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RESEARCHING SMALL BUSINESSES
IN ARIZONA


This Subject Guide is designed for those doing research on small businesses and their related industries. To research large or publicly owned companies use the Company & Industry Research Subject Guide.

Small Business Research requires a slightly different approach to the search process because there are fewer newspaper and magazine stories about specific small companies. The 3 main areas of research needed most often are Company, Industry, and Markets. More detailed explanations are given at the links below:


Other general business sources that can be helpful:

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Arizona Small Company Analysis

The first thing about researching a company is determing the information you do have and what you need to verify. When doing research on companies, it is important to remember to search more than the just the company name. This is particularly important for searching through indexes and web sites for news and articles:

What to look for
(the words you search for)

    ==> Company name (omit the words: Co, Corp, Inc, Ltd, etc)
        Company Subsidiaries and Divisions names,
        Company Parent names
        Ultimate Parent Company names, &
        ticker symbols, if available
    ==> Competitors (#1 company in the industry & other close competitors) names & ticker symbols
    ==> Look for interviews with the top officers in the company & parent company. The smaller the company, the more likely that the owner and family members hold all of these positions, if such positions exist. The owner is often both the CEO and the President of the company.
        CEO (Chief Executive Officer),
        COO (Chief Operations Officer),
        CFO (Chief Financial Officer),
        President, and
        Chairman of the Board
    ==> Any mention by brand name, especially look for advertisements and coupons, sponsorship of charity events/programs or sporting events.
      Brand and product names show up the least, but are often very valuable in finding information.

Directories, one of the best starting points for company information, usually give the basic information of name, address, telephone and fax numbers, e-mail, web site, officer(s), sales, and type of business or industrial classifications. There are 3 types of directories -- Company Directories, Industry Directories, and Arizona Agencies records. In addition to Directories, there are 2 other types of information sources that must also be used: Public Records kept by state and local governments, which can be more than just the directory type of information, and Local News sources.

1.    Directories

    While you are using the directories, don't overlook the data mining of the competition and the industry you are often able to do with directories, especially those that are available online. Click on the following link to find the step by step instructions for Data Mining Reference USA.

    If no website is given in any of the directories, use an Internet Search Engine like Google (http://www.google.com) or Yahoo! (http://www.yahoo.com) to try to find the company web site.

    A.  Company Directories with local companies included:
    • Reference USA -- Not available at ASU Libraries. Check your local Public Library.
    • DexOnline (yellow pages)
    • Book of Lists (Business Journal, Phoenix) -- Annual Dec. special issue of: Business Journal (Phoenix, Ariz.)
    • Other Arizona Directories

The next step is to check the public records of the state and local government agencies for company information:

2.    Arizona State and Local Government information on companies

    Government data of special interest are the public records kept by the government: deeds, leins, trustee sales, civil & criminal court cases, health inspection ratings, licenses, incorporations, nonprofit organizations registered, telemarketers registered, building permits, zoning, EPA clean-up sites, economic reports, industry reports, etc.

    Cities and counties are in various stages of placing their information on the web.  In many cases, you will have to visit city hall and the county offices to actually get the information.

    There are specific types of public information that tell what a small business is, what it owns, what it owes, what it is owed, etc. Some examples of useful public records:
    • Asset/Liens & Deeds (Real property ownership, what they owe on it & to whom)
    • Bankruptcy Court Cases (Special Federal Court -- who has filed for protection or reorganization)
    • Incorporation or Business Registration (Has the company registered with the State Corporation Commission or the Secretary of State?)
    • Licenses & Registrar of Contractors (List of the licensing agencies for professions & who is registered)
    • Patents & Trademarks both State & US (Do they have royalty rights and claims to a name, slogan, or invention?)
    • Civil & Criminal Case Histories (Plaintiff/Defendant Index) to court cases (Who has sued them, whom did they sue, & criminal actions connected with them.)
    • Property Taxes (especially important if there is a TAX LIEN)
    • Tax Valuation/Assessments (What is their real property worth for tax purposes?)

    The following web pages will help locate public agencies and public records that provide this type of information.

Once you have some directory information and any comapny information from state agencies, you start looking for articles on the company and each of the top officers and owners you were able to find. Also check out any companies that appear to own your company or be owned by your company. Follow up on any web pages found in any articles. Keep track of all the threads of information you find so you can follow up later.

3.    Arizona News Sources:

    You can continue tracking these news items and glean additional information by going back to the public information held by the various levels of government to follow up on these leads.
Just because you do NOT find information, doesn't mean the company you are researching is automatically a fraud, illegal (black market, underground economy) or non-existent. The new technologies make it much easier to start a company from anywhere without all the usual evidence. Once you have reached this point, however, the research gets even more difficult and time consuming. It does happen that people form companies, register trademarks, internet addresses, etc. and never do anything more. Small Businesses also have a high failure rate. If you wish to continue doing research, consult your local business reference librarian.

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City and Local Markets Information Sources

When researching Arizona Small Businesses and Industries, people are often interested in the information about the local market: demographics, quality of life, neighborhoods, shopping, schools, etc. These items are critical if you are planning to locate in a particular area or sell your product or service. This information can also help you decide why a company or industry is located where it is or who the target market is.

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Jeanette M. Mueller-Alexander,
Business Reference Librarian
Hayden Library
Arizona State University
Tempe, Arizona, USA

Created 1994, Last Revised: January 18, 2007