Starting a business is hard work so we pride ourselves on partnering with our clients to support their businesses long term success. Please find several important resources for small business owners below:
Writing a Business Plan:
- The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), a government agency that helps Americans start, build and grow small businesses, offers advice on writing business plans with templates to guide you.
- Bplans has hundreds of sample business plans, broken down by industry, along with tips on how to write your own. The site also offers a calculator to help you determine your potential business’ break-even point.
- SCORE, a non-profit association dedicated to helping small businesses, has business-plan templates of various types available for download
Finding Support and Mentors:
- The City of Houston Office of Business Opportunity is committed to creating a competitive and diverse business environment in the City of Houston by promoting the growth and success of local small businesses, with special emphasis on historically underutilized groups by ensuring their meaningful participation in the government procurement process.
- The SBA has an extensive network of field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations through which the agency provides services to entrepreneurs across the U.S. Find an office near you here.
- SCORE provides workshops and mentors through more than 320 chapters in the U.S. that together offer a network of more than 11,000 volunteers. It is supported by the SBA and has been helping entrepreneurs for nearly 50 years. Find a chapter near you here.
- My Own Business is nonprofit organization that provides business courses to help aspiring entrepreneurs start companies.
- Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program supports small business owners through educational partnerships with local colleges around the U.S. and the United Kingdom, with one-on-one advice from experienced business professionals, and by working with mission-driven small business lenders to expand access to capital.
Finding Capital
- The SBA offers a guide to help you understand the ins and outs of financing a business, including information on loans, grants and other funding, as well as SBA-backed bank loans that may be available to your business. Visit its Loan and Grants page to find government programs for which you may be eligible
- Many small business owners use business credit cards. A number of advice sites, including The Simple Dollar, NerdWallet and CardHub, offer useful guides to help business owners make educated credit decisions. Note that these sites receive compensation from credit-card companies.
- LiftFund: LiftFund is a nonprofit organization that helps small business owners with limited access to capital have a chance to live their dreams. LiftFund provides SBA 504 and small business loans for people looking to startup, stabilize or expand their company
