So you lost your job recently and you always wanted to start your dream business but you wonder if you can build a solid business with the limited resources you have. It is possible to become an entrepreneur if you are committed to doing the hard work and if you have help from others. One of the best things about entrepreneurship is that you can create new jobs in the community and if you decide to franchise your business to others, you help people become entrepreneurs. Here are five online resources for opening your dream business.
1. Small Business Administration
The Small Business Administration’s website www.sba.gov, is a governmental website that has
everything you need to assist in starting your dream business. The SBA offers business loans to
first-time business owners and you will get information on how to apply on the website. You
can learn how to get a business license and taxpayer ID number, and it also offers training
through videos and PDF downloads.
2. Black Enterprise
Black Enterprise has been around in print for over 40 years but it also has a really good website
for minorities and women who want to prepare themselves for entrepreneurship. You will find
articles on various aspects of entrepreneurship such as tax credits for minority-owned
businesses, obtaining business grants from nonprofit organizations, budgeting your expenses,
and hiring the most qualified employees. You can also read stories and watch videos of
successful minority business owners and get advice from them.
3. Entrepreneur.com
Entrepreneur.com is one of the best online resources for aspiring business owners and the topics
that are covered include the guidelines for getting a business loan, alternatives to business loans
such as grants and crowdfunding, how to find and get funds from venture capitalists,
researching your target customer base through surveys and market research, and how to stay in
business once you open it. You will also read about the latest government legislation that affects
your ability to get funds for a business.
4. SCORE
SCORE is a website where you sign up to work with a mentor who has experience in
entrepreneurship and who can give you guidance on how to start and maintain your dream
business. This organization has 13,000 volunteers and the advice is free so this is good news for
aspiring business owners who need sound wisdom from others. SCORE is available for
mentoring 24 hours a day and there are local chapters that hold meetings for those who want to
learn about entrepreneurship.
5. Bplans
If you are going to open your dream business you will need an organized business plan and
Bplans is an excellent website for this because it contains over 500 sample business plans that
are divided into sections. The good thing about this website is that you can modify a sample
business plan to make it fit your specific business goals, and there are videos that you can watch
that show you the process of preparing a business plan.
Conclusion
In the advanced technological age we live in, you no longer have to purchase expensive books to learn how to succeed at entrepreneurship. The Internet has millions of useful resources to assist you with this goal, but you want to only use accurate and trusted online resources because not all advice about starting businesses from the Internet is legitimate.
