December 2011—Do you know people who have started new businesses since the economic downturn? Perhaps they lost their jobs and were unable to find others. Some may have seen the market shrinking in their chosen fields and decided to try something new.

Kent Bernhard, Jr. wrote a compelling post on portfolio.com. In the article “Recession Brought a Small-Business Boom” he wrote, “There are actually more small businesses now than there were in 2006, when the recession began.” The data came from a report on the state of small business by Dun & Bradstreet that was released in May 2011.

Bernhard mentioned that in spite of the increase in business failures, there were more startups during 2009 and 2010 than there had been in the past decade, and, compared to 2007, more of these new startups were business services. As I read the article I was reminded of how many resources are offered for Coastsiders on the Half Moon Bay Chamber of Commerce website.

At the bottom of the Chamber website home page is a section called Tools for Business Success — content the chamber purchases as part of its efforts to support local businesses. Some of the main topics are specifically directed at startups and others are useful for companies that are seeking expansion. Topics include local government requirements and business planning as well as business and employee training. The topic entitled Employer Assistance includes suggestions on how to find the right person to hire; it also provides help with compliance and a link to the California Salary Paycheck Calculator to calculate employees’ paychecks.

Charise Mchugh, CEO Half Moon Bay Chamber of Commerce

Another interesting feature of the Employer Assistance topic is the Ergonomics Center. This page contains information about how much businesses and employees are helped by working with proper lighting and equipment.

For businesses that are ready for expansion, Taking your Business to the Next Step offers some tools to decide what those next steps might be. Business owners are cautioned to be sure the business is ready for growth. Evaluating the business’s financial strength is an important consideration and an interactive scoreboard helps businesses compare their operation to similar businesses in the same industry, as well as to competitors.

Other interactive resources are available for studying best practices in different areas of business such as human resources, manufacturing and quality management. Key questions are asked, such as: Is your company positioned for innovation?

For companies that are ready to consider globalization there is a topic called Think Globally that provides guidance on importing and exporting. Free tutorials from the University of Georgia and the U.S. Export Assistance Center offer help with global market research, trade events and more.

Whether you are considering a startup or have been in business for some time, you might find some useful tools at your local chamber website.