The Princeton Chamber of Commerce is setting up a directory of all businesses in Princeton and the surrounding area to help entrepreneurs better understand the market.
Business owners can go to www.nethop.net/~b2b to register.
"A lot of businesses don't advertise, so they're only known through word of mouth. New people in town don't know about them," said Ed Muckle, Princeton Chamber of Commerce director of economic development.
Many businesses aren't even listed in the phonebook, he said.
The list will be created into a directory that will make businesses more visible and encourage shopping locally.
It will start out as a business-to-business directory, and will later be made available to the public. Businesses of every size, groups and associations can register.
Muckle said Princeton business owners should take advantage of a new government program that gives $1,500 for training.
The program targets micro-business owners who do not have any formal training beyond high school and could benefit from training to boost their business productivity. Eligible businesses must have less than five employees.
The program runs from July until the end of 2013, and training could be online or in-class.
Contact the Princeton Chamber of Commerce at 250-295-3103 for more information.