Market Research

A guide to sources which assist in an evaluation of one's customers, competition, industry, and the local, regional, and national economic business climate pursuant to constructing a business or marketing plan, or growing a business.

Organization Links

Central Indiana SBDC (Small Business Development Center)
9301 E. 59th St. Room 147
Indianapolis, IN 46216
(317) 233-7232
Provides free counseling to help develop business plans and solve problems in existing businesses.

Business Ownership Initiative of Indiana/Central Indiana Women's Business Center
111 Monument Circle, Suite 2450
Indianapolis, IN 46204
(317) 917-3266
Programs include business counseling and a 20-hour Business Beginnings class. Formerly known as the Neighborhood Self-Employment Initiative.

SBA Indiana
U.S. Small Business Administration - Indiana District Office
8500 Keystone Crossing, Suite 400
Indianapolis, IN 46240
(317) 226-7272
Counseling and training sessions are available to those starting or running businesses.

SCORE (Counselors to America's Small Business)
8500 Keystone Crossing, Suite 401
Indianapolis, IN 46240
(317) 226-7264
Offers one-on-one counseling and a free workshop “Simple Steps for Starting Your Business, Session 1”.p>

Catalog Searches

Web Sites

Indiana Business Research Center
Economic and demographic statistics specific to Indiana counties and cities.

Indy Site Finder - Indianapolis Property Site Locator & Market Data Resource Center

Stats Indiana
Census 2010 data for Indiana

North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) - United States

NAICS Association

US Census Bureau Standard Industrial Classification System

Economic Census
The Economic Census profiles American business every 5 years, from the national to the local level.

County Business Patterns
This annual series provides subnational economic data by industry.

ZIP Business Patterns
Business counts, by size, for hundreds of industries....plus summaries by ZIP code (without industry breakdown) for employment, payroll, and counts by employment size.

American Demographics
Good source for consumer trends.

American Marketing Association

BizMiner.com
Get a free sample industry report from their Marketing Research Profiles.

CorporateInformation.com
Research a country's industry and get a list of relevant links for that industry.

Current Industrial Reports
Manufacturing, mining, and construction statistics.

IRS Market Segment Specialization Program
Audit Techniques Guides, used by IRS auditors, contain industry background and characteristics. A limited number of industries are covered.

U.S. Commercial Service
International market research from the U.S. Commercial Service.

SEC EDGAR database
Search for financial reports filed with the U.S Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) by public companies.

SAVI-Interactive
SAVI (Social Assets and Vulnerabilities Indicators) is a dynamic community information system that helps you map, compare, and store data about Central Indiana communities from over 30 sources.

Online Databases

Business Insights: Essentials
Database of detailed company and industry news and information company profiles, brands, rankings, histories, investment reports.

Business Source Premier
When you've opened the database, select Business from the menu of choices, and you'll find links to the full text of sample business plans from the multi-volume set Business Plans Handbook.

DemographicsNow
DemographicsNow offers simple, ready-to- use demographic data reports that can be customized by geography.

General Business File ASAP
This multi-faceted database provides information on businesses and companies.

ReferenceUSA
Searchable national business directory with listings for over 14 million US businesses.