Information and Advice on Developing a Small Business
Business Plan Resources
on the Small Business and Self-Employment Services (SBSES) Web Site of the Job
Accommodation Network and Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) of the
US Department of Labor.
http://www.jan.wvu.edu/SBSES/BUSINESSPLANRESOURCES
This site provides examples of business plans, on-line resources and templates
for prospective entrepreneurs. The SBSES web page includes many links to useful
self-employment information and resources and is a good page to start
researching tips and tools available to VR counselors, Rehabilitation Employment
Specialists and clients. The SBSES can be contacted directly at 800-526-7234 for
information and referral in these areas of interest:
Starting a
Business
Managing a
Business
Disability Issues
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Social Security
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PASS plans
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health care
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working at home
About.com's Small
Business Site http://sbinformation.about.com
This site is a reference center for news, legal information, advice, and other
articles covering a wide variety of small business-related topics. The site also
provides chat and a bulletin board.
American Express Small Business Web Site
http://home.americanexpress.com
This site provides much more than just information about the American Express
small business credit card. In addition to an extensive bulletin board featuring
expert business advice, the web site also offers a variety of online business
planning tools including a web site marketing workshop, information on writing a
business plan and tips for managing your receivables and collections.
Bplans.com http://www.toolkit.cch
Bplans.com offers thousands of pages of free sample plans, planning tools, and
expert advice to help you start and run your business. It includes start-up
business plans, marketing and web development plans and financial tools.
CCH Business Owner's Toolkit
http://www.toolkit.cch
The CCH Business Owner's Toolkit includes daily news updates and a guidebook
with detailed practical information on topics ranging from business plans,
office equipment and taxes, to developing an exit strategy for your business.
EntreWorld: Resources for Entrepreneurs
http://www.entreworld.org
EntreWorld offers articles organized by topics such as starting and running a
small business, including business plans and hiring strategies. A glossary of
over 700 business terms is also featured, along with well-organized links to
other small business resources.
Morebusiness http://www.morebusiness.com
More Business is a reference center for information and advice on launching and
running a small business, along with weekly news articles, online tools such as
a financial calculator, and templates for writing a business plan and other
business documents.
U.S. Small Business Administration
http://www.sba.gov/starting_business/planning/basic.html
The official site of the U.S. Small Business Association provides information
about starting a small enterprise or expanding an existing business. Government
aid, financing options, disaster assistance, regulations, and outside resources
are all discussed on the site.
Small Business and Self-Employment Handbook
http://www.dsb.wa.gov/resourcesForParticipants/selfEmploymentHandbook
This handbook provides consumers interested in self-employment as an employment
option a chance to explore everything from the reasons for self-employment to
tips for financing a small business.
The GettingAhead Association
http://www.gaarc.org
This Association offers many on-line financial tools to help members learn to
manage their money and develop assets, an essential requirement for any
individual intending to establish a part or full-time small business.
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Technical Assistance and Training Vendors
Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs)
http://www.sbdc.uga.edu
The Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Program and the Small Business
Development Center Network headquartered at the University of Georgia are
renewing a cooperative agreement regarding services to Georgians with
disabilities seeking services from these programs. SDBCs are available to assist
VR counselors and their clientele who are serious about developing a small
business concept into a viable, competitive enterprise and who are
self-motivated and able to conduct market research and other tasks
independently.
The agreement requires that both the counselor and the SBDC representative meet
to discuss the client’s business idea before the client is formally referred for
the initial triage meeting. Consultants can help counselor and clients:
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Develop and update
business plans
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Identify sources of
capital
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Set up record-keeping
systems and analyze financial records
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Identify foreign
markets for products or services
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Conduct specialized
research geared to specific needs of the business-owner
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Create marketing
strategies and advertising campaigns
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Explore suitable ways
to conform to government regulations
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Increase
opportunities to sell to federal, state, and local governments
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Analyze statistical
and demographic data from reports and maps developed utilizing The
Georgia 2000 geographic information system
The SBDCs also provide
classes on business development. Check the Cobb Micro Enterprise Center is a
not-for-profit organization that offers an in-depth affordable
entrepreneurial training program designed for low- to moderate-income
individuals aspiring to start or expand a business. Individuals at all income
levels are invited to apply. The program involves the following design
components:
-
Entrepreneurial
training and technical assistance
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Business Technology
Training (Computer Classes)
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Access to credit,
including providing direct loans or enabling access to capital through
relationships with banks and other community developmental financial
institutions.
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Access to new markets
beyond neighborhood borders.
Georgia Department of
Adult Technical Education (DTAE)
http://www.dtae.org/entrepreneur/menu.html
DTAE offers small business development coursework and guidance to prospective
small business owners. This web link provides additional information about
specialized services such as business incubators at some colleges.
DTAE can help individuals who need to develop basic business skills to do tasks
like market research and development of a business plan may be considered for
referral to one of the micro enterprise skills training or Georgia Adult
Technical Education schools listed with web links below.
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Small Business Skills Training Courses
There are also specialized training programs in Georgia targeted to help
individuals who are living on low incomes, disabled, or considered to be a
member of a “high risk” population. Many of these programs are affiliated with
the Georgia Micro Enterprise Network, or G-MEN, and use a core training program
– Fast Trac - developed by the Kaufman Foundation. In addition to Fast Trac
courses, these programs offer program graduates opportunities to apply for small
business grants and/or loans to launch the proposed business. Unfortunately,
these programs do not operate in all areas of Georgia.
