Local Resources for Your Small Business
 By Lee S. Shaffer

In today’s challenging economy, small-business owners can use all the help they can get.

Fortunately, you don’t have to go far or spend a lot of money to get practical assistance to help you run your company better. There are many local resources that most owners can tap into for help in marketing, management, finance and other areas.

Check into these resources.

Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs)
Administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration, SBDCs provide information and guidance to entrepreneurs and small-business owners. This includes counseling, training and technical assistance in virtually all aspects of small business management.

SBDCs can be especially beneficial because their counsel is tailored to help meet the needs of businesses in your local community. Most SBDC services are available free of charge, and there are more than 1,100 local SBDC offices nationwide.

Visit www.sba.gov to locate the office nearest you.

Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE)
This national association is dedicated to helping small-business owners form and grow their companies. SCORE provides access to retired business owners who donate their time to serve as personal business coaches and mentors.

More than 12,000 of these mentors work with business owners in a variety of different ways: in-person meetings, over the phone or online via ASKSCORE. There is no charge to work with a SCORE mentor.

There are currently 364 SCORE chapters in the U.S. To find the chapter nearest you and get be connected with a SCORE mentor, visit www.score.org.

SCORE also offers a number of different online workshops free of charge. You can find out more at the Web site.

Your triad of advisors
You might be overlooking a valuable local resource that’s right under your nose: your banker, attorney and accountant.

These professionals, who are sometimes referred as the small-business owner’s “triad of advisors,” are often in the best position to help you because they may already be familiar with the details of your company’s operations and finances.

Your banker, in particular, has probably worked with many other small-business owners who have faced challenges similar to yours. Think of your banker as a trusted business resource, not just someone to approach when you need to borrow money. He or she can most likely bring years of experience and a unique perspective to your situation.

Your AFS advisors
As an AFS Member, you have access to your very own personal business consultants through ProTalk and ProTax. These consultants are just a click away, and you have unlimited access to them at no additional cost.

The ProTalk small-business consultants can answer your questions about marketing, operations, startup and more.

The certified public accountants at ProTax can help you with tax issues such as the home office deduction, completing tax forms and more.

Chambers of Commerce
Local chambers exist primarily to help local businesses and entrepreneurs become vibrant contributors to their communities.

They provide a variety of different types of business assistance, as well as networking opportunities where owners can meet and discuss their individual challenges and solutions.

To find the local Chamber office nearest you, visit www.2chambers.com.

Local economic development agencies
There are literally thousands of state, county and city government agencies that help promote economic development at the local level.

To locate the agencies in your area, visit www.statelocalgov.net.

(Posted January 2010)

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