According to the Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurs, each month in 2009, 558,000 new businesses were started. Each of these new businesses provides new opportunities for other small business owners. Fortunately, there are several ways to find new businesses in your area.

Things You Will Need

  • Computer

  • Internet access

Check new state license and registration filings. New businesses are often required to register with the county or state. Some state websites allow you to search new business applications online. Otherwise, contact your county public records office to inquire about new business applications filed. The Public Record Finder website (publicrecordfinder.com) provides listings and links for searching online business records by state and city.

Look in the business section of your local newspaper. The business section of the newspaper often lists new business registrations on a weekly basis.

Read press releases posted online. Many new businesses will issue a press release to announce their new services or that a location has opened in your area. Websites like PR Web (prweb.com) or PR Newswire (prnewswire.com) allow you to search press releases submitted through their website. Another option is to enter your city and state in a search engine and use the news option to find current news stories for your area. You will have to filter through to find the stories that relate to a news business opening.

Review the classified ads posted in your local newspaper. New businesses coming to the area often advertise for new employees prior to opening their doors.

Use the advanced search option on Twitter Search (search.twitter.com) to search tweets posted by location. Twitter has become a resource that many businesses use to get information out quickly to potential customers.