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This guide will not only help you to become more efficient with your research time but it will also save you money by directing you to reputable sources to learn about your market.  But first, take a deep breath because secondary market research is a journey and it will require work. The definition of a market can vary from a broad industry to a specific market niche.  Also, the geographic scope of your market may vary across a municipality, a region, a country or the globe. In new or emerging markets there may be very little information or data published so you will have to dig and possibly look at comparable, more established markets. This guide will help you to organize your work and prioritize your research questions. We aim to save you time by directing you to the information you can use to make better business decisions. Feel free to jump into whatever section is most applicable to your business goals now.

Ipsos

Links to Canadian, U.S. and international polls. Includes polls on consumer goods.

Job Bank - Government of Canada
The leading source for labour market information. The site is designed to assist individuals who are searching for work or looking to make career decisions but can also be useful to gage employment trends in an industry. Try using their search portal to explore careers by occupation or review the latest job market trends in your industry. 

KnowThis.com - How to Write a Marketing Plan
The marketing plan guide put out by KnowThis.com walks you through the process of creating a thorough detailed plan. The well laid out guide has sections and advice for almost every conceivable aspect of your marketing plan.

KnowThis.com - Principle of Marketing Tutorials
The Principles of Marketing tutorials are like having access to an introduction to marketing textbook - online and for free! Each tutorial can be read on its own or in conjunction with the others and cover a wide variety of topics including extensive sections on promotion and marketing research though pricing and marketing management are good reads as well.

Lead Builder | (registration required)

An excellent online resource for US business sales leads, mailing lists, and market analysis. Use this website to build direct mail, telemarketing and email marketing campaigns. It is hosted by Hoover, a subsidiary D&B Sales & Marketing Solutions.

Small Business BC | Free Website

This Website hosts a wealth of information for BC start-ups, including information on industry regulations.

Lexis Nexis Academic

This library database offer one of the world's premier fulltext news, government, legal, finance and business information services. International in scope. You can choose “Business” from the red toolbar; then select the “Canada Business Directory” from the Select Sources box. Please contact your local public or research library for access. Use of your library card may be required for online access to this resource.

LexisNexis Academic
Provides access to business and financial news, US and international company financial information, market research, industry reports, and actual SEC filings. Search features permit comparison of companies based on criteria such as sales, income, and number of employees. Follow the 'Business' link to find company annual reports, financial, and credit reports. Check your local library to see if they provide access. 

Funding & Financing 
Check out our resource page in Learn Business Basics to explore a list of different ways to finance your business idea.