Small Business Encyclopedia
About Encyclopedia
No matter what business topic you're interested in, you'll find our category list is an easy way to navigate our small-business encyclopedia. From Accounting and Advertising to Location and Operations, every topic offers information on the terms that matter most. And if you can't find what you need here, our Terms A - Z list makes tracking down terms a snap.
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Popular Terms
Sole Proprietorship
Definition: A business that legally has no separate existence from its owner. Income and losses are taxed on the individual's personal income tax return.
Pricing a Product
Definition: To establish a selling price for a product.
Competitive Analysis
Definition: Identifying your competitors and evaluating their strategies to determine their strengths and weaknesses relative to those of your own product or service.
Network Marketing
Definition: A business model in which a distributor network is needed to build the business. Usually such businesses are also multilevel marketing in nature in that payouts occur at more than one level.
Partnership
Definition: A legal form of business operation between two or more individuals who share management and profits. The federal government recognizes several types of partnerships. The two most common are general and limited partnerships.
Market Research
Definition: The process of gathering, analyzing and interpreting information about a market, about a product or service to be offered for sale in that market, and about the past, present and potential customers for the product or service; research into the characteristics, spending habits, location and needs of your business's target market, the industry as a whole, and the particular competitors you face.
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70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025
We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.
