As The Champion of Business, The Chamber provides members with the tools needed to be successful. If we don’t have the resource you are looking for, contact us, and we can point you in the right direction. Simply email info@sjchamber.org with any questions you have.

This section is updated often, so please feel free to check back routinely for new resources.

RESOURCES FOR SMALL BUSINESS

Professional Development 

Small Business University
Small Business University (SmallBizU) is an online university created especially for small businesses and entrepreneurs. This online academy seeks to instill a formal business intelligence—the capacity to solve problems, meet challenges and create valid products. Courses focus on money, marketing and management. The program is administered through the Indiana Department of Commerce and is open to Indiana residents starting a new business venture. While it is open to all Indiana businesses as well, its aim is for the businesses with 20 or fewer employees within the state. Courses are free to all Indiana residents. Courses begin in mid-November. To learn more or participate in SmallBizU, click here.

Small Business Classroom (Small Business Administration)www.sbaonline.sba.gov
Receive free online courses to help small business owners.

Counseling/Seminars (Small Business Development Center)www.southbendbcg.com
The SBDC provides assistance and counsel to individuals considering starting a business and those who have established small businesses. The SBDC offers seminars and workshops on topics such as developing marketing and business plans and starting your own business. Call 574.282.4350.

Counseling (South Bend Chapter of SCORE)
www.southbend-score.org
Receive small business assistance and counseling from SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives. Email chair@southbend-score.org.

General Resources

About.com Small Business Site http://sbinformation.about.com
About.com’s small business site offering general information for small businesses. Site contains other helpful Web sites, links, databases and helpful articles.

Guide to Starting a Business in Indiana www.state.in.us/sos/business/corps/guide.html
From the secretary of state, this site features a variety of resources to help you start a new business in the state of Indiana.

Indiana Department of Labor
www.in.gov/labor
Site contains resource information on wage and hour regulations, child labor laws, OSHA regulations and more.

Indiana Economic Development Council       
www.iedc.org
This site provides helpful statewide economic development information and resources. Click under Compete Indiana to learn how to start a business or click on Helping Business for additional resources for start-ups and existing businesses.

Indiana State Information Center
www.in.gov/sic/owners
This site offers a Business Owner’s Guide to state government. The guide contains licensing and regulation information for Indiana, as well as links to other resources.

Internal Revenue Service
http://www.irs.gov
Look under Businesses on this site to find information on starting and operating a business, including Employer Identification Numbers.

SAMS’s Club Small Business Management Academy
www.acce.org/networking/sigs/BusDev/sams/
The American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) and SAM’s Club have partners to design a website that provides educational tools, information and resources to assist small business advance in all aspects of growth.

United States Patent & Trademark Office        www.uspto.gov
Receive information on patents and trademarks. Get application forms and how-to instructions at this site.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

In today’s knowledge-based world, entrepreneurship through business innovation and shared information is what drives our economy. Review these links that focus on entrepreneurship.  

www.business.nd.edu/gigot
University of Notre Dame’s Center for Entrepreneurial Studies. Find information on creating a business plan, securing funding, legal considerations and other online sources.

www.entreworld.org
The Kauffman Resources Foundation Web site.

www.startup.wsj.com
The Wall Street Journal’s Center for Entrepreneurs.

smallbusiness.yahoo.com
Yahoo! Small Business Web site.

www.enterweb.org
Info for today’s entrepreneur.

www.zeromillion.com
Resource site for global entrepreneurship.