How to Investigate and Evaluate a Resource

Type "research a company" at the Google search-engine prompt, and press the Enter key. Review the return listings and scroll to ones that meet your needs, such as where you will find a business research tutorial presenting a step-by-step process for finding free company and industry information on the World Wide Web! Other research options include:

• Visit your state's web site to research a business. Type the format www.state.xx.us, where xx is the USPS abbreviation for the state (e.g. www.state.ut.us). The current web site for the state will appear or a link to it. Find the Business link to search for company filings.
• Visit www.sec.gov and search for company filings.
• Visit your county clerk online or in person to search for legal documents such as releases, judgments, liens and many other transactions.
• Visit the county clerk online where the company is located (corporate and local addresses).
• Search the BBB online where the company is located (corporate and local addresses) to search for consumer complaints and company standing.
• Contact industry groups in which the company may have membership. Is the company a member in good standing? Do they participate in member functions?
• Use a search engine like Google and type the company name with location (e.g. Hines Faucets Florida). Look for information about customers of the company on the web pages listed.
• Use a search engine like Google and type the company name followed by the word 'complaint' or 'customer' or 'customer service' or whatever else you want to learn about the company. No web sites found is a good indication but is not conclusive due to search engine rankings and website availability. Remember that Internet information is updated constantly.
• Visit your public library and ask the reference librarian to guide you to books with information about the company/industry of interest. They will direct you to the Thomas Register and industry specific books that may be of use. Also, ask about periodicals and newspapers relevant to the company's industry.
• Contact Chambers of Commerce in the area via email to inquire of the company's membership and community presence.
• If the company has a web site, search it for a client list, business address, contact person, telephone numbers and email address. The client list may offer a hint of where the client may be contacted. Try contacting the client. If the website lacks contact information (such as no geographical address, named individual or telephone number), move on.
• Contact a nearby competitor of the company and suggest that you are calling because the company seemed a bit pricey for the products/services offered.
• When you speak to a company representative, ask for three clients you may call for references. If they give you three references this is a positive indication, although they could be ringers.
• Network: speak to your other team members and business associates about the prospective company; they may know about the company or can ask someone who may know.
• When you introduce yourself at the next inventor meeting, ask the attendees if any of them know anything about the company!
• Make inquiries through an inventor forum or business forum relevant to the product/service the company provides. Be sure to use a brief, specific and meaningful title for the subject field of your posting.
• Attend a business fair that this company would likely show its products/services and make inquiries of other vendors, perhaps by way of comparison. You need to be familiar with the offerings of the company you want to evaluate.