Starting up a business is not as easy as flipping over an "open" sign hanging in the center of a newly shined glass door. From drafting a business plan and managing finances to branding and logo creation, budding entrepreneurs have a lot on their plates. Once established in business, owners then need to build and maintain clientele, which is not always a simple task.

However, business professionals can find support through Naperville Public Library. Since the beginning of the year, the library began getting the word out about its new business-focused initiative coined NaperLaunch - a business start-up center that provides resources, workshops and services for entrepreneurs and start-up companies. In the upcoming weeks, the library will officially open a dedicated space at its Nichols Library location, 200 W. Jefferson Ave., Naperville, for the NaperLaunch Business Start-up Center.

"This space will become a central meeting place for entrepreneurs," Kent Palmer, business librarian, said. "Weekly meet-ups, monthly workshops and other special events will provide a space for private meetings, networking sessions and eventually something akin to co-working spaces."

From receiving a business license to creating a website, the workshops and events will feature many different topics for new to established business owners. Weekly events will include same-day, same-time meetings and roundtable discussions. Monthly events will showcase inspirational entrepreneurial talks as well as four small business workshops featuring qualified experts. Semi-annual events will consist of programs scheduled throughout the week related to Small Business Week in May and Entrepreneurs Week in October. During those week-long initiatives, three to five workshops will cover subjects like market research and patent registration.

"As the start-up community becomes informed and actively participates in NaperLaunch, there will be new opportunities for entrepreneurs to become acquainted with one another, and hopefully, that will lead to new business development and partnership opportunities," Palmer said. "Naperville is a large enough community that such an innovation space should be located here supporting local innovators and keeping them in DuPage County instead of forcing them to seek these services elsewhere."

As part of NaperLaunch, Palmer and other library staff members have offered and will continue to offer one-to-one appointments for patrons who seek expertise and help to gain access to business-related resources.

"In one-to-one sessions, library customers are given customized assistance and guidance on how to use the library to achieve whatever information goal they might have," he said. "It might include identifying what database to access and how to use that database to develop industry or market information about products, competitors, customers and other service providers."

Palmer said the library also provides cardholders with access to about a dozen business-related online databases.

"Some of the online resources provide directory-type information about companies and residents," he said. "These can be used to create contact or mailing lists of potential customers, partners or competitors."

NaperLaunch was started as a library initiative in conjunction with Naperville Development Partnership and the City of Naperville. Other partners, like the Fox Valley SCORE Chapter and the Small Business Development Center at College of DuPage, have joined in the effort in recent months. 

"We think entrepreneurs and business owners will benefit from having a central location for business start-up activity and events in Naperville," Palmer said. "But, more importantly, the ultimate vision is for NaperLaunch to help create a space for innovators to come to work, network and develop business opportunities together that might not have come about without NaperLaunch."

For more information about NaperLaunch, go to www.naperville-lib.org.