Got a Great Business Idea? You May Have More Resources than You Think


By Aldene Fredenburg

Do you have a great idea for a business but don't know where to start? You may be surrounded by help and not know it!

Starting your own business has suddenly become the hot thing; perhaps it's the relative insecurity of jobs now as opposed to a decade or two ago, or perhaps it comes from the need to supplement your regular income, or a desire to be your own boss. Maybe it's that the government has finally figured out that 85 percent of newly created jobs come from small businesses, and not giant corporations. For whatever reason, suddenly encouragement to start a business of your own is everywhere.

One type of organization that has sprung up in every state in the US in the past ten years is the micro credit lending system. Backed by a combination of government and business funding, the organization, which is patterned after a model originating in Bangladesh, gives micro loans ranging from $500 to $5000 to start-up businesses. Small clusters of five to seven people form their own lending groups, study a manual which teaches them the basics of business finances, and then submit loan applications to the group for approval. Each group approves the loans for the individual members of the group, and monitors the progress in payments made on the loan. This is a great opportunity for someone who needs a very small amount of start-up cash, some business knowledge, and a lot of moral support.

Another type of support that has been around for years is the mentoring program run by the Small Business Administration. Retired businessmen and -women from various business backgrounds volunteer to advise new business owners as they set up and promote their businesses. The SBA also periodically offers classes in starting your own business; if there is an SBA office in your area, there is probably a class offered from time to time.

Don't forget to check your local college for course offerings. Classes can range from standard fare like bookkeeping and accounting (including using computerized accounting programs like QuickBooks) to personnel management, business computer classes, and more. Some colleges even offer entrepreneurial resource programs with a wealth of classes covering every aspect of business development.

There's lots of advice out there for the budding entrepreneur if you go look for it. Take your business idea and hunt down the resources you need; and good luck!

Aldene Fredenburg is a freelance writer living in southwestern New Hampshire. She has written numerous articles for local and regional newspapers and for a number of Internet websites, including Tips and Topics. She expresses her opinions periodically on her blog, http://beyondagendas.blogspot.com.


