Starting a Business

OneSearch - the Library's main resource locator finds print and electronic resources in the Library, tens of thousands of EBSCOhost ebooks and journals, industry reports, news articles, and more. Search for 'business plans' or 'business planning' to find everything, regardless of format, relevant to your needs. You can also search our databases individually; See Choosing a Business for links to relevant databases.

View the most relevant business and management databases RRC Library offers. Find articles, industry reports, and more.

Start a business, Mentor an entrepreneur, How-tos and Templates, Build your network (instructor recommended)

McKeever, M. P. (2018). How to Write a Business Plan: Vol. 14th edition. NOLO.

Griffin, M. P. (2015). How to Write a Business Plan : A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Plan That Gets Results: Vol. Fifth edition. AMA Self-Study.

Downloadable 11-page template.

Opens a Word document with a business plan guide and template

Business plan guide and useful links.

A MSWord example of a business plan.

Online business planning guide.

Savings and Credit Unions of British Columbia business plan template as provided by Spruce Credit Union.

While this link is to an for profit website, there are numerous examples of business plans in a variety of sectors.

(Scotiabank) Sample business plan for veterinarian, 2005

(Scotiabank) Sample business plan, 2006

When starting a company, it's essential to select the business structure that best supports your goals. Business structures are chosen for the most part to comply with tax law, which treats each type of structure differently. There are three types of legal structures for a business: Sole proprietorship, partnership (which is a form of proprietorship) and incorporation.

Explore the types of legal organization for your business which can affect how much you pay in taxes, the type of reporting required, and your exposure to personal liability.

The type of structure you choose for your business has a significant effect on the way you report your income. The business structure impacts the type of tax returns you file each year, and many other matters.