So you’ve been bitten by the entrepreneurial bug! Want to start a business, be your own boss, live out the American dream. Well you’ve come to the right place because the Greater Harrisburg area is awash in information and assistance to help the new entrepreneur get started and succeed.

Naturally, one of the best sources of information is in your hands right now. Each month MODE has articles on business practices and businesses that are succeeding, and reviews of business books. But we’re willing to admit that we can’t give you everything there is to know, so here’s a guide to some of the best other sources of information we’ve found.

The Harrisburg Mayor’s Office of Economic Development, Acting Director Linda Walker and her staff are ready and able to help you any way they can, providing assistance on a case–by–case basis to meet your specific needs.

Walker says that in addition to the publications, access to other organizations, and seminars they provide, what’s particularly important is that the staff “has lots of information stored in our heads.”

The Office of Economic Development has been helping new businesspeople for quite a few years, back when they and people from state government were the only game in town. Now, Walker says, there are many more resources available and they are able to make referrals to business incubators, entrepreneurial development centers, and university–based organizations, as well as libraries and data centers.

Because they tailor assistance to the person’s needs, there’s no general pattern that’s followed. “Some people come in and have no idea where to start or what they need,” Walker says. “Others have a business plan and need financing information. And there are some that are specifically looking for procurement information.”

“Some people come in and say they want to start a business but don’t have any idea what type of business they could start. We help them think through what they want to do, research the market, and maybe encourage them to think about something else if it doesn’t look like what they want to do will work.”

The flow of people through the office varies with the economy, the weather, and the number of people relocating into the area, sometimes as many as 10 to 15 cold calls a day and other times down to perhaps 25 a week. In 1997, they handled an estimated 2,000 cold calls as well as providing certifications for minority– and female–owned businesses.

The Small Business Development Center, operated by Kutztown University at the Dixon University Center, 2986 N. Second Street, may be one of the best kept secrets in the area.

Ernie Post, the center director, says they’ve been operating for the last eight years, providing services for an eight–county area: Adams, Berks, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon, and York.

They can provide access to 900 electronic databases that have marketing and other useful information as well as to all the information in the State System of Higher Education university libraries. But they also have 10 full–time professional consultants from the private sector who can help people with their specific problems and questions. All consulting services are free, but there can be a minimal charge for some of the databases and for seminars the center holds.

One of the best software products they offer combines current census data with PennDOT road and travel usage information to do location analyses to pinpoint a site that is likely to be successful for a particular type of business.

Post says the center works with approximately 1,000 clients a year, half of them starting their own business and half already in their own business. They see their primary function as education of entrepreneurs and business owners and will be offering more than 70 low–cost seminars this fall to help people with specific business issues.

“One of our advantages,” Post says, “is that most of our professional staff have had their own small businesses and can provide assistance based on their own experience.”

An organization that takes advantage of the experiences gained by people in the corporate arena is the Service Corps of Retired Business Executives (SCORE). Sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration, SCORE offers workshops regularly to help people get started in their own business as well as individual counseling with retired executives.

In addition, at the SCORE offices, 4211 Trindle Road, Camp Hill, there are many publications of use to new business owners as well as electronic databases and software programs that help with writing business plans, etc.

For those interested in looking up information for themselves, the Dauphin County Library System has a special business collection in the Downtown branch at Front and Walnut Street. And the extensive holdings of the State Library of Pennsylvania are available at its location in the Forum Building, off Commonwealth Avenue. The newspaper collection and law library are valuable parts of the State Library, in addition to an extensive collection of magazines, journals and several floors of books on all non–fiction topics.

Those accustomed to looking for information online will find the State Data Center a real treasure trove. Operated by Penn State Harrisburg, the Data Center (http://www.hbg.psu.edu/psdc) contains census and other statistical information useful in profiling Pennsylvania communities and assessing market viability.

Finally, Central Penn Business Journal, the weekly business newspaper published in Harrisburg, contains how–to articles on business practices, news about changing businesses and regulations, and profiles of successful businesses. The Journal regularly has lists that can be useful to business owners (top 25 firms in various categories, for example) and publishes the Central Penn Business Directory, with profiles of more than 1,000 businesses in Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, and York counties.

With so much free and low–cost information and personal assistance available, there’s nothing to keep you from getting out there and making your mark in the business community.