Kaufman Foundation Fast
Trac http://www.kauffman.org
FastTrac is a comprehensive entrepreneurship-educational program that provides
entrepreneurs with business insights, leadership skills and professional
networking connections so they are prepared to create a new business or expand
an existing enterprise. The FastTrac program includes practical, hands-on
business development programs and workshops for existing entrepreneurs, aspiring
entrepreneurs, as well as entrepreneurship curriculum for college students.
The First Step FastTrac provides the class and coursework structure for
individuals who have a business concept but who do not have the knowledge and
skills to move forward in developing their idea to determine its feasibility.
Fast Trac classes are offered at these locations in Georgia:
Cobb Microenterprise Council
Kennesaw, Georgia
Contact Name: Patricia Harris
Contact Email: pharris@ksumail.kennesaw.edu
Coosa Vally Technical College
Rome, Georgia
Contact Name: Lucy Hale
Contact Email: lhale@coosavalleytech.edu
Georgia Small Business Development Center
Athens, Georgia
Contact Email: info@fasttrac.org
Satellite Site: Georgia State University
Atlanta, Georgia
Contact Name: Peter Rassel
Contact Email: sbdpjr@langate.gsu.edu
Satellite Site: Kennesaw State University Small
Business Development Center
Kennesaw, Georgia
Contact Name: Drew Tonsmeire
Contact Email: dtonsmeire@sbdc.uga.edu
TCF Business Development
Atlanta, Georgia
Contact Name: Tim Fulton
Contact Email: timfulton@hotmail.com
Satellite Site: 2 or 3 Gathered Together, Inc.
Atlanta, Georgia
Womens Employment Opportunity Project, Inc.
East Point, Georgia
Contact Name: Antoinette Ball
Contact Email: weop@bellsouth.net
Goodwill Industries of
North Georgia Economic Development Services
http://www.ging.org/employment
Goodwill of North Georgia offers the following micro enterprise development
services at four Career Center locations (East Lake, Duluth, Woodstock and
Ellijay) for minorities, TANF, and low income individuals who are interested in
developing micro enterprises but require basic business skills, technical
assistance and access to capital to develop the micro enterprise. Specific
services include:
BusinessNOW
Micro-Entrepreneur Training & Development
Employment Services
Supporting all Training Programs & Services
Career Centers
Work Connections – for the Job Seeker
Business Connections – for Owners of Micro & Small Businesses
For more information,
contact JoAnn McLean, Director
Email: jmclean@ging.org
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Loans and Grants for Small Businesses
Georgia Economic Development Resources
http://www.jan.wvu.edu//SBSES/econdevGA
This site offers all Georgia-based resources to help small business
entrepreneurs access resources they need.
Small Business Administration (SBA)
http://www.sba.gov/financing/sbaloan/snapshot
The SBA offers a range of loans for small business entrepreneurs. The SBDCs are
the best place to gather this information after developing a sound business plan
that the capitalization and cash flow requirements.
Abilities Fund, Inc.
http://www.abilitiesfund.org/entrepreneurs/current_grant_opportunities.php
In partnership with Trickle Up, Inc., Abilities can offer small start-up funds
of $200 - $500 for small business. For additional information, review program
eligibility and application requirements on the web site. The web site also
includes excellent tools that help individuals with disabilities consider major
tasks involved in launching a small business.
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Loans for Small Business Job Accommodations
Credit-Able http://www.techable.org
and http://www.gaarc.org
This loan guarantee service offers small business owners affordable loans to
purchase assistive technology, vehicle modifications and adapted vehicles,
ergonomic and other modifications to the business setting for specific employees
with disabilities, including the business owner with a disability. Credit-Able
policies require the device, vehicle modifications or adapted vehicle as well as
transportable modifications (i.e., portable ramps) be owned by the person for
whom the loan is secured, not the borrower. All loans are processed through
participating Georgia credit unions and therefore, allow borrowers the
opportunity to join the participating credit union. These credit unions do not
typically make loans for business development, although this is a need that the
GettingAhead Association is exploring as a value-added service to Credit-Able
participants and other individuals seeking to establish small businesses.
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Volunteer Business Advice
Senior Corps of Retired Executives www.score.org or
www.scoreatlanta.org
Score is a 10,500 member volunteer association sponsored by the U.S.
Small Business Administration. The association matches volunteer
business-management counselors, whose collective experience spans the full range
of American enterprise, with clients in need of expert advice. Score is
organized through local chapter offices where counselors meet with clients at
the chapter or at the client’s place of business. Score also offers free and
confidential e-mail counseling through their website
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Georgia Micro Enterprise Network (G-MEN)
http://www.georgiamicroenterprise.org
The Georgia Micro Enterprise Network (GMEN) is a private, non-profit
organization dedicated to making a difference in the economic development of
Georgia.
A "micro" enterprise
is a business that is owner-operated with less than five employees, and
start-up capital needs of less than $35,000. These businesses usually have
initial gross revenues of less than $100,000.
G-Men is a good
resource for the areas of Georgia that currently do not have micro
enterprise development technical assistance and skills training non-profits
like Goodwill Industries of North Georgia or Cobb Micro Enterprises. G-MEN
offers technical assistance to organizations wishing to establish such
resources in underserved areas of Georgia.
Getting Down to
Business: Entrepreneurial Opportunities for Individuals with Disabilities - A
Status Report from the Blue Ribbon Panel on Self-Employment, Small Business, and
Disability
http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/business/opportunities
This report provides an excellent look into the future of what self-employment
services could look like if the report recommendations are adopted.