Illinois Launch
Dustin Canter(right), founder of My College Storage, spoke with Chef Dave Martin (left) from Bravo's Top Chef Series during an informal discussion for Illinois Launch students hosted by AEL. See more photos
Resources and Tools
| Business Basics | Intellectual Property | Startup Portals | |
| Business Plans Competitions | Making Presentations & Elevator Pitches | External Entrepreneurship Courses | |
| Business Plans | Market Research |
Business Basics
- U.S. Small Business Administration Resource Library
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) was created in 1953 as an independent agency of the federal government to aid, counsel, assist and protect the interests of small business concerns, to preserve free competitive enterprise and to maintain and strengthen the overall economy of our nation.
- SME Tool Kit - Build Your Business
The SME Toolkit is a program of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, and is available in multiple languages through local partners around the world. The mission of IFC is to promote sustainable private sector investment in developing countries as a way to reduce poverty and improve people's lives. IFC finances private sector investments in the developing world, mobilizes capital in the international financial markets, and provides technical assistance and advice to governments and businesses.
Business Plan Competitions
The University of Illinois hosts several business plan competitions each year. Among these are the V. Dale Cozad New Venture Competition and the iVentures 10 software competition.
Learn more about competitions available on campus.
Regional and national competitions are also open to Illinois students.
- Getting in on the university business plan competition circuit, Entrepreneur Magazine
- List of major business plan competitions, Nature.com
- Business Plan Competitions Guide, The New York Times
- Business Plan Competitions, University of Texas at Austin
- Dell Social Innovation Competition, Dell and University of Texas at Austin
- Rice University Business Plan Competition, Rice University
Business Plans
- Small Business Plan Guide
Whether you are starting or growing a small business, a sound business plan is your roadmap to success. This website provides resources to help you get started.
- BizPlanIt
BizPlanIt is a leading business plan consulting firm that is also committed to providing high-quality free business plan resources for the do-it-yourself business plan writer.
- Bplans.com
Bplans.com contains the largest single online collection of free sample business plans. In addition, it has helpful tools and know-how for managing your business.
- Small Business Resource Center – University of Illinois Library (University only)
Small Business Resource Centeroffers users complete small business management resources via a combination of unparalleled periodicals and reference content.
Intellectual Property
- The Patent Clinic
The Patent Clinic is a joint effort between the Technology Entrepreneur Center and the University of Illinois College of Law (COL) in which selected participants from the Cozad New Venture Competition and the Lemelson-Illinois Student Prize entrants can have a patent application drafted for them at no cost, if their invention description includes a novel and potentially patentable device, system, or method.
Making Presentations and Elevator pitches
An elevator pitch is a concise and well practiced description of a business venture that you would deliver if you found yourself in an elevator with a potential investor, business partner or advisor. Social entrepreneurs need to be able to make similar presentations to potential funders, partners, volunteers, etc. The independent artist or the person seeking employment should be able to make a pitch about themselves and their strengths.
Guidelines and Examples - Elevator Pitches and Presentations to Investors
- Presentation Skills for Entrepreneurs
- The Elevator Pitch (EP): Engage People, Move to Action…in Two Minutes
- Cornell’s eClips on Entrepreneurship, Business, and Leadership
Book: Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die. Chip Heath & Dan Heath. Random House, 2007.
Market Research
- BizToolkit from JJ Hill Library
BizToolkit is designed to help business grow and succeed. It provides access to free and premium business tools and resources.
- Bplans.com
Bplans.com contains the largest single online collection of free sample business plans. In addition, it has helpful tools and know-how for managing your business.
- Inc Magazine’s Marketing Guide
This marketing guide provides a collection of market-research articles and resources.
- University of Illinois Library - Small Business Consulting and Entrepreneurship Small Business
Startup Portals
- Entrepreneur Magazine
- Inc Magazine
- Resources from the U.S. Small Business Administration
- Startup Journal, Wall Street Journal
- Small Business, USA Today
- Yahoo! Small Business Resource Directory
Social Entrepreneurship
- Resources for the Social Entrepreneur
- Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship, Duke University