Former New York Mayor Ed Koch used to endear himself to (or annoy) voters by constantly asking people on the street, "How am I doing?" Silly stunt? Perhaps, but checking your numbers against your industry peers is no exercise in silliness. It can point out big gaps in efficiency and suggest changes you should make but can't see for the fog of day-to-day managing.

Likewise, starting a new business without first seeing how the sector works financially is like jumping off a cliff in the hope that a pile a mattresses awaits you below. Here are some ways to get a grip on the real numbers:

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Just getting going with your own shop? Keep costs low

Several Web sites offer instant analysis for free. Plug in some basic numbers and get a quick rip on what you should be doing in the months ahead.

I recommend: A couple of simple-to-use but useful sites with this angle including BizStats and Benchmark Report.

Call in your chips with a trade association membership

Industry associations often give members free benchmarking data for their particular industry slice.

I recommend: If not already a member, find the appropriate association at Weddles or at Wikipedia or simply enter your industry name (and perhaps city or state) and the phrase "industry association" into your favorite search engine, such as Google, like this search for construction groups in Connecticut.

Understanding what you see

Many small business owners are intimately familiar with the numbers they face in running their company, but it helps a lot to have a sense of the cycles over decades. Call in a guru to sort out the snapshot.

I recommend: Score, a small business volunteer advisory group made up of retired executives, can give you insight beyond the numbers.

Get your financial expert involved

It might not be immediately clear what your numbers tell you about your own business, much less what other companies are up against. Your accountant should walk you through your benchmarking results.

I recommend: If he or she has trouble explaining it all — and number crunchers might — consider getting it through ProfitCents, a Web-based application that breaks financial analysis down into a simple charts and straightforward action steps. It's designed for accountants to make presentations to their clients.

Step it up with professional benchmarking services

If you business is already large or part of a complex industry with lots of geographic and supplier variables, consider hiring a consultant for one-off review. What you learn could pay for the service many times over — or convince you to sell and move on.

I recommend: Plenty of sites offer detailed benchmarking as software or on a subscription basis, including BizMiner, IntegraInfo, Privateco, BizBench or MPI.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Financials are a big part of the picture, at least early on, but benchmarking extends to industrial policy, human resources, pay scales and dozens of other, industry-specific barometers.
• •  If you find that a benchmarking of your financials works well once, consider scheduling a second or third review during the year to sort out flukes and seasonal bumps.
• •  Remember, of course, that most benchmarking services rely on data from tens of thousands of public companies. Privates are generally harder to measure and the services use estimates. Depending on your business and which specific metric, this might require a seriously large grain of salt.
• •  Be ready to make change if comparisons show you a clear move forward. Sitting on results in hopes they are wrong is a bad idea and can only hurt you more over time.