SBA Tools Helping Small Business Owners

Small business owners do not have to reinvent the wheel when starting their own business. The Small Business Administration (SBA) has a number of online tools to help jump start your entrepreneurial enterprise. The SBA website has, besides information on SBA loans,  industry and commerce reports, sample business plans for different industries, and checklists of steps for starting your new business.

Entrepreneurs often have unique products or solutions or have found unique niche markets for their specialties. However, in the running of their day-to-day businesses – from dealing with employees and regulatory bodies to planning cash flow – small business owners share many of the same challenges and can benefit from tried and true solutions.

A strong point of the SBA’s library of tools, is that the reports are based on business experience and, unlike college business courses, you can educate yourself on your own time and find the “course” that you need to pursue when you need it. The SBA website also offers advice on pursuing an SBA loan for your small business.

The SBA also has website links to Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE), a non-profit organization sponsored by the SBA of over 12,000 volunteer business counselors, many of whom are retired executives. These volunteers work with companies and provide help free of charge. The SCORE website itself contains many business tools to inform and guide business owners. Many of the SCORE tools help with working with cash flow, talking to lenders and tips on getting a loan. The national website also provides the links to the SCORE offices in your area. Local offices usually have a reference library and software tools available as well.

The SBA has also partnered with state governments, local schools and area businesses to develop Small Business Development Centers. These centers provide business counseling and training to both established businesses as well as entrepreneurs still in the business planning stages. The national site has a tremendous repository of sample business plans from many different types of small businesses.

Small business tools are available on the SBA website and both tools and one-on-one advisory counseling sessions are available at the area offices. Taking advantage of these business tools accelerates your business planning and prepares you for meeting lenders at business financing institutions.

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Filed under: Government, Money Matters - Business