St. Louis Public Library patrons have access to Gale Small Business Builder, a step-by-step online planning tool for starting, managing and optimizing a business or nonprofit. The program’s intuitive dashboard walks users through five areas of exploration in order to develop a business plan focused on long-term success.
Areas include:
Entrepreneur Profile, this tool helps users explore what they can
bring to the table as an entrepreneur and assess where they stand
in preparing to start a business. A one-page summary is generated.
Business Ideation, users can employ tools such as Lean Canvas,
SWOT, Porter’s Five Forces, and more to plan the high-level framework
in which their business will operate.
Break-Even Analysis, delivers insight to determine when a user’s
business will be able to cover expenses and begin to realize a profit.
Business Plans Creates, a plan that can be presented to potential
investors and lenders, including Executive Summary, Lean Business
Plan, Full Business Plan, and Strategic Marketing Plan.
Financial Projections, a robust analysis of a company’s financial future
encompassing capital expenditures, sales, equity, and inventory.
For patrons exploring the idea of small business ownership, this resource provides a gradual introduction to entrepreneurial concepts and elements. For seasoned business persons or those progressing through the recommended workflow, the focus shifts toward outcome-based activities to support the management and growth of an operation, such as getting a loan, seeking investors, buying new equipment and opening new facilities.
Gale Small Business Builder is equipped with popular, proven business planning tools and templates to assist users in creating documents and other deliverables such as a Lean Canvas, Break-Even Analysis, Lean Business Plan, a variety of financial statements and more.
For questions about Gale Small Business Builder, contact help@slpl.org
