Resources: web sites, organizations, events and more to grow your business

Entrepreneur, March, 2004 by Steve Cooper

AGOODEMPLOYEE.COM www.agoodemployee.com

THIS EMPLOYEE SCREENING SERVICE LETS EMPLOYERS VERIFY SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS; CHECK FOR CRIMINAL RECORDS, CREDIT REPORTS AND EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUNDS; AND EITHER ACCESS OR ADMINISTER DRUG TESTING AND OTHER SCREENINGS. REGISTRATION IS FREE, AND VERIFICATION SERVICES START AT $4.95.

SITEKEEPER 3.0 www.execsoft.com/sitekeeper

Sitekeeper 3.0 is a management software product that monitors hardware and software inventory, plus software licenses, to keep all network workstations up to date and in sync. Task management duties, such as deploying the latest security patch, can be set on a regular schedule for convenience. A free trial version is available to download at the Web site, or you can purchase the software for $33.25.

1001 IDEAS TO CREATE RETAIL EXCITEMENT BY EDGAR A. FALK (Penguin Group, www.penguin.com)

Small businesses learn to think big with their marketing efforts. 1001 Ideas to Create Retail Excitement includes chapters on restaurant marketing, in-store special events, contests, trend tracking, customer service programs, and holiday/seasonal promotions. It costs $20.

HBS ENTREPRENEURS www.hbs.edu/entrepreneurs

Harvard Business School offers a free video archive of 27 leading entrepreneurs sharing insights and strategies for entrepreneurs. The list includes Thomas Stemberg of Staples Inc., John Whitehead of The Goldman Sachs Group Inc., renowned venture capitalist Arthur Rock and more. The interviews, which last approximately an hour, are divided into key topics such as finding opportunities, teaching entrepreneurship and giving back to society.

CORPORATEINFORMATION.COM www.corporateinformation.com

CorporateInformation.com is a research Web site covering 20,000 companies worldwide. It offers detailed analysis of those companies, including corporate profiles, industry snapshots and more. Searches can be conducted by country, state or industry. Registration is free.

PANDIA SEARCH CENTRAL www.pandia.com

THIS ONLINE GUIDE TO SEARCH ENGINES AND SEARCH ENGINE MARKETING AND OPTIMIZATION HAS CONTENT TO IMPROVE YOUR SEARCH SKILLS, INCLUDING A TUTORIAL, A FREE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AND A LIST OF SEARCH ENGINES.

SNIPPY www.researchagent.com/snippy

Install this software, and save snippets of information from Web searches by highlighting and dragging them to the Snippy icon. You can save the data to a specific folder and send it via e-mail to others--it will contain the original content verbatim, plus a hyperlink to its original source with a date. A 30-day trial is available, or purchase the software for $39.

THE PUBLICITY HOUND'S TIPS OF THE WEEK www.publicityhound.com

PR expert Joan Stewart's Web site offers this free weekly e-zine delivered via e-mail. It includes tips of the week and free articles. There's also an eight-page bimonthly newsletter with more tips and tricks for $9 an issue.

50 WAYS & PLACES TO FIND NEW BUSINESS www.justsell.com/50wp

50 Ways & Places to Find New Business is an e-book aimed at helping individuals and businesses find new customers. Authors Sam Parker and Jim Gould, Justsell.com co-founders, discuss the keys to working a room or event, establishing referral relationsips and preparing opening statements.