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Two Free Resources for your Small Business

 

According Michael Gerber, Author of E-Myth, many small businesses are started by technicians and craftsmen that have an entrepreneurial spasm and start their own business.  Over time and with success small business owners are pulled away from their craft and into the minutia of compliance, financing, accounting, marketing, human resources and strategic planning.  Often, these areas are unfamiliar and less appealing to the owner who will default to “doing jobs” instead of handling the administrivia of business stunting their growth, creating compliance issues and in the worst cases damaging their businesses permanently.  Growing a business requires learning new skills and handling the business of doing business.  Here are three resources for entrepreneurs who want to learn the skills necessary to reach your next level of growth without breaking the bank.

  1. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) administers the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Program in a cooperative effort with the private sector, the educational community and federal state and local governments to provide management assistance to current and prospective small business owners. Their mission is to promote entrepreneurship, small business growth and the U.S. Economy by providing the critical funding, oversight and support needed by the nationwide network of Small Business Development Centers. 

What does this mean to you?  It means free services.  SBDC service include:

  • Assisting small business with financial, marketing, production, organization, engineering and technical problems and feasibility studies.
  • Special SBDC programs and economic development activities including international trade assistance, technical assistance, procurement assistance, venture capital formation and rural development.

Offices are available throughout the United States and can be easily located using a search engine.  Click here to visit Nevada SBDC or Northern CA SBDC.

  1. The services provided by the Small Business Administration go far beyond guaranteeing 7a loans.  The SBA Website is another treasure trove of information.  If you business is trying to break into federal or state contracting the information that they provide on the process can be extremely helpful in navigating the complicated process.  Check out the SBA Website.

While it is not free to be a chamber member Your local Chamber of Commerce can also be very helpful both as you are growing.  The Reno Sparks Chamber of Commerce has health insurance and a 401K plan that make these benefits accessible to small business.  They also provide the following benefits: 

  • Government Advocacy
  • Insight into the community
  • Networking opportunities
  • Service opportunities.