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For each of the following categories, list questions affecting the future of your business. Use these questions to guide your research efforts.

Industry

Which industry does my business fall under?

Which trade associations serve that industry?

What does the data show about the financial performance of that industry in recent years?

What does the research show about trends in that industry?

Other:

Target Market

What geographic area do I plan on serving?

What is the demographic profile of the customers I plan on serving? (e.g., age, gender, income, education level)

How many people fit that demographic profile in my target geographic area?

What trends affect my market?

What data (if any) indicates buying habits or preferences of my target market?

Other:

Competition

Who are the leading competitors in my market or geographic area?

What do my competitors charge?

What are their strengths? Shortcomings?

What primary methods do my competitors use to attract customers?

What, if anything, has caused previous competitors to close?

Other:

Suppliers/Vendors

What kind of equipment, materials, and services will I need?

Which leading or recommended vendors provide those?

What are the costs involved?

Other:

Other

Which laws or regulations (e.g., environmental, planning, etc.) typically affect my type of business?

Which companies could make potential strategic partners?

Other:

Three good ways to find an industry association online are:

1. A general online search engine, e.g., Google, Yahoo!, Bing. Type in the keywords associated with your industry.

2. An online directory, e.g., Yahoo! or Google. Look in subdirectories for “Business and Economy,” or Business-to-Business, or Business Directories. Check “Professional Organizations” as well as “Trade” or “Industry” Associations.

3. The “Gateway to Associations” (asaecenter.org/Community/Directories/Associationsearch.cfm). This national association of associations maintains an online directory of trade and industry associations. A caution, however: This link may change because the site is frequently redesigned. You may need to dig around. Look for “Directories” and/or “Gateway to Associations.” Nevertheless, it’s often a better jumping-off point than a general search engine or directory, which may result in thousands of unrelated results or commercial “organizations” that aren’t genuine trade associations at all.

Finding trade associations can be difficult because they often use names that aren’t obvious. For instance, if you type in the word “dog groomer,” you might not find what you want. So check other words, such as “pet groomer” or “veterinary.”

When you search for associations, you may find a dozen or more, so start with groups that contain the name “National,” “International,” or “American,” rather than local organizations. Don’t be afraid to look at national trade organizations outside of your country as they often have information such as standards, glossaries, other site listings, and so on.