“Small business owners need to do their due dili gence,” says Lauren R. Beard, president of Valens Marketing & Consulting Group L.L.C., a Silver Spring, Maryland-based consulting and marketing firm with services that include helping small businesses secure financing. Beard adds that resources abound to help small businesses grow, if business owners take the time to look for them. Here are some government-sponsored entities that can help you take your firm to the next level.
Small Business Administration
One of the first stops business owners should make is the SBA. The Website is full of information and online courses on topics ranging from financing to business plan writing. Entrepreneurs can also receive counseling and training at any of the SBA district offices, which are in every state and Puerto Rico. Although the SBA does not offer small business grants, its various loan programs such as the 7(a), 504, and Microloan make low-cost loans of all sizes.
Another source of aid for African American-owned businesses is the SBA’s certification programs, which helps companies win contracts from the federal government. The 8(a) Small Disadvantaged Business program, for example, helps minority- and women-owned businesses secure procurement opportunities. While the 8(a) program does not guarantee federal contracts, it does provide counseling, management, and technical assistance as it helps entrepreneurs identify business opportunities. For more information on SBA programs, visit SBA.gov.
Small Business Development Centers
The Office of Small Business Development Centers and Entrepreneurial Development is a collaboration between
Office of Women’s Business Ownership Entrepreneurial Development
Under the auspices of the SBA, the OWBO provides educational resources to women by funding Women’s Business Centers across the country. Women entrepreneurs often face challenges such as childcare issues and establishing credit in their own name, says Hedy M. Ratner, co-president of the Women’s Business Development Center in Chicago. “Traditional assistance organizations didn’t understand their unique needs,” she adds. Local centers
Minority Business Development Agency
Part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, the MBDA was specifically created to help minority businesses grow. Through the MBDA, a network of Minority Business Development Centers receive funding to help entrepreneurs with writing business plans, marketing, financial planning, and technical assistance. The centers and resources are available to businesses with a 51% minority (by ethnicity or gender) ownership. While some services are free, centers charge for others on a sliding scale based on the size of the business. To find a center near you here.
Procurement Technical Assistance Centers
Business owners wanting to sell products or services to the federal government
Business.gov
Keeping track of all of the resources the government has for small businesses can be a challenge. With information ranging from business financing to small business taxes, Business.gov acts as a one-stop Web portal to help you get started. Bookmark this site to make sure you take advantage of all that the federal government has to offer.
This story originally appeared in the June 2008 issue of Black Enterprise magazine.