While it might seem unlikely, Business Insider puts small business payrolls at 44 percent of all U.S. payrolls. With approximately 77 million people working for small business in the United States, making new business help available could spark even more growth.
Whether you are currently running your own small business or are looking to become one of the 54 percent of small businesses operating from home, finding the best business start up help can help guarantee your success. When looking at your small business startup help options, you can do preliminary research online.
It may be closely guarded, but you can start by asking for referrals from your friends and colleagues that have seeked help with business start up costs. Sometimes knowing someone else that has gone through a similar situation can have the most objective advice when seeking new business help. Otherwise, you can find small business financial help through reviews and recommendations on various third party review sites.
Do your research to find the most credible review sites. There are both industry sponsored and consumer driven websites that can provide insights into various small business programs and opportunities. Their comments can be used to determine their requirements and methodology for awarding assistance. Whether your business plan is straight forward or particularly complex, previous client reviews can help you understand which programs you should have a preliminary discussion with.
When you have narrowed down your list of potential free business help, schedule initial consultations to understand the options you have for moving forward and what their advice might be for assistance. As with any major undertaking, you should get several opinions to fully understand the implications and timeline. If you are facing a tight timeline, those discussions can be some of the most effective ways to get the ball rolling.
Finally, as you begin to finalize your decision on the best small business assistance for your situation, make sure you provide any related documentation in a timely manner. Whether you are looking at start up assistance or financial oversight, there will undoubtedly be a significant application process. They will be able to coach you through the process, but being proactive can help your situation go as smoothly as possible.