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Business Resources
Small is the new big
Being a business librarian leads me to read some books that I would never have given a chance. For good reason, often. But it turns out that Mr. Seth Godin has the following going for him: He is a good writer and possesses an interesting mind.
Small is the New Big is a collection of various Godin blog posts so it really isn’t meant to be read as a straight-ahead narrative. In fact, Godin contradicts himself several times along the way but his overriding message is this: We live in an age where being big carries more liability than advantage. This is good news.
As a neo-Luddite, I’m constantly wondering if all our fabulous technology gives more advantage to the big and powerful or the small and… not powerful. While I’m still not convinced that advanced technology isn’t governed by trickle-down processes, Godin makes a good argument that big is starting to be at the mercy of the small. If so, I say hoozah! Or something like that.
If we truly live in the Information Age, then there should be few commodities more valuable than information. In the case of authoritative business information – demographics, industry trends, market research, etc. – the price for access to such information can easily reach tens of thousands of dollars per year.
The brilliance of the public library is that it makes available to everyone the same resources that would otherwise be within the reach of only wealthy individuals or large corporations. To not take advantage of the public library's offerings is to put your business at a distinct disadvantage.
Of the many questions the library receives regarding business, the queries tend to fall into the following broad categories:
- What are the demographics for my market?
- Who are my competitors?
- What are the industry trends for my business?
- Who are my customers and where are they located?
- What local agencies provide business classes, coaching, networking opportunities or other assistance?
- What funding sources are available for new, local businesses?
With the exception of the last question, the answers to these questions are of equal value to either an entrepreneur looking to write a business plan or a seasoned business owner looking to increase profits.
If you don’t find what you were hoping to find on these pages either call the Downtown Library Reference Desk at 444-5336 or email the library staff. Alternately, if you do find the information you were looking for, we'd like to hear about that as well.
Best wishes to you and the Spokane business community!
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