

    Tyson, Eric
  • Start your own restaurant and more : pizzeria, coffeehouse, deli, bakery, catering business

    Start your own restaurant and more : pizzeria, coffeehouse, deli, bakery, catering business

    Mintzer, Richard
  • Starting a Business All-in-One for Dummies

    Starting a Business All-in-One for Dummies

    Allen, Kathleen R.
  • Starting an Online Business All-in-One for Dummies

    Starting an Online Business All-in-One for Dummies

    Belew, Shannon
  • Startup Money Made Easy: The Inc. Guide to Every Financial Question About Starting, Running, and Growing Your Business

    Startup Money Made Easy: The Inc. Guide to Every Financial Question About Starting, Running, and Growing Your Business

    Aspan, Maria
  • SYOB/start Your Own Business

    SYOB/start Your Own Business

  • The fashion designer survival guide : start and run your own fashion business

    The fashion designer survival guide : start and run your own fashion business

    Gehlhar, Mary
  • The Franchisee Handbook: Everything You Need To Know About Buying a Franchise

    The Franchisee Handbook: Everything You Need To Know About Buying a Franchise

    Siebert, Mark
  • The Infographic Guide for Entrepreneurs: A Visual Reference for Everything You Need To Know

    The Infographic Guide for Entrepreneurs: A Visual Reference for Everything You Need To Know

    Lytle, Carissa
  • The SBA Loan Book: The Complete Guide to Getting Financial Help Through the U.S. Small Business Administration

    The SBA Loan Book: The Complete Guide to Getting Financial Help Through the U.S. Small Business Administration

    Green, Charles H.
  • The Small Business Bible: Everything You Need To Know To Succeed in Your Small Business

    The Small Business Bible: Everything You Need To Know To Succeed in Your Small Business

    Strauss, Steven D.
  • Write your business plan : get your plan in place and your business off the ground

    Write your business plan : get your plan in place and your business off the ground

City Resources


LA City BusinessSource logo

BusinessSource

BusinessSource offers a wide range of services to business owners and developers either directly or through a network of service provider agencies.


Online Courses


Free and easy to access from home with your library card and PIN, or from any of our libraries' computer stations.


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Universal Class logo


Online Databases


Free and easy to access from home with your library card and PIN, or from any of our libraries' computer stations.



Gale Business: Demographics Now

Access a demographic report on any geography - or compare multiple geographies - for information including income, housing, race, age, education, retail spending, consumer expenditures, businesses and more.

woman with tablet


Gale Business: Plan Builder

An online business planning tool,   offering guidance and templates for creating an entrepreneur profile. Assists you in developing a business idea, building a business plan, and making financial projections.

woman with tablet


Gale eBooks

A collection of reference eBooks on a wide variety of topics. Titles available include: Business Plans Handbook, Small Business Sourcebook, and Encyclopedia of Emerging Industries.

Mergent Intellect logo


Mergent Intellect

Access to U.S. and international    business data, industry profiles, facts    and figures, executive contact information, industry news, and much more.

Proquest logo


Proquest Central

ProQuest Central is a large aggregated database that includes business databases such as ABI Inform and Business Market Research Collections and offers content from newspapers, periodicals, trade journals, academic journals, and reports.

Reference USA logo


ReferenceUSA Business Database

Searches over 320 million U.S. residents and can be used to compile marketing lists. Covers over 55 million U.S. businesses searchable by name, industry, geographic location and size to search for potential markets and competitors.


  • Entrepreneurs & Small Business
    • Web Resources
      • Suggested web links compiled by the library on small business, banking, companies, industry and economy, international trade, investment, labor and employment, real estate and unclaimed property.

      • Provides information to plan, start, manage, and grow a business in the City of Los Angeles. Features startup guides and starter kits that map out registering a new business and making it compliant, covering city registration, business name, seller’s permit and use taxes, and Employee Identification Number.  Provides listings and links to various City Departments, BusinessSource Centers, and other support organizations and programs serving businesses.

      • Provides businesses with information on permits and other requirements of California agencies at all levels of government, and links. Searchable by type of business and location.

      • From the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz), provides links to guides, FAQs and assistance to start various types of businesses, financial assistance options for a business, and help for importing and exporting.

      • Forms and publications to help businesses and nonprofits file California State income and employment taxes.  Includes information for sole proprietors, limited liability corporations, corporations, S corporations, and nonprofits.

      • The Governor's office website provides links to programs, digital services, and the California Business Portal, covering a wide range of help for entrepreneurs, including permit assistance, grants, tax incentives, support services, etc.

      • The Secretary of State's office processes filings, maintains records and provides information to the public relating to business entities that include corporations, limited liability companies, limited partnerships, general partnerships, limited liability partnerships and other business filings.  Forms available for various business entities.

      • U.S. Small Business Administration web page covering the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program; Guidance for Businesses and Employers to keep their employees, customers, and themselves healthy; SBA Products and Resources to assist small businesses with accessing federal resources and navigating their own preparedness plans; assistance with the continuity of operations for Government Contracting, and directories to find Local Assistance at local offices and partners.

      • Foundation offers free articles, tools, resources, guides, and online learning to start and grow your business.

      • Portal to all export-related assistance and market information offered by the federal government, providing trade leads, free export counseling and help with the export process.

      • Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder offers information on fictitious business names, also known as "Doing Business As" or DBA.  This site explains how to file and offers options for searching names in use in Los Angeles County.

      • Federal website for federal agencies to post discretionary funding opportunities and for grantees to find and apply to them.  Includes support and educational content.

      • Forms and publications to help businesses and self-employed file federal income and employment taxes.  Includes information for sole proprietors, partnerships, limited liability corporations, corporations, S corporations, and nonprofits.

      • Provides information about upcoming job and contract opportunities with the Los Angeles Public Library, including upcoming requests for proposal and requests for qualifications.

      • For cities and communities within the County of Los Angeles, find listings of business properties and locations for sale and lease, directories of businesses along with demographics, economic and consumer data.  Hosted by the Los Angeles County Chief Executive Office, Economic Development Program. 

      • For communities and neighborhoods within the City of Los Angeles, find listings of business properties and locations for sale and lease, directories of businesses along with demographics, economic and consumer data.  Hosted by the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power.

      • County office offers links to free consulting from the County's small business concierge, , listing of small business events, County's vendor registration, County's business preference programs, register for certification to bid on County opportunities and procurement technical assistance to sell goods and services to local, state, and federal government.

      • Portal from the County providing links to information about the County's economic development priorities, permits and taxes, contracting and procurement opportunities with the County, support services for starting a business, etc.

      • Offers information, referrals, and one-on-one professional business counseling, and regular workshops to small business owners.

      • Local chapter of national nonprofit organization that partners with the Small Business Administration: offers mentoring, workshops and networking events for entrepreneurs and small business owners. 

      • Federal agency's website offers assistance, regulatory information, and statistics relating to small businesses.  Their business guide offers specific help to plan, launch, manage and grow a business.

      • Offers information, education, and resources for aspiring entrepreneurs and established business owners.  Divided into three main sections for the stages of a business: Starting, Managing, and Growing.  From Public Private Strategies, in partnership with AARP.

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