Online Help for Small Business

An online resource directory first developed for entrepreneurs in emerging markets is now available to small business owners in the United States.

IBM and the International Finance Corporation, the private-sector arm of the World Bank, last week introduced an upgraded version of the directory, http://www.smetoolkit.org, which has now been tailored to U.S. businesses, particularly ones owned by women and minorities.

The site's content is free and offered in several languages. Users can download forms and find articles on subjects includingmarketing, insurance and human resources. The site also features interactive tools, including financial calculators.

"It's the opportunity to get people on the rungs of the ladder and get them to climb up without charity," said Laurence Carter, IFC director of small and medium enterprise programs.

IBM expanded the site for U.S. business owners and added instant messaging and surveys.

"Small business is really the engine for growth and development in the United States and the world," said Stanley Litlow, IBM vice president of corporate citizenship and corporate affairs. "But the playing field is not level because large companies have access to tools that they don't have."

Fletcher White is preparing to open a branch of the Little Gym franchise in Clinton, and says the Web site's guidance -- offered before the official launch -- has been instrumental. The employee handbook, customer service manuals and offer letters for his children's fitness center were all downloaded from the site.

"It's helpful for all those little pieces," he said. "They didn't tell you about time sheets in school."

-- Kendra Marr