U.S. Private Company Research for the Competitive Intelligence Professional
“Can I get some information on company X?”
We have all received this request, rolled our eyes, and asked where do I start? Before proceeding, elicit from the requestor the deadline, goals, and objective of the inquiry, and determine which practice area he or she is affiliated with. Understanding the specific needs will form the elements of a story as your research progresses.
Company Website
Start with the company’s website. A site containing generic information, stock photos, or a Gmail account suggests that the company is a start-up or very small business. Checking the Privacy and Terms & Conditions webpages may reveal various company names, a parent company, addresses, and legal counsel’s contact information. An email domain with a different name could indicate that the firm is a subsidiary. Job listings provide a window into the company’s strategy or expansion plans by department or geographic location. WHOis.com is a resource that helps determine ownership of the website.
Company Databases
Reports from subscription sources may provide relevant information on the company’s family tree, sales, and employee estimates, addresses, executives, and news. Databases include D&B Hoovers, Capital IQ, PitchBook, ZoomInfo, Orbis, Bloomberg Law, and LexisNexis, which includes Experian and Directory of Corporate Affiliations. I have found that secondary sources often miss important details and do not tell the complete story of private companies, especially small businesses and franchisees. Additional search strategies to fill in information gaps are explained below.
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"U.S. Private Company Research for the Competitive Intelligence Professional," by Jennifer Morley was published in the November/December 2023 edition of the AALL Spectrum (Volume 28, Number 2).