Doing Business as a Designer:Get Help Now

(Slide-u-mentary Version - made in google docs)

By Jae Xavier of KnowledgeCity.com 

Blog: jaexavier.wordpress.comTwitter: twitter.com/jaexavier

Introduction

Another popular misconception about business owners/entrepreneurs is that “they did it all by themselves” or “she’s a self made millionaire.” Very rarely this is the case and more likely far from the truth. Just look at Google: Sergey and Larry needed investor backing and strong leadership advice to bring their ideas into materialization. They did not have “all” the business knowledge that has made what Google is today without help.

So where can you find help?

In the United States, there are two organizations that help small business owners and startups. Those organizations are the SBA (small business administration) and SCORE. Both of these organizations help small businesses grow by assigning you a counselor or by attending their classes.

SBA Loans

From the SBA Wikipedia: “The SBA has directly or indirectly helped nearly 20 million businesses and in 2008 had a loan portfolio of roughly 219,000 loans worth more than $84 billion making it the largest single financial backer of businesses in the United States.” Also, if your going to apply for bank loans, both of these organizations will help you get ready for applying to banks. Banks have strict criteria and will want to see the business plan. There are also SBA Loans available to qualified businesses.

Help in Other Countries

And of course, there maybe help in your county also. Without people like you, a country cannot thrive. Therefore, some governments are very proactive in helping entrepreneurs get started fast. In Europe, there is the European Council for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ECSB) In the U.K., there is the Business Link government organization In Japan, there is National Federation of Small Business Associations

Want to know more?

ResourcesSmall Business Management Online TrainingProfessional Sales – Online TrainingMarketing Concept – Online Training ArticlesDoing Business as a Designer: Getting StartedDoing Business as a Designer: Defining Your Competitive AdvantageDoing Business as a Designer: The Price WarsDoing Business as a Designer: The Article Collection at Scribd