General business support

Useful links

The following sites provide advice and links to general business advice, including business plans, cash flow forecasting and sales and marketing. Although mainly focused on developed country experience and circumstances, much of the advice has more universal relevance.

• is4profit provides free business advice articles, guides and checklists on issues relevant to starting and developing a small business. www.is4profit.com

• Free online training modules: www.va-interactive.com/score/

• Free online training modules: www.score.org/business_toolbox
• Small business online community: www.flyingsolo.com.au
• Sustainable business advice: www.gdrcsmallbusinessadvice.org
• The Aspen Institute: The Economic Opportunities Program (EOP) helps the people who help the poor escape poverty. The program provides practical tools, training and information to organizations that help low-income individuals start a business, find a better job and build wealth.
• UNDP’s Growing Sustainable Business - a platform for companies to engage in pro-poor business activities in developing countries with a challenging business environment. Looking beyond social investments and philanthropy, the GSB mechanism is a service offered to companies that seek to develop commercially viable business projects within their core business or value chain with a view to increasing profitability and/or engaging in new markets. Provides a full time broker, a Research Platform, a Technical Assistance Platform.
• World Bank site with best practice public policy advice for private-sector led growth and financial market development in developing countries. Find expert analysis, powerful databases, quick solutions, and comprehensive "how-to" guides. http://rru.worldbank.org/
• EMPRETEC is an integrated capacity-building programme of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in the area of SMEs and entrepreneurial skills promotion. It is dedicated to helping promising entrepreneurs put their ideas into action and fledgling businesses to grow.
• The Small Enterprise Education and Promotion (SEEP) Network, an international network and promoter of best practices in enterprise development and financial services, is a global organization whose membership is committed to reducing poverty through the power of enterprise.
• iDISC - the infoDev Incubator Support Center - is a virtual networking and knowledge-sharing platform for business development professionals and organizations leveraging ICT to facilitate entrepreneurship and new business creation in developing countries. http://www.idisc.net/en/Index.html http://www.idisc.net/en/Toolkit.html

Publication: Promoting SMEs for Sustainable Development available at www.wbcsd.org