From Business Idea to Business Plan

Having a great business idea is one thing, but figuring out how to develop it into reality is another. How do you find investors? What should go into a business plan, and how do you write one exactly? Wait, people will need to be hired. How do you draft contracts?

Small Business Source, one of our databases, brings together books, magazines, videos, and practical guides covering everything from starting a business to managing one as it grows.

Tools to Help

There’s a lot to explore, but two features in particular make it a useful starting point for aspiring entrepreneurs: a collection of full-length NOLO business books and their Small Business Start-Up Guides.

NOLO Business Books

Nolo has been publishing do-it-yourself legal resources for consumers and small businesses for decades, with an emphasis on explaining complicated topics in plain language. Its small business books cover practical subjects such as choosing a business structure, tax guides, filing trademarks, HR matters, how to create an LLC, and protecting your business. Through Small Business Source, you can read full editions of some Nolo business books and save the information you find for future reference.

Find the most recent NOLO books under the hero slide or see the whole collection in the topics section.

You can view the books by publication year. Let's take a look at this Employer's Legal Handbook found in the 2025 collection as an example.

The book is broken up by its table of contents. You can view the content by selecting an access option under the description. Let's look at Chapter 14: Lawyers and Legal Research.

Here you can view the entire chapter. If you'd like to jump around to the previous chapters, you can click on the book icon in the toolbar to expand the table of contents. This way, you do not have to go back to the search page. If you'd like to download and save the information you found, you can click on the arrow icon next to it.

Browse Start-Up Guides by State

Starting a business isn’t quite the same everywhere, as opportunities and support can all vary depending on where you live. Small Business Source helps bring some of that information together with its start-up guides.

Each guide focuses on a particular state and provides an overview of information that can help you understand the local business landscape. You can look at state demographics, taxes and incentives, financing opportunities, licenses and permits, and organizations that provide assistance to small businesses.

From the database home page, click the Start-Up Information card in the featured resource hero slide.

Click on the Access now (PDF) button to view the list of start-up guides by state.

Click on the name of the state for which you would like to view the Small Business Start-Up Guide.

You can save the Start-Up Guide to your computer by clicking the download button in the top toolbar.

How to Access:

So if there is a business idea that you'd like to get off the ground, visit Small Business Source to see if it might help make it a reality. Visit the library’s Online Resources page and find Small Business Source in our A-Z list.

You can create a MyEBSCO account to save searches and download eBooks. To create an account:

1. Click the MyEBSCO icon in the upper-right corner and select Create an account.
2. Complete the registration form.
3. When your information is accepted, a message appears that confirms your account has been created.