Are you a rental center entrepreneur looking for definitive information about financing for an expansion, plain-spoken language about tax laws, or strategies to manage your employees? The U.S. Small Business Administration Web site, www.sbaonline.sba.gov, dishes out a cross-section of timely and accurate facts for the small-business owner or manager, while providing substantial online resources to explore specific issues, such as how to develop a proposal for obtaining venture capital, managing a family owned business, and pricing products and service profitably.

As part of the small-business management series, Web-users can access dozens of articles at no charge. The series is divided into three subgroups: Emerging Business, Financial Management, and Management and Planning. The first grouping looks at topics such as marketing and audit preparation, while the financial management section examines, among other topics, borrowing and lending procedures. The final grouping is especially useful for those trying to create a business plan.

The site also lists information about regional offices, many of which offer counseling and training programs. To connect to the SBA the old-fashioned way call: 800-U-ASK-SBA (800/827-5722).

To increase the availability of contractor educational material on the Web, the Associated General Contractors of America has launched an online program to allow professional contractors to earn continuing credit through its Online Institute, at www.agc.org. "The AGC Online Institute innovatively extends the delivery of our education and training programs to a very board audience," says AGC President Terry Deeny.

Rental company operators looking to get their message out directly to their core group of customers may want to consider direct-mail programs. A direct-mail workshop, at www.digitalwork.com, guides business people through the various steps, such as buying a prospect list and issuing Web site postcards. The site also includes workshops on training, travel, recruiting, credit and sales.