Find Financial Benchmarks
One thing you will need to do in the financials section of your business plan is discuss how you will price your products and/or services, and how this compares to your competitors. You will need to develop a financial plan that includes your projected revenues and net income. The following resources will help you find financial information on competitors in your industry.
Free Tools for Finding Financial Info
EDGAR
Filings with the US Securities & Exchange Commission by companies listed on US exchanges. 10-K Forms include detailed information on company history, structure, financial statements, and other relevant data.
SEDAR
A collection of corporate filings that are required by securities regulators, from companies operating in Canada. This website is an excellent source for information about a company's plans, competitive environment, markets, products, and assets. SEDAR is the Canadian equivalent of EDGAR.
Finding Benchmarks & Ratios
Ratios are tools that allow you to plan and assess your company's progress over time, and to compare it to other companies in the same industry. There are diferent kinds of ratios, including operating ratios, financial ratios, performance indicators, and benchmarks.
Financial Performance Data (formerly SME Benchmarking Tool)
Tool for benchmarking your financial reports with others in your sector. Website also includes a collection of financial data and annual reports of various Canadian companies. For instructions on using the Financial Performance Data click here. To create a report using Financial Performance data click here.
TIP: Remember to search using your NAICS code (eg. 713990 - All Other Amusement and Recreation Industries Includes Outdoors adventure operations (e.g. white water rafting) without accommodations)
Financial Performance Indicators for Canadian Business
Offers current financial ratios by industry, based on data provided by Statistics Canada. The indicators are designed to serve as financial performance benchmarks against which individual firms and industries can be compared. Affiliates of UBC, UNBC, UVic and SFU have access through Abacus Dataverse. If you are visiting, please contact your local library about access.
Proprietary Tools For Finding Financial Info
UBC Company Research Guide
This research guide was created by UBC business librarians. Follow this link to go directly to the section of the guide that features various UBC Library electronic resources that are recommended for searching for financial information on competitors, such as credit rankings, stock prices and investment analyst reports. You can explore the navigation on the right-hand side to find more recommended research sources on the general topic of company research.
Library Resources
Access to the following sources may be available through your local public or academic library. For information on how to obtain a library card, and for additional information on using libraries in BC, please visit our Getting Access to Library Resources page.
Mergent Online
Provides access to detailed information on US and international companies. Data can be compared and exported into software applications such as Excel. Affiliates of UBC can learn more and get access.
Tools For Calculating Your Own Financials
- Financial Ratio Calculators - Business Development Canada
- Financial Ratios Calculator: Debt to Equity and Other Ratios - Canada One
- Business Calculators - GoForth Institute