Research Guides: Entrepreneurship: Industry Trends and Competitors

Find Industry and Competitor Information - Library Licensed Databases

MarketLine Advantage This link opens in a new window
Full-text collection of industry reports providing market research across 6,000 industries at the regional and country level. Also includes 34,000 company reports that include SWOT analyses, company strategy case studies, and M&A information.
First Research This link opens in a new window
Access industry profiles--from a sales perspective--for over 900 industry segments covering the competitive landscape, products, operations, technology finance, regulation, and more. Data is also available for monthly employment, business, and real estate trends for every US state.
Mergent Intellect This link opens in a new window
Use Advanced Search to find other companies in your area by location, industry, size, and financial information.
Access World News Research Collection This link opens in a new window
Search full-text regional newspapers for information about your industry or competitors.
Key Business Ratios This link opens in a new window
Access industry benchmarks compiled from D&B®’s database of public and private companies, featuring 14 key business ratios for public and private companies in 800 lines of business.
U.S. Major Dailies This link opens in a new window
U.S. Major Dailies provides access to the five most respected U.S. national and regional newspapers, including The New York Times and Washington Post, co-exclusive access to The Wall Street Journal, and exclusive access to Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune. The titles offer researchers thorough and timely coverage of local, regional, and world events with journalistic balance and perspective. The content is available by 8:00 am each day and provides archives stretching as far back as 1985.

Find Industry Reports - Free Websites

Building Permit Survey
Find the number of new housing units authorized by building permits. Data are available monthly, year- to- date, and annually at the national, state, selected metropolitan area, county and place levels.
Statista
Website offering some free content for market and consumer statistics. You have to subscribe or buy most of the good data. That may be a viable option if you are serious about starting a business. Some libraries have a subscription (UF does not).
Valuation Resources
Free online guide to business valuation resources, industry information, economic data, and more
Find an Ohio Public Library
Some larger public libraries subscribe to databases for industry or market research. It's always good to see what resources may be available from you local public library.

NAICS Codes

Companies choose NAICS/SIC codes at their own discretion, which means that a particular code may not truly capture all companies in that industry. In addition, different database providers may apply the codes differently. This means you will often find different companies listed in different products.

2017 NAICS codes and descriptions/definitions

Sector (2-digit)
Subsector (3-digit)
Industry Group (4-digit)
Industry (5-digit)
U.S. Industry (6-digit)

Find NAICS code by doing the following.

1. Go to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) web site.

2. Search for your industry by entering your keyword(s) into the 2017 NAICS Search box on the left side of the main NAICS web page.

3. Browse through the the industry descriptions returned. The 6 digit hyperlinked number is the NAICS code. You can get a description of that industry by clicking on the number. Write down the NAICS code that best matches your industry.

As an example, if you search for coffee shops you will find 7225155, which is the NAICS code for a variety of stores related to Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars. View the NAICS listing to see cross-references to related industries.

Entrepreneurship: Industry Trends and Competitors

What are the major trends for your industry and who is your competition?

Find Industry and Competitor Information - Library Licensed Databases

Find Industry Reports - Free Websites

NAICS Codes