Get free training and personal assistance from SBA

If you want help with your business plan or you are struggling with practice startup issues, or you just want to know more about the process of starting into practice, you can get help from the Small Business Administration and its partners.

• Visit a virtual campus. The SBA has an online program called the Small Business Training Network. This network provides free online courses in subjects ranging from “Starting a Business” to “Business Management” and “Finance and Accounting.

• Talk to your local SBA office. Administrators from this agency are there to help you with resources and information, and they can also direct you to bankers and other people to help you. Find your local office here.

• Get counseling and training from a Small Business Development Center. SBDC’s are located on college and university campuses across the U.S., and they can work with you individually on your business plan and startup. Most SBDC locations also have regularly scheduled workshops and training sessions for people starting into business. Locate your nearest SBDC on this map.

• Find a personal mentor or workshop at SCORE. SCORE (The Service Corps of Retired Executives) is an SBA partner organization with volunteers who can sit down with you and look at your business plan. Some SCORE locations have regular days when they help with business plans, and many have workshops. Like the SBA, SCORE also has online workshops. The organization says it has helped “more than 7.8 million small businesses,” and the savvy SCORE volunteers may be a valuable resource for you in startup.

• Take your help wherever you can get it. Check out the online training and local resources of the SBA and its partner organizations for expert help with your practice startup.