SCORE is a volunteer-led resource for people planning businesses and typically connects with experienced business executives to provide guidance and mentoring.

Bplans contains the largest single online collection of free sample business plans. In addition, it has helpful tools and know-how for managing your business. Bplans includes practical advice on planning, interactive tools and calculators, and a panel of experts who have answered thousands of questions from people like you.

Advice from the SBA on writing a business plan. Provides the following: Essential Elements of a Good Business Plan; Finding a Niche: Make Your Business Plan Stand Out, plus Templates for Writing a Business Plan.

The data.census.gov provides the latest data from Census 2010 and the 2010 American Community Survey. Earlier data from the American Community Survey, the Economic Census, and the Population Estimates Program will be transitioned to the new system in the coming months.

County Business Patterns (CBP)
Metro Business Patterns (MBP)
ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP)
These three programs cover most of the country's economic activity. For information on businesses with no paid employees, see Nonemployer Statistics. These data include counts of establishments by the employment size of the establishment. Sources: 2016 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates and 2015 County Business Patterns.

BLS statistics available by demographic category:
Demographic Characteristics of the Labor Force (Current Population Survey); The Geographic Profile of Employment and Unemployment; Consumer Spending--
The Consumer Expenditure Survey includes data on their expenditures, income, and demographic characteristics.