June 27, 2023/in Funding, Business
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has been helping small business owners and entrepreneurs pursue their dreams since 1953. The SBA is the only cabinet-level federal agency fully dedicated to small businesses. It provides counseling, capital, and contracting expertise. The SBA is not only a resource, but it is also a voice for small businesses. If you don’t already know, the SBA website is a one-stop shop, offering informational resources, organizational tools, connections, and more. Just like Aviatra Accelerators, the SBA is in the business of empowering small businesses.
Information
If you have a business idea, the SBA has resources to help you plan, launch, manage, & grow your business. Their website explains unfamiliar terms, provides education relevant to starting a business, and offers free downloads to get you started such as business plan examples and cost calculators.
The SBA also has a variety of educational offerings for you. You can learn about funding options, including loans, investment capital, disaster assistance, surely bonds, and grants. Their online learning programs are designed to empower and educate small business owners every step of the way. You can even learn to become an SBA Mentor.
Loans
The SBA does not directly provide loans. Instead, they provide a guarantee for the lenders so they can take more of a risk with the loans they offer to business owners. There are many types of available loans, including ones that do not require collateral.
Organization
The SBA can help you stay organized. You’ll find SBA forms, performance reports, and leadership and initiative information all on the SBA.gov website. Take it from us: you should definitely check it out.
Connections
The SBA website is a valuable resource no matter where you are located or the time of the day. However, if you’d like to sit with someone in person to talk about your idea, make plans, or get answers to the questions you have, just type your zip code into the SBA website, and you’ll be provided with a list of local resources and their contact information. It probably comes as no surprise that one of those resources, the Covington SBDC, has its office within Aviatra’s office located at 114 W Pike Street. So, pursue your dreams, ladies!
We recently hosted a webinar with Jerome Jones, Lender Relations Specialist at the Columbus office of the SBA. He shared a lot of great information about the types of loans available, how to qualify and how to decide which are best for your business. Please watch the reply below, sponsored by Heritage Bank.
Link https://www.sba.gov/
Written by Jasmine Hughes, Marketing Strategist & Cincy Program Manager at Aviatra Acclerators