Posted on Monday, June 17, 2013 by Business_and_Finance
Blue Ocean Strategy is a great book for those new or familiar to business strategy. The book focuses on developing value within a company to reduce competition. While this is not a unique concept, the methods laid out by the book are. There are a variety of sequences and thought processes the book advocates for developing and executing a business strategy that avoids direct competition, . . . more »
Posted on Wednesday, June 5, 2013 by Business_and_Finance
Creating predictive models can be deceptively simple. Unfortunately, many forecasters are unaware of the biases and limitations that are built into their models. Nate Silver examines these problems and explains how to make better forecasts in his book The Signal and the Noise. Silver’s book is not a how-to book, but an extensive examination into the logic and limitation of several forecasting models. Whether you . . . more »
Posted on Friday, May 3, 2013 by Business_and_Finance
Are you interested in playing the stock market for the first time? Or are you an experienced investor interested in expanding your knowledge? Value Line is an investment management tool that can help both beginner and experienced investors. Value Line has the stock, bond, mutual fund, and commodity information you need. Value Line focuses on operating numbers and the quantitative expertise of their analysts to . . . more »
Posted on Friday, April 26, 2013 by Business_and_Finance
Are you seeking venture capital to finance your startup? Should you go with angel investors, or pitch established VC companies? These are the big decisions that every entrepreneur must make. Use the library's Small Business Resource Center to learn about the pleasures and pitfalls of venture capital. This online resource contains not only articles, but also topic overviews and chapters from business e-books. Read only . . . more »
Posted on Tuesday, April 23, 2013 by Business_and_Finance
Library patrons have access to hundreds of business plan templates through the Small Business Resource Center. To access the business plan templates from the Small Business Resource Center: 1) Place your cursor over the Research tab. 2) From the Research tab, click the Business tab. 3) Click the Small Business Resource Center link. 4) Click the Business Topics link. 5) Click the Business Planning link. . . . more »
Posted on Tuesday, April 16, 2013 by Business_and_Finance
Grow your Handmade Business There's a lot more to owning a crafting business than just having a store on Etsy. Even small homemade businesses need a business plan, a marketing plan, and plenty of energy to make it all happen. . . . more »
Posted on Friday, April 12, 2013 by Business_and_Finance
Congratulations! The dream of owning your own business is coming true. You need some capital to get things off the ground and the bank has asked you for your business plan. This is where you may start to feel stressed, overwhelmed and completely out of your league. Take a deep breath. The Santa Clara County Library District has a resource that will help. The Small . . . more »
Posted on Wednesday, April 3, 2013 by Business_and_Finance
The Org Are you smarter than a Fortune 500 CEO? Ray Fisman examines this and many other organizational related questions in his book The Org. Fisman uses a multitude of case studies to examine different areas of organizational structure including incentives for management and employees, the rationale for bureaucracy, and the need to consolidate or splinter an organization's operations. This is not a book on . . . more »
Posted on Friday, March 15, 2013 by Business_and_Finance
The Little Book of Behavioral Investing James Montier is one of the top writers on behavioral finance, and in The Little Book of Behavioral Investing he applies the subject to individual investors. With humor and wit, Montier’s book examines common biases that cause individuals to make irrational decisions. Although the book is written for individual investors, many of the concepts should also appeal to small . . . more »
Posted on Friday, March 8, 2013 by Business_and_Finance
Business Model Generation Business plans for startups should be versatile. Business Model Generation presents a new method for creating business plans that is adept, flexible, and creative. The main focus of the book is in on the concept of the canvas, which is an innovative way of structuring the major components of a new business, while allowing room for changes in the future. This is . . . more »
Posted on Thursday, February 14, 2013 by Business_and_Finance
Anytime day or night from the comfort of your living room, hotel room, or airport you have access to a wide array of business eBooks. Only four things are needed to open an eBook: an internet connection, computer or eReader, Santa Clara County Library District card, and your PIN. Here are a few of the business titles listed in OverDrive. Many more are available for . . . more »
Posted on Wednesday, January 23, 2013 by Business_and_Finance
Would you like to target businesses within a specific radius around your business location? How about all residents on a particular street? Are you interested in finding B2B partners in your city, county or zip code? Instead of paying for an expensive direct mail marketing list, use a library database! Reference USA can easily help you achieve this marketing goal. Reference USA is available for . . . more »