Category: Financial Services Smart Business URL: http://www.smartbiz.com/sbs/about.htm Sponsor: Smart Business Supersite Audience: Business and financial services executives in search of a wide variety of how-to business information

Overall: Content: Access: Navigation: Links: Interactivity: Design:

Description: A repository of business information, this site is organized into categories such as News Columns, Online Events, Jobs/Careers, Feedback/Interact, People Finder, Hot Tips, Special Services, Super Store, and Business on the Net. Moreover, the site delivers information in more than 80 categories-from banking and doing business on the Internet to franchising and insurance.

Purpose: o provide a one-stop-shopping resource for small business information.

Content:Power Search delivers a selection of search engines to pinpoint needed information, while News/Columns gives you the chance to check out columns created especially for SBS. Online Events identifies both online and on-earth events, while Jobs/Careers presents resources for employers and job seekers. Just as People Finder helps you quickly locate speakers, consultants, and experts, Hot Tips gives you a daily diet of advice from business experts. SuperStore offers information on more than 1,000 business products available by mail, fax, or 800 number, while Business on the Net relays information on how to build your net assets. Each of the more than 80 topic-focused categories is described in terms of articles, checklists, reports, and worksheets; associations and groups; books and directories; events; products; publications; related resources on the Internet; software and CD-ROMs; surveys and statistics and vendors and suppliers.

Most intriguing feature: It's tough to pick from a site so rich in resources, but Profiles offers you a chance to scan reviews on books, tapes, software, and publications. All are written in a standardized format, making it easy to compare features. Books and magazines feature tables of contents, and the majority of newsletters offer sample issues. Within the 80 available categories, financial services professionals will be especially interested in checking out financial topics such as accounting, banking, buying, and selling a business; cash management; credit; negotiation; financing; and saving money.

Cautions about access: This site isn't necessarily geared toward financial services professionals. Still, it provides a wide variety of resources on business-related issues.

Additional contact information:

E-mail: kathryn@smartbiz.com