Research and Course Guides: Small Business: Company Overviews

Identifying Competitors

Business resources identify industry competitors in different ways:

Top companies by sales/revenue
Major players by market share
Companies by industry code (NAICS or SIC)

These resources can help you find companies within an industry.

Company Profiles & Directories

To find profiles and other information about a company, such as its history, product lines, customer base, key suppliers, management team, strategy, and competitors, use the following resources. ReferenceUSA is the best resource for researching smaller, private companies.

Reference Solutions from Data Axle (Formerly ReferenceUSA) This link opens in a new window
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Contains information on over 14 million U.S. public and private companies, including contact information, estimated financials for private companies, industry codes, and more. Exporting of data is limited to 100 items on-campus or 50 off-campus.
PrivCo This link opens in a new window
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Find information on larger privately-held companies. Company profiles include an overview of the firm, its leadership team/owners, and company financials.
Mergent Intellect This link opens in a new window
Information on millions of public and private companies from around the world.
Use of the Mergent data and service are intended for non-commercial academic purposes only.

Ward's Business Directory Of U.S. Private & Public Companies
Covers more than 100,000 U.S. companies, 90% of which are private. Includes company assets and operating revenue, employee figures, and SIC and NAICS industry codes.
ThomasNet (formerly Thomas Register)
ThomasNet is the most comprehensive online resource for finding companies and products manufactured in North America. Includes product, company, and brand name searching and access to industry specific searching. No login needed.
MacRAE's Blue Book
Use this industrial directory to search by product to find manufacturers, distributors, or suppliers of industrial products and components. Or search for an industrial company to find brief info, certifications, and products.

ReferenceUSA Help

Reference Solutions (formerly ReferenceUSA)
by Marianne Hageman Last Updated May 8, 2024 132 views this year