This category is for non profit, educational and trade associations that inform, enable the support the development and maintenance of Small Businesses.

While Small Business Development Centers, SBDC's, offer many services to small business, individual centers service a local or regional area, and should be found in their proper Regional category.

Please submit your association's name as the title of the site. Keep your descriptions as specific and as short as possible. Factual descriptions are appreciated, marketing hype will be deleted.

This category is for non profit, educational and trade associations that inform, enable the support the development and maintenance of Small Businesses.

While Small Business Development Centers, SBDC's, offer many services to small business, individual centers service a local or regional area, and should be found in their proper Regional category.

Please submit your association's name as the title of the site. Keep your descriptions as specific and as short as possible. Factual descriptions are appreciated, marketing hype will be deleted.

Please submit only sites which describe the purpose, scope, and components of a business plan, or which offer advice or other self-help resources for writing a business plan.

• Books about business plans should be submitted to Shopping: Publications: Books: Business.
• Business entities whose primary focus is to offer business plan consulting services should be submitted to the Consulting subcategory.
• Consultants whose primary focus is not business plan consulting should be submitted to Business: Business Services: Consulting.
• Software developers whose primary focus is to offer business plan programs or templates should submit to the Software subcategory.

For quicker placement in the directory please follow these Submission Tips:

Title: Name of Business or Organization

Description: This describes the website and should note distinguishing features found on the site without the use of hype, personal pronouns, or repetitive terms.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: This category is for professional advisers who offer general consulting services to small and medium-sized business.

If your consultancy is not targeted toward small businesses and/or specializes in a particular industry or operational area, find the best category under Business/Business_Services/Consulting/

If you submit any other site to this category that does not meet the above criteria, it will not get reviewed .

This category is for websites containing a guide or list of web sites and/or resources, not websites of individual businesses. "Directories are compilation of websites containing comprehensive indexes or lists of general business resources, companies, and company related information."

Users should be able to visit the listed directories and obtain information pertaining to Small Business.

Please submit only resource-based sites containing advice, information, or online tools for setting up and effectively managing a home office.

• Small businesses which operate out of a home office will not be listed here. They should be submitted to the appropriate Business sector category or the category corresponding to the city or town where they are located.
• Ideas for home based businesses should be submitted only to Business: Opportunities: Home Based.
• General advice or resource sites focussed on telecommuting (out of a home office) should be submitted to Business: Small Business: Telecommuting.

Please submit sites for companies which provide marketing and advertising services specifically for the unique needs of small businesses.

• Marketing and advertising agencies which serve many industry sectors (or marketing and advertising agencies which happen to be small businesses themselves) should submit to a more appropriate category in Business: Marketing and Advertising.
• Web design firms should be submitted to Computers: Internet: Web Design and Development: Designers

For quicker placement in the directory please follow these Submission Tips:

Title: Name of Publication or Organization

Description: This describes the website and should note distinguishing features found on the site without the use of hype, personal pronouns, or repetitive terms.

Resource sites typically include general information about a topic, and provide directories, FAQs, chats and forums, publications etc.

The primary purpose of a resource site should NOT be to sell a product or service, but to provide information and help.

Please submit your company's name as the title of the site. Keep your descriptions as specific and as short as possible. Factual descriptions are appreciated, marketing hype will be deleted.

No site is guaranteed placement in the Open Directory, any site that is still under construction, submitted to multiple inappropriate categories, using multiple URL's for multiple submissions, consisting primarily of affiliate links to products, or is a just "cookie cutter front door" store, will be rejected.

Please submit only sites that focus on the topic of starting a small business.

Sites generally not listed in this category include:

• Product or service ideas for starting a business should be submitted to Business: Opportunities.
• Sites focussing on business plans should be submitted to Business: Small Business: Business Plans.