Resources

A comprehensive guide, including phone numbers, to resources for various articles featured in the July issue of Inc.

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Resources is the Inc. guide to more information on subjects in this issue. This information is intended to help our readers; Inc. does not profit from the sale of any of the resources listed.

Growth Strategies: Seeking Quality, Juicer Squeezes Out Franchisees

If you're thirsty, it's your own fault. There are almost 800 juice bars in the United States, with 275 in California. That's one of the facts contained in a $360, 200-page market report and business-plan template offered by the Juice Gallery (2042 Big Oak Ave., Chino Hills, CA 91709; phone or fax, 909-597-0791 or 800-710-8163; www.juicegallery.com). You also might want to take a look at The Juice Review Magazine, an on-line juice-bar-industry E-zine sponsored by the same company, which can be accessed through the same Internet address.

Similar consulting and resource packages, including smoothie recipes, can also be purchased from Total Juice + (1125 E. Glendale Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85020; 800-49-JUICE; www.juicebars.com/franchise/consulting.htm).

Inc. Query: Tell Us, Dr. Covey: Are Mergers Habit-Forming?

Embrace those destructive habits if you want, but know this: Stephen R. Covey is going to find you one way or another. Synergy--which, like Covey himself, is "everywhere in nature"--is discussed quite succinctly in part three of his best-seller The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change (Simon & Schuster, 800-223-2336, 1989, $14), where he puts the term in context (on page 263 of the paperback edition) and then explains its effect in the business world (page 267 to 269) before invoking the memory of an earlier era's guru, Timothy Leary, by promising "mind-expanding adventures." In Principle-Centered Leadership (Simon & Schuster, 800-223-2336, 1990, $14), Covey further defines the role of synergy in leadership (page 37 to 38) and in solving problems (page 242 to 243). Covey's books, as well as his organizer, his magazines, his tapes, his videos, and other products, are available from the Covey Leadership Center, which can be reached on the Internet at www.covey.com or by phone at 888-552-6839. (The number for ordering products is 888-333-3018.)

Best Hometown Businesses in America

The National Retail Hardware Association (5822 W. 74th St., Indianapolis, IN 46278; 317-290-0338; www.nrha.org) publishes useful studies about the retail hardware industry. Among them are "Benchmarks for Success" ($44.95 for nonmembers); "1995 Cost-of-Doing Business Study" ($44.95 for nonmembers); and "The 1994 Merchandising Report" ($54.95 for nonmembers). For more information, or to order a copy of a study, call 800-772-4424, or fax the NRHA at 317-328-4354.

Plug and Pay

Looking for some outside expertise to help with office automation? A worthwhile starting point is the Independent Computer Consultants Association (ICCA), a St. Louis based trade group with 1,500 geographically diverse members, most of whom have at least 10 years of experience. Most members will do an initial consultation free of charge. To identify an ICCA member in your area, or to find one with the specific skills you require, tap into the organization's Web site (www.icca.org). It contains a complete membership listing, with links to each consultant's home page or E-mail address. By and large, those home pages provide all the contact information you'll need, plus a complete rundown on the members' areas of expertise. The ICCA's phone number is 314-892-1675 or 800-774-4222.

The same group runs the Computer Consultants Forum on CompuServe. Post any computer-related question in the forum's comments section, and you'll get informed answers, usually within 24 hours. There's no charge to join the forum. When you start up CompuServe, click on the traffic light at the top, follow the directions, and enter the word consult. When the forum's Web site pops up, follow the instructions for posing questions. Not a CompuServe user? No problem. Call 800-848-8199 and request a free start-up kit. The first 10 hours are free, which will probably give you enough time to get the computer advice you need, at least initially, and there's no obligation to keep the service.

Another major trade organization, the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA), runs a lively Web site (www.itaa.org). The group's 400 direct and 11,000 affiliate members, all involved in information technology, are listed alphabetically, and most entries include home-page links. Additionally, the site features numerous articles about industry trends and issues. The ITAA's phone number is 703-522-5055.

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