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Welcome,
The U. S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is the only federal agency established
with a mission to assist and protect the interests of small businesses, and help families
and businesses recover from physical disasters. SBA has offices in every state, as well as
Puerto Rico and Guam.
What SBA provides:
Business counseling
Guaranteed loan programs
Disaster recovery assistance
Government contracting assistance
A voice in government to protect small business interests
Targeted programs for Veterans, Women, Exporters, etc.
Chris.herriman@sba.gov
Exploring Business Ownership
3. What we will discuss today…
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•Is small business ownership right for you?
•The money questions
•Writing it down
•Getting advice
To complete the plan
To make it legal
To pay for it
To market to your customers
•Online Resources
• Everyone will be
on mute
• Please send a
note if you have a
question
Chris.herriman@sba.gov
4. Is it right for you?
Why do you want to start a business?
**More free time? **Make more money? **You hate working for someone else?
Do you have the basics?
• Does ownership fit your personal and career goals?
• How long do you intend to stay in business?
• Do you have experience running a business?
• Do you have experience running this type of business?
• Do you have the support of your family and friends?
• Have you set aside some money?
Chris.herriman@sba.gov
Readiness Assessment Guide
(https://eweb1.sba.gov/cams/training/business_primer/assessment.htm)
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5. Answer the money questions…
1. Do you know what your personal financial needs are? Is it
on paper?
2. Do you have money to put into the project? Your own money
or someone else's.
3. Do you have another source of income?
If you DO have another source of income:
• Will that income stay the same or will it go down?
If you DO NOT have another source of income:
• How will you support yourself while the business is starting up?
Chris.herriman@sba.gov
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7. Write it down
Create a draft Business Plan:
Your plan should be focused and clear. Pretend that you are talking
to someone that knows nothing about you or your business.
It does not need to be a large document.
The plan is an introduction to the overall concept of your business; it should tell
a compelling story, and explain the following:
Who you are
What you are selling
Who your customer is (hint: you cannot say ‘everyone’)
Why customers will buy from you (hint: don’t say customer service)
How the business will be managed
Where the business will operate
When the business will open
How the business will be financed (exactly where the money will come from)
Financial projections (more to come)
Chris.herriman@sba.gov
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8. • The financial projections will have two parts:
Start up costs (before you open the doors)- equipment, building
improvements, rent and utility deposits, office supplies, insurance, materials,
signage, marketing, computer, etc.
Income and expense projections (a best guess) of what you will spend and
what you will sell in the first few years (the flow of cash) – include things
such as: insurance, rent/mortgage, utilities, bookkeeper, office supplies,
marketing, website, license fees, ongoing materials, credit card fees, taxes,
and other business expenses. This will tell you how much money is needed to
keep the business running and how much is left for you.
At this point you will have a draft business plan. It should have enough
information to show you the work and money required to get started,
and help you decide whether it’s a good fit.
Online resources for Business Plan templates and checklist--
• http://web.sba.gov/busplantemplate/BizPlanStart.cfm
• http://www.score.org/resources/how-write-business-plan-0
Chris.herriman@sba.gov
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Write it down (cont.)
10. Get advice
Seek business assistance and training:
•Your business plan draft will give you a preliminary idea of the commitment and
resources required to get started. Now you will need to fine-tune and formalize the
plan to create a document that will be an effective guide for your business as well as a
basis for financial support in the form of loans, grants or investments
•The next steps are very important and should be done in a logical and cautious
manner. A business advisor will guide you through those steps while helping you
understand the importance of each one.
SBA provides free small business counseling & training through a variety of programs
and resource partners across the country:
– SBA: http://www.sba.gov/training
– VT Small Business Development Center: http://www.vtsbdc.org
– VT Women’s Business Center: http://www.vwbc.org
– SCORE: http://www.score.org Chris.herriman@sba.gov
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11. Some of the ways a business
advisor will help you…
12. Making it legal
Determining the legal structure of your business
•You need to determine which form of business ownership is best for you; Sole
Proprietorship, Partnership, Limited Liability Company (LLC), S Corporation, C
Corporation, Non-profit , etc. A business advisor can provide you with, and direct
you to, resources for information relevant to your state and business entity. We
recommend that you speak to a professional before making this decision because
taxes, debt recovery and liability issues are affected by it.