More Resources

Solo Mojo for Solo Entrepreneurs --- Where's Your Juice?
I recently read a magazine article about Andrew, a 42-year old businessman. He gave up a demanding law practice in the Northeast, moved South to launch a new furniture and interior-design store, and wrote his first fiction novel in the midst of that transition.
Interview with Best-selling Entrepreneurial Authors Barbara Winters and Nick Williams
Ray Bradbury's quote, "You've got to jump off cliffs all the time and build your wings on the way down" may sound extreme but, as anyone building a business knows, it has a lot of truth in it.As a newly self-employed journalist / writer and life coach, I found Barbara Winter's book, "Making a Living Without a Job" invaluable so when I got a chance to interview her and Nick Williams in London, I was delighted.
Dream It, Create It, Become It! Design a Dream Board
Have you ever heard of "Dream Boards" or "Treasure Maps"? A Dream Board is a visual picture of the dreams you have for your life. Some of my clients also use this concept to visualize their businesses! It's their first business plan.
What Makes An Entrepreneur Tick?
It is only natural that when you start a business, you are doing something different than most people. They not only will look at you because you stick out like a sore thumb _ but human nature will cause people to naturally ridicule what you are doing.
Documenting Partnerships in Your Business Plan
Forging partnerships to improve market penetration has become commonplace, particularly for "new economy" businesses. And, most companies proudly mention their many partnerships in their business plans.
Hurricane Katrina, Death, and a Different Type of Entrepreneurship
I've seen terrible images today on the television and internet-bodies of the elderly and infants floating in attics, buildings collapsing, seals washing up in the middle of highways. All I can say is that our thoughts go out to those in New Orleans, Gulfport and surrounding areas in this sad time.
Self-Esteem and the Entrepreneur
Isn't it funny how people think that being self-employed is so cool? They think that you get to take lots of vacation time and spend all of the profits. What they don't realize is that you put in outrageous amounts of blood, sweat, and tears to get there.
10 Secrets of Successful Entrepreneurs
Running a one-person business is a creative, flexible and challenging way to become your own boss and chart your own future. It is about creating a life, as it is about making a living.
Questions For The Entrepreneur To Be
Entrepreneurial e-gnorancePart 1: Questions for the entrepreneur to beIf you are an entrepreneur starting out, or have been around the block for some time but are yet to hit on the jackpot, you might be missing out some of the cornerstones of doing busingg through the new age media, the internet. Ask yourself the following questions and in seeking out answers to the, you may find the magic touch that could propel you to the success that drives you everyday.
Ten Traits of Successful Entrepreneurs
Successful entrepreneurs have many traits in common. Here are ten of those traits that I consider to be very important.
The Danger Of Hate
As you have shown an interest in starting a business of your own it would be safe to assume that you want to changeyour life. You want more money - more control over yourlife - more respect.
Are You Sure You Want To Start Your Own Business? Part Two of a Series
Why, exactly, do you want to go into business for yourself? Is it because you cannot stand the thought of working for an uptight, demanding, and perfectly dreadful boss?Is it because you cannot bear the thought of going through another downsizing or restructuring, knowing that your job could be on the line?Is it because you want to be your own boss, call your own shots, or see more up side in your earning potential, with the possibility of financial self-sufficiency? These are all good reasons for wanting to go into business. In fact, studies have shown that many entrepreneurs get their start due to some life-altering experience such as losing a job or finally walking away from a dead-end job or a demoralizing work environment.
Starting Your Business: It All Boils Down To Making Money and Saving Money
Bootstrapping in the context of business start-ups refers to the use of creative financing approaches such as leveraging personal savings, credit-card debt, loans from friends and family, bartering, and other means to launch a business. Some business founders use bootstrapping because they have no other choice.
My Nemisis
Living in the twilight zone has its advantages. In the early days of starting my business, I found the limitations of living in a rural area to be restrictive.
How to Be an Entrepreneur and Keep Your Sanity
Define for yourself what an Entrepreneur is:What makes you think you can start and grow a business?Do you make something that people just have to have?Are you talented in a way that make you stand out from the crowd?What makes you different from Joe Schmoe?Conduct a quick skills assessment and ask yourself what makes you stand out from the rest?What are your ultimate goals? Why are you striking out on your own?
Independent Auto Detail Shop VS Biz Op or Franchise
Owning a detail shop can be an exciting and rewarding business indeed. Many times an owner of an independent Detailing Shop will wish to add those items he/she believes their customers want.
Secrets of My Favorite Government Auction
I love bargains. And there's no better place to find bargains than an auction.
Innovation incubator: Build it and keep it running
If your company is like the one I work for, your people are talking about the need for innovation. Mine has just announced a new program "that will bring a standardized approach to gathering and evaluating your ideas for generating new revenue and improving our business.
Why Every Student Should Start a Business
With the economic downturn, students in all the major business schools have been dropping out of their entrepreneurship classes and transferring back to classes where they think they have a secure future. Students and professionals who were once planning to start businesses now have decided to go back to their cushy jobs.
Should You Write Your Own Business Plan?
If you are just starting a company and looking for funding, or looking for additional funding for growth, you will need to develop a traditional business plan. Creating a business plan is a business hurdle that entrepreneurs seem to dread.

More Entrepreneurialism Information:

