Rhonda Abrams The Passionate Entrepreneur

Yesterday, I listed some useful -- and free -- websites for small businesses that were doing market research. Today, I'm sharing some of my other favorite websites of use to entrepreneurs.

Here they are:

• State and local laws

  Need to know what state laws apply to your business? It can be hard to track down the website for the appropriate state or local offices. But there are two websites that link to state and local governments.
  

  State and Local Government on the Net is operated by a private group -- it's not a government site. But the links are particularly useful.
  

  The Library of Congress also maintains links to government offices.
  

• Free credit reports

  A new federal law entitles you to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting agencies. It's a good idea to check your credit reports at least once a year to see if any inaccurate information is affecting your credit rating.
  

  There are a lot of scam websites out there purporting to be the authorized website for getting your free report. AnnualCreditReport.com is the only authorized, legitimate one.
  

• Angel Capital Association

  Looking for an investor? Angel investors provide funding to entrepreneurs. Over $23 billion was invested in new businesses by angel investors in 2005. Check this website for a directory of angel capital groups -- perhaps you'll find one in your area.
  

• Internal Revenue Service

  You may not like hearing from the IRS, but their website has a wealth of tax-related information and downloadable forms.
  

• Industry associations

  I think trade associations are an amazing source of information, data, and advice for entrepreneurs; since I couldn't find an easy-to-use list of associations on the web, I compiled one myself and put it on my website.
  

• SeatGuru

  Check the advantages and disadvantages of individual seats on most airlines at this indispensable site for frequent flyers.
  

• Shipping

  I prepare all my shipping (and I do a lot) online. It's much faster and makes tracking packages easier. You can calculate cost, look up ZIP codes, find state abbreviations, and arrange for pickups at any of the online sites of the three major American shippers:
  

  United States Postal Service
  FedEx
  UPS

• Dictionary.com

  Need the perfect word for your marketing brochure or another term for "profit"? Turn to Dictionary.com to check for proper spelling, usage, and synonyms.
  

• All the Lyrics

  If you're distracted from your work because you can't remember the lyrics to "Let It Be," or any other song, this is the place to find relief.