Also decide whether you are going to use a majority ownership to get special benefits (i.e..
Veteran-owned, woman-owned, minority-owned etc.) before you make a final decision on
percent of ownership for multiple owners.
Online Resources for determining a business structure:
– SBA: http://www.sba.gov/content/business-structure-and-tax-implications
– SCORE: http://www.score.org/events/workshops/determining-your-business-legal-structure
– IRS: http://www.irs.gov/Businesses/
– Vermont Secretary of State: http://corps.sec.state.vt.us/
Chris.herriman@sba.gov
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13. Making it legal (cont.)
Registering your business:
•Business name registration needs to be done BEFORE you proceed with other
things. Never assume that the name of your business is available for use.
•You will need to make sure that you have all necessary federal, state and local
permissions, licenses, permits and registrations before you can legally operate.
Getting your tax ID numbers and a bank account
•There are two different types of tax ID number, you may need one or both. After
you have the necessary documents you can open a business bank account. A
business advisor will help you follow the correct order.
Note – Check with your state and your financial institution to find out what is required.
Online resources for registering your business:
– National- SBA: http://www.sba.gov/content/5-steps-registering-your-business
IRS: http://www.irs.gov/Businesses/
– Local- State of Vermont Secretary of State; http://www.sec.state.vt.us/
VT Agency of Commerce & Community Development;
http://www.accd.vermont.gov/
Chris.herriman@sba.gov
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14. Paying for it
You will need to determine all of these:
•Business owner contribution – How much money can you put into the project?
(20% is typically required).
•Will you have investments from family, friends, investors, etc.? If so…how much
form each one?
•Will you need loans? - There are many places to get loans such as; banks, credit
unions, alternative lenders, municipal loan programs, state supported programs,
etc. For an example see : www.sba.gov/vt
SBA guaranteed loan programs are designed for business owners who may have trouble
qualifying for a traditional bank loan. There are monthly webinar Loan Clinics at
www.sba.gov/vt on the calendar of events.
• Do you qualify for grants? – In general, there are no grants for starting a
business. However, in special circumstances programs may come available
for particular industries (i.e. Matching grants for alternative energy projects).
Grants have a different search method, but you can start with the government
listing at www.grants.gov
Chris.herriman@sba.gov
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Marketing Your Business:
•Your business plan identified your customer, now you need to see if you have
covered all you bases and start to learn about their buying habits, where they are,
and how to get them in the door. A business advisor has experience with
marketing plans and can help direct you to the information you need. Here are
some of the areas they can help with:
Determining the profile, buying habits and locations of your target market ( If you
don’t know who they are, how can you know what they will buy?)
Deciding if you need an online presence and if it will include social media
What type of signage and local marketing you need (Who does it ‘speak’ to? Are you
leaning toward your own preferences or targeting your customers?)
Packaging and labeling (Do you need it?)
Marketing budget ( Are you spending enough?)
Online resources:
– SizeUp tool –Market Research http://www.sba.gov/sizeup
– http://www.sba.gov/content/developing-marketing-plan
– Three Marketing Essentials You Can’t Do Without http://www.score.org/resources/3-marketing-
essentials-you-can%E2%80%99t-do-without
Chris.herriman@sba.gov
Getting customers
16. Examples of Businesses that started out just like you…
and received help from SBA resources
Wheel House
Designs
Stowe, VT
Lyndon
Furniture
Lyndonville, VT
Black River Produce
Springfield, VT
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Wrap up - What’s next?
• Determine if it’s right for you
• Answer the money questions
• Write it down
• Get advice and training to guide you through:
Completing the plan
Making it legal
Paying for it
Getting customers (marketing plan)
• Check the online resources - Assistance is available from SBA,
SBDC, SCORE, WBC, VBOC. These organizations can walk you
through all of these processes. Their job is to help you….let them!
• Get started!! Surround yourself with people that will
support you, and go to the experts for advice.
25. Any questions?
For more information on SBA’s programs and services
Please contact:
Vermont District Office
Chris Herriman or Joan Hudson
SBA Vermont District
87 State Street, P O Box 605
Montpelier, Vermont 05601
Telephone: 802-828-4422
Or visit the website at:
www.sba.gov/vt
If you would like a copy of this presentation, please e-mail
chris.herriman@sba.gov or joan.hudson@sba.gov
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