Are you a budding entrepreneur or small business owner?  Then KBLIC is the place for you!  Enjoy a space for networking and small business meetings. Use our print and electronic resources to research your industry, find customers, and better understand how to market your business.  Put the power of the BPL to work for you, ask one of our skilled librarians to connect you with a local mentor or small business professional to  help guide you to entrepreneurial success.

Small Business Connections:

• Book a Small Business Mentoring Session
• Access one-on-one peer-to-peer guidance from SCORE Boston volunteers
• Get a free legal services consultation from a Goodwin Pro Bono Attorney
• Apply to Harvard Business School's Community Action Partners by June 11, 2021 to get assistance with business or management related issues for your nonprofit
• Attend a Grow with Google Small Business workshop
• Attend an upcoming Tech Goes Home Small Business Series course
• Get virtual guidance about how you can use our resources to help your small business with our Small Business Virtual Drop-ins

Online Resource Tools for Small Business Success:

• Review sample business plans with the Gale Virtual Reference Library
• Find customers with AtoZdatabases
• Research your competitors and research industry trends with Mergent Intellect
• Analyze market demand and find demography data with DemographicsNow
• Find company and industry information as well as market analyses for emerging markets with EMIS Intelligence
• Find grants and fundraising resources with Foundation Directory Online Essential
• Find profiles of venture capital, private equity, family office and angel investors in Massachusetts with Massinvestor (currently unavailable)
• Locate trade & industry periodicals with Gale Business Entrepreneurship
• Create personalized legal documents specific to your business and location with LawDepot
• Check out our extensive collection of small business startup ebooks and audiobooks

Guides for Small Business Success

• Learn about business opportunities in the music industry with our Music Business guide
• Get an overview of intellectual property and ways to search for patents and trademarks with our Intellectual Property guide
• Find these resources and more by visiting our online Business Plans Research Guide

Attend Small Business Workshops & Events:

• Signup for our Adult Learning Newsletter for upcoming events

KBLIC is here to help you learn how to manage your money, make sure you have enough saved for retirement, and invest it well.

Book a Bloomberg Session to learn more about investing.

Take advantage of the personal finance and investing resources of the Thomas S. Drey Investing Center.  This dedicated space within KBLIC offers a selection of print and digital materials to help you build a better budget, learn about investing, and to help you plan a successful retirement.

Managing Your Money Action Plan:

• During tax season, KBLIC teams up with the Boston Tax Help Coalition to offer free tax preparation and financial check-ups for patrons. During closure, check out the Boston Tax Coalition site for telephone/virtual/drop-off help
• Use JVS Boston to help you take control of your finances through financial coaching and education and free tax prep help
• Screen and find analysis on mutual funds with Morningstar Investment Research Center
• Research companies and follow stock market data with our Bloomberg terminal (unavailable during closure)
• Book a Bloomberg Session to learn more about investing
• Review the City of Boston's Financial Empowerment website to find reliable financial products and services to help you save, grow, and access money.
• Find these resources and more on our Managing Your Money Research Guide

Financial Education:

• Financial Education for Adults - Find out how well you are doing financially, and steps you can take to improve
• MyMoney.gov - Helps you find federal government-supported research and data to help with you financial education
• If you think your employer is not paying you what you are owed, learn more about wage theft and what you can do
• Kirstein also has booklists to help you learn about investing, budgeting, credit, and more.

Attend Personal Finance & Investor Resources Workshops & Events:

• Signup for our Adult Learning Newsletter for upcoming events

Do you have and an invention you’d like to patent,  or have a logo you want to find out how to trademark? Take advantage of the resources available to you from our Patent and Trademark Resource Center (PTRC).  KBLIC is part of a nationwide network of public, state, and academic libraries designated by the United States Patent Office (USPTO) to support the public with trademark and patent assistance. Our space has trained staff to help guide you through the Intellectual Property process.

Resource Tools for Inventors’ Success:

• Book time on our dedicated patent computer (not available during closure)
• Access to resources such as patent examiner-based search systems PubEAST and PubWEST,
• Receive guidance on the patent application process and fee schedule
• Review materials to assist you in researching Patents, Trademarks, & Copyrights
• Email us to book a 1-on-1 Patent & Trademark Reference Appointments
• Find these resources and more on our Intellectual Property Research Guide

Attend Patent & Trademark Resource Center Workshops & Events

• Signup for our Adult Learning Newsletter for upcoming events

KBLIC offers a suite of resources to help nonprofits and individuals find grant money for their projects.

Key Funding Your Project Resources:

• Search for grants from foundations with our Foundation Directory Online Resource
  • Search over 16,810,000 grants, 136,500 foundations, and 1,009,000 recipients
  • Use Foundation Maps to see funding opportunities visually.
  • Find scholarships, fellowships and awards for students, artists, and researchers with Grants to Individuals Online
  • Email us to schedule a concierge search
• Remote Online Access during closure to Foundation Directory Online Essential
• Take a nonprofit essentials webinar training via LinkedIn Learning

Attend Grant Seeking & Philanthropy Workshops & Events

• Signup for our Adult Learning Newsletter for upcoming events

You can submit a reference request for business research, and someone will get back to you soon.

Check out our Business Research Guides and Business Databases.