Congratulations on Your Exciting Journey on Owning Your Own Business

Carol;

Congratulations on your exciting journey on owning your own business.

Some things that may be helpful in the general approach toward entrepreneurship are below. Not all will apply to you, but some things to consider.

Things to consider:

1.Develop your Vision/Mission/Values/ statement(s) (attachmentshould help you).

2.Develop your 30 second commercial to share with people when they ask about you/your business. You need to be able to clearly articulate what it is that you do (and what your business does).

3.If you have a family, Complete a family support document to help assess your family's support in this important decision. Is your family on board? Do they share the passion you do for this new venture?

4.Make an appointment with one person you can sit with to discuss your entrepreneurial venture. It can be someone from SCORE, a friend, a business associate, etc.

One of the thingswe discussed briefly wasgrant money or low interest loan money. The following attachments might help you (and the first link is a great example from Pennsylvania - look at your own states website for information pertaining to minority/women owned businesses).Be sure to check out local resources for grants. There are many localorganizations that administer grant monies thatonly you might be able to track down, but money IS out there!!

Pennsylvania Small Business Start Up Guide

Business.gov

Government Business Resource Sites

Federal Grants

State Websites for Grants

SBA Financial Assistance

Entrepreneur & Business Start-Up Tools and Resources

As we discussed in this week's session, putting together a solid business plan is critical, not only for possible funding, but to help keep your business idea on track. Check out the great business plan information on the SBA website Small Business Administration. Also look at the attachment "How to write a business plan."

A really cool link (through the SBA site no less) isTrump University Business Plan Writer.This is a FREE course from Trump University (yes, THAT Trump) on writing a business plan. Doug Trentwas kind enough tocreate a cleaner version of theTrump Business Plan for your use, and that document is attached.Other great FREE online courses can be found atSBA Online Training Classes.

The following link provides over 50 sample business plans that might help you as you prepare your own.

Entrepreneur Magazine - Sample Business Plans

A key element of the business plan is how you will be marketing your business.

I have attached a copy of the 5 P's we discussed in our session.

Mike Bleavins sent me a link to the National Association of Personal Financial AdvisorsNational Association of Professional Financial Planners. Check out their website. It looks to be a pretty good site! Also, you might want to check out the Bureau of Labor and Statistics to help you with demographic informationto help you with your market research. Their website isBureau of Labor and Statistics.

There is also the value of a personal mission statement in addition to our business mission statement. "The Path" by Laurie Beth Jones as great reading material on this topic. You may also want to check out the free personal mission statement builder on the Franklin Covey website Franklin Covey Personal Mission Statement Builder and Other Tools.

There is another interesting website My Own Business, a free online course on how to start your own business.

A Microsoft websitefor "free" domain name, email, and website development isMicrosoft OfficeLive Small Business Edition. There are free links through Microsoft to help with your small business too. Those links areMicrosoft Office TemplatesandMicrosoft Office Business Plan Templates.

There is also something called theUltimate Business Plan Starter.

Here are also some of the websites for printed materials and website design. I have not used all of these myself, but they have been compiled from alumni to this webinar.

Homestead.com

Jumpup.com

Vistaprint.com --- great for business cards. I use them.

Postcardmania.com

Logoworks.com

Overnightprints.com

Sircooper.com

Jakprints.com

Also, a few great research sites include:

US Chamber of Commerce

City Data - Profile of All American Cities

American Fact Finder

Buzz Gate - Small Business Resources

Bartering can be a beautiful thing.The following linksmay help you find a barter partner:

National Association of Trade Exchanges

International Reciprocal Trade Association

Remember one thing.People genuinely want to help you-if you will simply ask themfor help! Don't be afraid to talk to people, those who have succeeded in business AND those who have failed. Don't be afraid to ask for advice. Find yourself a successful mentor, and go for it!!!

Thanks to Almut Wolf(a ZIP Team graduate) for the attached SCORE Startup Business Checklist () . It is a wonderful checklist of all the things you need to do in your business.

If you are interested in a really cool networking site, check outLinkedIn.

There is greatvalue in having a website in this day and age. A few links that may help youregarding domain registration.

Go Daddy.com

Network Solutions.com

Check out the links below for health insurance purposes:

Blue Cross Blue Shield
Work.com
EHealth Insurance.com
Free Lancers Union
United Healthcare
USAA (Only a select group will qualify through this site)

Another site that provides a wealth of info, not just aboutinsurance, but that is certainly covered, is Small Business Service Bureau.

Some additional resources that you might find useful:

Entrepreneur Start-Up Tools

Consultant Journal

Wall Street Journal Entrepreneur

Getting and Working With Consultants

National Association For The Self-Employed