Resources

Pre-Venture and Startups (0-3 years in business)

Financial Analysis

  1. Ratio Analysis (PDF)
  2. Breakeven Spreadsheet (XLSX)
  3. Financing Gap (XLSX)
  4. 12 Month Cash Flow Projection (XLSX)

Market Analysis

  1. Industry Analysis | NAICS
  2. Demographic Information | EASI (PDF)
  3. Census Information | United States Census Bureau
  4. Labor Statistics | Bureau of Labor Statistics
  5. Market Research | US Census Community Facts
  6. Profiles for Every City | City Data

Business Plan

  1. LivePlan
  2. Concept Plan Questionnaire | (DOCX)
  3. Business Plan Information (PDF)
  4. Business Plan Template (DOC)
  5. Business Plan Checklist (PDF)
  6. Business Plan Financials Template (XLTX)

Business Organization/Entity Selection

  1. Register Your Business | Florida Department of State
  2. Considering a franchise? | SBA
  3. Obtain an Employer Identification Number | IRS

Taxes, Licenses & Permits

  1. Sales Tax Certificate | Florida Department of Revenue
  2. Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation
  3. Agricultural Regulations | Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services
  4. Contractor Licensing | State of Florida
  5. Division of Hotels & Restaurants
  6. Childcare Regulations | Florida Department of Children & Families
  7. Federal Income Taxes | IRS
  8. Unemployment Insurance Tax | Department of Revenue

Insurance

  1. Florida Association of Insurance Agents
  2. Professional Insurance Agents of Florida
  3. Latin American Association of Insurance Agents

Financing

  1. U.S. SBA Loans | Small Business Administration
  2. SBA Loan Programs Chart | Small Business Administration (PDF)
  3. Potential Grants | ChamberofCommerce.org
  4. Simple Personal Financial Statement (XLSX)
  5. Business Loans | MoneyGeek
  6. Bankrate | How to Build a Better Business Credit Score

Patents, Copyrights & Trademarks

  1. Utility and Design Patents
  2. Copyright | U.S. Library of Congress
  3. State Trademarks | Florida Department of State
  4. Federal Trademarks

Calculators

  1. Financial Ratios Calculator
  2. Commercial Loan Calculator
  3. Equipment Buy vs Lease Calculator
  4. Currency Calculator
  5. Email Marketing Calculator
  6. Pay-Per-Click ROI Calculator
  7. Direct Mail ROI Calculator

General

  1. Open My Florida Business | State of Florida’s Official Business Information Portal
  2. How to Make a WordPress Website
  3. Entrepreneurship in College | AC Online
  4. Consumer’s Guide to Buying a Franchise | FTC
  5. U.S. Census Business Builder

Existing Businesses (3+ years in business)

Financial Analysis

  1. Breakeven Spreadsheet (XLSX)
  2. Financing Gap (XLSX)

From the Profit Mastery Toolkit:

  1. Income Statement (PDF)
  2. Ratio Analysis (PDF)
  3. Roadmap Analysis (PDF)
  4. The Road Map (PDF)
  5. Basic Management Tips for Improving Cash Flow (PDF)
  6. Errors of Omission Checklist (PDF)
  7. 13 Red Flags to Bookkeeping Fraud
  8. Sample Loan Proposal (PDF)
  9. What’s Your Business Worth? (PDF)
  10. Estate Planning Checklist (PDF)

Market Analysis

  1. LivePlan
  2. Decision Matrix (PDF)
  3. Weighing Up Business Locations (PDF)
  4. Industry Analysis | NAICS
  5. Demographic Information | EASI
  6. Census Information | United States Census Bureau
  7. Labor Statistics | Bureau of Labor Statistics
  8. O-Net | US Department of Labor
  9. Occupational Employment Statistics and Wages | Florida DEO

Insurance

  1. Florida Association of Insurance Agents
  2. Professional Insurance Agents of Florida
  3. Latin American Association of Insurance Agents

Financing

  1. U.S. SBA Loans | Small Business Administration
  2. SBA Loan Programs Chart | Small Business Administration (PDF)
  3. Potential Grants | ChamberofCommerce.org
  4. Personal Financial Statement 7(a)/504 Loans and Surety Bonds | U.S. Small Business Administration (PDF)
  5. Business Loans | MoneyGeek
  6. Bankrate | How to Build a Better Business Credit Score
  7. 13 Best Small Business Grants for Women | Nav.com

Patents, Copyrights & Trademarks

  1. Utility and Design Patents
  2. Copyright | U.S. Library of Congress
  3. State Trademarks | Florida Department of State
  4. Federal Trademarks

Cybersecurity

  1. Cybersecurity Resources | U.S. SBA
  2. Cyberplanner | Federal Communications Commission
  3. Small Business Cybersecurity and the Global Supply Chain (PDF)
  4. Small Business Information Security: The Fundamentals (PDF)
  5. Practical Cybersecurity Tech for Small Business (PDF)
  6. Cybersecurity Publications | U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security
  7. Business Tip Sheets | National Cyber Security Alliance
  8. State of Cybersecurity | Florida Center for Cybersecurity

Calculators

  1. Financial Ratios Calculator
  2. Commercial Loan Calculator
  3. Equipment Buy vs Lease Calculator
  4. Currency Calculator
  5. Email Marketing Calculator
  6. Pay-Per-Click ROI Calculator
  7. Direct Mail ROI Calculator

