Questions to ask yourself before starting company or industry research:
– Do I have the correct spelling?
– Is there more than one company with a similar name?
– What does this industry call itself (vs what consumers might call it)?
– Is it owned by another company and/or does it have subsidiaries?
– Has it ever changed names? If so, when and why?
– Is it public or private?
– When did it go public/has it always been private?
– Who are the biggest players in this industry / who are the company’s biggest competitors?
Two sources that can help answer these questions are…
Wikipedia
While this isn’t the most reputable source for company or industry research, it is a great place to start.
For a company, you can see if they are public, you can view their history and past acquisitions. For industry research, it’s often easiest to start with a major company that you know operates in that space. Take note of any industry sources referenced, major companies, or potential industry search terms.
Market Research Aggregators
Market research can be expensive, but sometimes you can learn a lot from a Table of Contents, or a report summary. Plug a company name into the search, then look for industry reports within the past year. Most TOCs and summaries will list major companies referenced within the report, and the summary will provide a high-level view of growth or issues affecting the industry.
Resourciful's research guides 
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