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Best Databases for Finance Research
- BizMiner This link opens in a new windowContent type(s): Industry financial benchmarks on16,000+ lines of business in national and local markets.
Dates covered: Most recent 5 years - IBISWorld This link opens in a new windowContent type(s): Analyst reports with forecasts and key statistics on 700+ U.S. industries.
Dates covered: Current - PrivCo This link opens in a new windowContent type(s): Business and financial research on non-publicly traded companies, including family-owned, private equity-owned, venture-backed, and international unlisted companies.
Note: Users will need to register for an academic account using their JMU email address - Data Axle Reference Solutions This link opens in a new windowContent types: Directory of U.S. businesses searchable by NAICS code and/or geography (City, State, Zip code).
Dates covered: Current
What Are Industry Financial Benchmarks and How Can We Use Them?
Struck out finding financial information about a competitor using Data Axle or PrivCo? Try using industry financial benchmarks, which provide a sense of the cost structure of similar businesses operating in your industry that anticipate a similar revenue level.
Librarians' note: Most COB 300 teams ultimately use this option to estimate their own statements.
Image source: Storyblocks
Recommended resources from the Libraries for Industry Financial Benchmarks and Ratios.
- BizMiner This link opens in a new windowContent type(s): Industry financial benchmarks on 16,000+ lines of business in national and local markets.
Dates covered: Most recent 5 years - IBISWorld This link opens in a new windowContent type(s): Analyst reports with forecasts and key statistics on 700+ U.S. industries.
Dates covered: Current
What Are the Types of Financing for Startups?
In the Small Business Start-Up Kit, Pakroo explains the core difference between debt financing and equity financing (2020, p. 128)
With debt financing, you borrow money that needs to be repaid; equity financing involves receiving money in exchange for an ownership share (a.k.a. equity) in your business.
Learn more about both types of financing and how each might factor into a business plan.
Image source: Austin Distel on Unsplash
Debt financing is "cash borrowed from a lender at a fixed rate of interest and with a predetermined maturity date," according to the Encyclopedia of Small Business (2017, p. 320). The entry explains "The principal must be paid back in full by the maturity date, but periodic repayments of principal may be part of the loan arrangement. Debt may take the form of a loan or the sale of bonds."
Debt Financing. (2017). In V. L. Burton, III (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Small Business (5th ed., Vol. 1, pp. 320-322). Gale.
"Equity is cash paid into the business—either the owner's own cash or cash contributed by one or more investors," according to the Encyclopedia of Small Business (2017, p. 454). "Equity investments are certified by issuing shares in the company. Shares are issued in direct proportion to the amount of the investment, so the person or entity who has invested the majority of the money has the majority of the shares and in effect controls the company."
The entry notes that a "company can finance its operation by using equity, debt, or both."
Equity Financing. (2017). In V. L. Burton, III (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Small Business (5th ed., Vol. 1, pp. 454-457). Gale.
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Where Can We Find Financial Data for a Private Company?
The amount of financial information available will depend on whether a company is publicly traded or privately held. Most COB 300 business plans are competing with privately-held companies and that means that researchers will encounter a lot of dead ends when searching.
This video summarizes the difference between these two ownership types. Use these tabs for resources and strategies you can use to try to find information about privately-held firms.
A private company is a company that is not traded on any stock exchange. Private companies as a general rule do not have to file any documents about their financial situation with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Consequently, finding information on private companies can be very challenging. JMU Libraries has a couple of resources that focus on private companies, but the completeness of the data will vary wildly for each company and those inconsistencies can be frustrating for researchers.
- Data Axle Reference Solutions This link opens in a new windowContent types: Directory of U.S. businesses searchable by NAICS code and/or geography (U.S. City, State, Zip code) .
Dates covered: Current - PrivCo This link opens in a new windowContent type(s): Business and financial research on non-publicly traded companies, including family-owned, private equity-owned, venture-backed, and international unlisted companies.
Note: Users will need to register for an academic account using their JMU email address
There isn't one foolproof method for researching a private company. You often will need to make a decision with only a limited amount of data about a company you're investigating.
This video explains how a business librarian approaches private company research.
Tips for Getting the Best Info from Finance Databases
JMU Libraries has created several tutorials in Google Slides to help students use our specialized business resources.
Click on the name of the database to open the tutorial that shows how to search for data and cite the information you find in APA style.