Workforce

  1. CareerSource Florida | Find Local Workforce Resources
  2. Worker Safety | OSHA

Government Contracting

General Information

  1. Federal Acronyms Guide (PDF)
  2. Government Contracting 101 | U.S. SBA
  3. Capabilities Statement – Sample

Federal Regulations

  1. Federal Acquisition Regulation | Acquisition.gov
  2. FAR Supplements
  3. Defense Tech Info Center
  4. DoD Forms | Department of Defense

Small Business Programs

  1. HUB Zones | U.S. SBA
  2. Doing Business with DoD | U.S. Department of Defense
  3. Office of Small & Disadvantaged Businesses | U.S. Department of Affairs

Market Research

  1. Industry Analysis | NAICS
  2. System for Award Management
  3. Dun & Bradstreet

Contract Opportunities

  1. Federal Acquisition Jumpstation
  2. Federal Business Opportunities | FedBizOpps
  3. Doing Business with DHS | Department of Homeland Security
  4. Stimulus Watch
  5. GSA Schedules | U.S. General Services Administration

International Trade

General Information

  1. Begin Exporting | Export.gov
  2. Customs and Border Protection
  3. District Export Council
  4. Explore Exporting
  5. SBA Export Business Planner

Market Research

  1. Schedule B/Export
  2. Harmonized Tariff Code/Import
  3. TradeStats Express
  4. Interactive Tariff and Trade Dataweb
  5. UN Comtrade
  6. Ease of Doing Business Ranking
  7. Free Trade Agreements
  8. Country Commercial Guides
  9. Industry Associations
  10. Trade Shows
  11. Trade Missions

Global Directories

  1. kompass.com
  2. solusource.com
  3. alibaba.com

Licensing, Regulations and Compliance

  1. U.S. Dept of Commerce Bureau of Industry & Security
  2. Commerce Control List Classification
  3. Office of Foreign Assets Control

Export Finance

  1. SBA Export Finance Programs
  2. Export/Import Finance Corporation
  3. Florida Export Finance Corporation

Importing

  1. Tampa FTZ #79

Organizations

  1. SelectFlorida
  2. NASBITE International
  3. Tampa Bay Organization for Women in International Trade
  4. US Commercial Services

Business Certifications and OSDs

  1. SBA 8(a) Business Development Program
  2. HUB Zones | U.S. SBA
  3. Office of Small & Disadvantaged Businesses | U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs
  4. Office of Supplier Diversity | State of Florida
  5. City of Tampa | Minority and Small Business Development
  6. Tampa International Airport Business Diversity
  7. Port Tampa Bay Procurement
  8. HART Business Diversity
  9. USF Office of Supplier Diversity
  10. Hillsborough County | Minority and Disadvantaged Business Development
  11. Hillsborough School District Office of Supplier Diversity
  12. Hillsborough Community College Supplier Diversity
  13. St. Petersburg Small Business Enterprises
  14. Pinellas County Small Business Enterprise Program
  15. Women’s Business Enterprise National Council
  16. Women’s Business Development Council of Florida
  17. National Minority Supplier Development Council
  18. Florida State Minority Supplier Development Council 
  19. Polk County Supplier Diversity

Disaster Preparedness

Resources

  1. State of Florida Official Portal for Businesses
  2. U.S. Small Business Administration
  3. IRS Tax Relief in Disaster Situations
  4. Bridge Loan Program
  5. Minding Your Business | FL Business Continuity Initiative
  6. Florida Emergency Services | FL DMS
  7. Disaster Contractors Network
  8. Preparing Your Business
  9. Planning and Protecting Your Business | Ready
  10. Industry Liaison Program | FEMA
  11. Get a Plan | Florida Division of Emergency Management
  12. How to Be Prepared | Ready.gov
  13. Hurricane Checklist for Business | PreparednessGuide.org
  14. Latest Storm News | Hillsborough County
  15. Tampa Business Emergency Council
  16. Cyberplanner | Federal Communications Commission
  17. Wildfire Preparedness | U.S. Small Business Administration
  18. Flood Preparedness | U.S. Small Business Administration

Report Business Related Damages

  1. Damage Assessment Forms | FloridaDisaster.biz

Exercises

  1. Emergency Planning Exercises | FEMA

Contact Us

Regional Office Contact Info

USF CONNECT
3802 Spectrum Blvd., Suite 201
Tampa, FL 33612

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Florida SBDC Network

The Florida SBDC at the University of South Florida is a member of the Florida SBDC Network, a statewide partnership program nationally accredited by the Association of America’s SBDCs and funded in part by the U.S. Small Business Administration, Department of Defense, State of Florida, and other private and public partners, with the University of West Florida serving as the network’s headquarters. Full funding disclosure available at www.floridasbdc.org/funding-disclosures/. Florida SBDC services are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis. Language assistance services are available for individuals with limited English proficiency.

All opinions, conclusions, and/or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA or other funding partners.

Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities and/or limited English proficiency will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance. To request accommodation or language assistance, please contact Nelson Reyes, nreyes@usf.edu, 813.396.2700.

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State Designated as Florida’s Principal Provider of Business Assistance [§ 288.01, Fla. Stat.]