Small Business Grants - Free or Low Cost Consulting for Your Small Business

by: Michael Saunders
Did you know that it is possible for you to receive free or low cost consulting for your small business? If it sounds too good to be true, rest assured it is actually possible. Not only does it make sense economically, but you would be receiving advice from professionals who have extensive business experience.

The Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) provides grants to fund either active or retired business management professionals to train and/or counsel existing small business owners or those who have an interest in starting their own small business.

SCORE works with the Small Business Administration and works with this agency to serve existing and aspiring small business owners. SCORE is the nation's largest volunteer business counseling service.

SCORE was established in 1964 and has been a tremendous service to small business owners. SCORE has provided advice on how to grow and start their small business to over 8.5 million people. SCORE's purpose is to connect volunteer business professionals (with extensive management experience) with the owners and/or managers or small businesses that feel that they would benefit from the expertise.

There are approximately 11,500 SCORE volunteers serving throughout the entire 50 United States. With over 370 local chapters, there is likely a SCORE volunteer within your vicinity.
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Small Business Grants - Free or Low Cost Consulting for Your Small Business
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About The Author You can find more information on business grants for women and programs offered by both the federal and state governments at Top Government Grants. We also provide additional resources on wide variety of grants for small business and entrepreneurial topics on our home-based business site. Michael Saunders has an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Additional Resources

category - Small Business Grants

Small Business Administration's Loan Guarantees Program
The Small Business Administration has established the Loan Guarantees Program wherein they aim to be able to provide guaranteed loans to small business establishments which are not capable of acquiring financing from a private credit marketplace but greatly manifests the ability to repay funds in a timely manner.

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Department of Agriculture: Value Added Producer Grants
The Value-Added Producer Grants program is geared towards helping the Independent Producers of Agricultural Commodities, Agriculture Producer Groups, Farmer and Rancher Cooperatives, and Majority-Controlled Producer-Based Business Ventures in developing techniques that would create marketing opportunities and establish business plans involving viable marketing opportunities that involve the production of bio-based products from agricultural commodities.

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Program for Investment in Micro-Entrepreneurs Technical Assistance
The Program for Investment in Micro-Entrepreneurs Technical Assistance Program is designed to decrease the number of disadvantaged micro-entrepreneurs by helping them enhance their management capabilities, by way of providing them with technical assistance and training in the areas concerning activities that are associated with starting, expanding and growing their businesses.

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Secondary Market Lending Authority Program
The Small Business Administration has constituted the Secondary Market Lending Authority program, one which aims to provide liquidity for the secondary market, thereby ultimately encouraging new lending opportunities from banks of Small Business Administration guaranteed loans.

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