Financial
- SBA’s Managing Your Finances
- Personal Financial Statement – SBA.gov
- How Your Credit Score is Calculated (Regions Bank)
- How to Improve Your Credit Score (Wells Fargo)
- Order Your Free Personal Credit Report Annually
- SCORE’s Financial Templates
- SBA Loan Information
- USDA Loan Programs
Funding Info – grants, competitions, etc.
The following are legitimate offers by various agencies and organizations. It is your responsibility to review them carefully to determine if you qualify for the opportunities.
- Federal Grant Opportunities – The federal government does not offer grants or “free money” to individuals to start a business or cover personal expenses, contrary to what you might see online or in the media. Websites or other publications claiming to offer “free money from the government” are often scams. Report them to the Federal Trade Commission. You may search this site and filter grants for small businesses.
- Florida Department of Grants System – The Florida Department of State Grants allow Floridians to apply for and manage grants offered by the Department of State through the Divisions of Cultural Affairs, Elections, Historical Resources and Library and Information Services.
- American’s Seed Fund – SBIR is focused on high-risk, high-impact technologies with highly competitive programs that encourage domestic small businesses to engage in Federal Research/Research and Development (R/R&D) with the potential for commercialization.
- Amber Grants – For women entrepreneurs
- Barstool Fund – 30-day grant for small businesses impacted by COVID-19
- BIPOC Small Business Grant – For Black, Indigenous, or People of Color
- Black Business Accelerator – Sponsored by Amazon for black-owned businesses
- Black Founder Start-Up Grant – For Black women or non-binary entrepreneurs
- Bob Woodruff Foundation Grant – Non-profits serving military/veteran community to improve health & wellbeing
- Brewing the American Dream – For food, beverage, or craft brewing business owners
- Bridge The Gap Fund – For Black entrepreneurs negatively impacted by COVID-19
- Dear Mama Ventures – Venture capital platform for black, brown, female, and veteran-led companies
- Eileen Fisher Grants for Women – register for email updates
- Elevate Fund – For expert guidance & funds to meet critical business needs
- Enterprise Florida’s Microfinance Guarantee Program – Florida business growth & exports
- Etsy Emergency Relief Fund – For creative entrepreneurs to recover from disasters
- Foundation for a Just Society – For women, girls, and LGBTQI people affected by injustice
- Funding Options for Minority Owned Businesses – Article from US Chamber of Commerce
- Funding Options for Women Owned Businesses – Article from US Chamber of Commerce
- Galaxy Grant – To help minority and women entrepreneurs succeed
- Go.Be – Supports minority-owned businesses
- GoFundMe’s Small Business Relief Initiative – Supporting small businesses affected by COVID-19
- IFundWomen COVID-19 Relief Grants – Supporting women entrepreneurs
- Kim Perrell Fund – Submit a 2-minute YouTube video for consideration
- KKR Small Business Builder Grants – Supporting small businesses affected by COVID-19
- LISC Grants – grants and related information
- NASE – For self-employed members of the National Association of Self-Employed
- SBA Grant Information – Information for states and limited community organizations
- Small Business Readiness for Resiliency Program – For businesses impacted by a disaster
- SOAR – Southern Opportunity and Resilience Fund
- SoGal – For Black and Black Multiracial Women and Non-Binary Entrepreneurs
- Stand With Studios – Supporting boutique fitness and wellness businesses
- Startout Founder Program – For LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs
- State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) – SBA – Helps small businesses participate in foreign trade
- Stella – Angels investors and founders for women-owned businesses
- StreetShares Foundation Grants for Veterans/Families – to inspire, educate &support the military entrepreneurial community
- U.S. Economic Development Administration – Various funding opportunities
Legal
- Legal Requirements for Small Business
- Choosing a Business Structure – Sole Prop, LLC, etc. explained
- How to Pay Yourself as an Entrepreneur
- Business Laws That Might Impact Your Business
- Patents and Trademarks
- Copyrights
- Patent and Intellectual Property
- Business Transition Planning (Death, Disability, Divorce, Disagreement, Distress)
Insurance
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Contact the Veterans Business Outreach Center for more information on these topics, 800-542-7232.
The Florida Veterans Business Outreach Center is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with Gulf Coast State College and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). All opinions, conclusions, and/or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA.
