Learn about the Industry/Sector. What are the larger trends?
1. On the Industries tab of this guide, search in IBISWorld, ABI/INFORM Trade & Industry, and Business Source Premier for industry profiles and for trade publications related to nonprofits. Use the format limiters to narrow your search results to these types of publications.
2. On the Companies tab, use Reference Solutions and Mergent Intellect to find and create lists of potential business customers, as well as possible competitors. On the Consumers tab, you can use SimplyAnalytics to map businesses.
3. On the Market Research Reports tab, you can use Statista to search for statistics and reports related to the industry.
4. On the News/Articles tab, search local, regional, and national news sources for articles and news stories on what the business does, and how the topic is covered in the media. You can search for full-text articles in ProQuest US Newsstream, Access World News, Pioneer Press, and Business Journals (which includes the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.) You can also search newspaper websites directly, but they often have a paywall.
5. Search for relevant trade and professional associations in the business sector. You can find trade associations through web searching as well as in industry reports in IBISWorld and ABI/INFORM Trade & Industry.