Related Articles

Does It Really Take Money To Make Money (Online or Offline)? A Reality-Check of 2 Case Studies
The short and simple answer to this question is NO!Now, before you start screaming that I am crazy, out of my mind, have lost my marbles and all the other things that generally get tossed around when someone has the nerve to state something like that, let me clear a few things up.It does not take a monetary investment to get your business off the ground (aside from the everyday items you already have around your house).
Be an Entrepreneur
The Department of Labor predicts that the #1 employer in 2010 will be "self." A recent Internet poll of 25-44 year olds revealed that 90% of them hoped to own their own business.
Solo Mojo for Solo Entrepreneurs --- Where's Your Juice?
I recently read a magazine article about Andrew, a 42-year old businessman. He gave up a demanding law practice in the Northeast, moved South to launch a new furniture and interior-design store, and wrote his first fiction novel in the midst of that transition.
A Dorm Room With A View
As a senior in high school, he paid cash for a BMW with money made by selling newspapers. In 1983, as a college freshman, he sold custom-made PCs and parts out of his dorm room?hiding them behind his roommate's shower curtain whenever Mom and Dad visited.
The History of the Franchise Business - Learning about Business Opportunities by Looking at the Past
Hair care has been around as long as humans have been on the planet. The earliest record of personal hair care dates back 2.
Motivation and Commitment
Why do people start small businesses? The most frequently cited motivation for business start-ups is to allow the entrepreneur to achieve independence; money is secondary. Is this surprising? The other reasons named most often are that an opportunity presented itself, a person took over the family business, or the person simply wanted to be an entrepreneur.
Find Out If You WILL Be Successful As a Franchisee?
Will I be successful as a franchisee?One of the soundest pieces of advice to take when considering becoming a franchisee is to 'Assess Yourself'. Assess whether you can accept direction.
Outcomes - Thats What You Need to Focus On
Successful business owners and managers need to be veryclear about what outcomes they want. Whether you call them goals, objectives or targets, theseare the factors that you're ultimately judged on.
Corporate Espionage in Franchising
Franchising Trade Journals do not do well, because today with all the industry regulations only about 1800 active franchise actually exist in the US. Down sharply over the past five years.
The 5 Senses of an Entrepreneur
If you have seen me speak you will know that I believe the word 'entrepreneur' is used way too much these days. People seem to wear it as a badge instead of just getting out there and doing entrepreneurial things.
Work vs Play: Which is the Better Way to Make Big Money?
If you want to make big money, you have to play not to work."What do you mean by that?" You ask.
Entrepreneurial Traits that Drive Sales
Frequently overlooked and hidden deep within our marketing tool box is the ultimate marketing vehicle for your business - you! Many small business owners are so busy figuring out how to increase sales and revenue they forget to grow themselves as business owners. If you aren't evolving yourself, aren't you being counterproductive to your business development? Marketing our businesses isn't just about what ads to buy or what networking event to go to next; it's about us as people, as entrepreneurs.
Six Steps to Guarantee Your Business Success
Many of us slave away for years for one uninspiring company after another and dream of the day when we can sack the boss and go it alone.If you're contemplating starting your own business then I'm here cheering you on from the sidelines because the best decision I ever made was to walk away from my well paid but oh so frustratingly boring job and start my own business from scratch.
Entrepreneurship as Your Passion
Entrepreneurship has been my passion for as long as I can commit to memory to learning how to type, and that started in 5th grade! Strangely enough, I wasn't raised around lots of business owners growing up in New Jersey nor surrounded by many business-minded individuals.Initially, my passion was expressed through the notion that extra money can be made while working a corporate job.
Oil Change Guys History; Part I
How do franchise companies come to be? How do they start. What type of a person or entrepreneur becomes a franchisor? Below is the story of how one small company became a franchisor in the mobile oil change business.
Learn how to Compress Time
In the popular 1980's movie "Dune," man learned that by "folding space" the distance between two points shortened and he could cover those distances faster. Around 1995, we found a substance that could bend time in the business community -- it was called Venture Capital.
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Isn't enthusiasm a good thing? Aren't we urged to be enthusiasticabout what we do? To be committed?We are..
Business Start Up Tips From Some Hearty Entrepreneurs
When's the last time someone asked you: "What's new?"If you're starting or growing a business, an e-business, or a web site, the answer is: "Everything!" - especially on the inside.Face it, launching a new enterprise - or taking it to the next level - can sometimes feel scary and overwhelming.
Selecting a Venture
The basic rule is simple: "Find a market need and fill it!" The process of finding the need, and the method chosen to fill it are where the difficulties arise.Based on our opportunity scan, does the market need a product or service that is not currently being provided? Is there a needed product or service currently being provided in a less than satisfactory way? Is some particular market being underserved due to capacity shortages or location gaps? Can we serve any of these needs with some competitive advantage?Remember that a business idea is not a business opportunity until it is evaluated objectively and judged to be feasible.
Vendor Relations
Communication is the key to vendor relations. In your small business, you will be in need of many products and services.