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Resources for Entrepreneurs

U.S. Small Business Administration: www.sba.gov

The
U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) was created in 1953 as an
independent agency of the federal government to aid, counsel, assist
and protect the interests of small business concerns, to preserve free
competitive enterprise and to maintain and strengthen the overall
economy of our nation. The SBA helps Americans start, build and grow
businesses. Through an extensive network of field offices and
partnerships with public and private organizations, SBA delivers its
services to people throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U. S.
Virgin Islands, and Guam.

Special section on home-based businesses: http://www.sba.gov/advo/research/rs235tot.pdf

Free online self-paced courses

SBDC: Small Business Development Centers located throughout the U.S. offering free counseling and seminars: http://www.sba.gov/sbdc/

Other Resources:

Count-Me-In: www.count-me-in.org

Count
Me In champions the cause for women's economic independence by
providing access to business loans, consultation and education. The
first online microlender, Count Me In uses a unique women-friendly
credit scoring system to make loans of $500 to $10,000 available to
women across the United States who have nowhere to turn for that
all-important first business loan. The organization provides access to
networks that expand contacts, markets, skills, and confidence.

Entrepreneur: www.entrepreneur.com

Entrepreneur.com
offers more than 200,000 pages of how-to content. From aspiring
business owners all the way to high-profile decision-makers,
Entrepreneur.com delves beyond the magazine with expert columnists,
listings, tools and services exclusively designed to deliver the
catalysts to start, run, or grow a business.

Inc.com: www.inc.com/resources/startup

Inc.com,
the website for Inc. magazine, delivers advice, tools, and services, to
help business owners and CEOs start, run, and grow their businesses
more successfully. You'll find information and advice covering
virtually every business and management task, including marketing,
sales, finding capital, managing people, and much, much more.

My Own Business: www.myownbusiness.com

The
My Own Business coursework was designed to help owners of small and
medium sized businesses identify, understand, and overcome the
challenges they will face on a daily basis. Individual topics cover
everything from business plans to marketing plans, licensing to
financing, e-commerce to franchise opportunities.

National Consortium of Entrepreneurs: www.nationalconsortium.org

Under
the sponsorship of the Kauffman Foundation, NASDAQ, and Beacon Venture
Capital, the National Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers has been
established for the purpose of continued collaboration among the
centers. It is the vehicle by which the top established
entrepreneurship centers, as well as the new emerging centers, can work
together to share information, develop special projects, and assist
each other in advancing and improving their centers' impact.

Small Business Television: SBTV.com

The home of small business solutions on the web, SBTV.com
is the first television network on the web devoted exclusively to
providing engaging streaming video content to the 25 million small
businesses in the US. SBTV is committed to helping small business
owners manage, grow and protect their ventures .

Startup Nation: www.startupnation.com

StartupNation
is the destination where you can learn the important nuts and bolts of
business, such as how to patent your idea, build a business plan, or
increase sales. While you're seeking that helpful information to build
your business, StartupNation is also a resource for you to learn from
peers. StartupNation includes resources such as its “10 Steps to Open
for Business” online tutorial, as well as via the weekly StartupNation
e-newsletter and online seminars.

Wall Street Journal- Start Up Journal: www.startupjournal.com

Starting
your own business or buying a franchise is tough, even in a strong
economy. You'll have to research the market, secure financing, open a
shop, hire employees, and run the enterprise. StartupJournal can help.
Content comes from The Wall Street Journal, as well as WSJ.com,
industry experts and StartupJournal's editorial team.