I am looking for opportunities to open my own business. I am a twice convicted felon. I have been out of prison since July 2010. I would like to start my own business, however I still haven't had that AHA! idea of want business I would like, I just know I can't work the rest of my life for somebody else. I do know I would like to offer a job opening exclusively to ex-cons first. I know how hard it is to find a job and would like to help felons who genuinely want to be a better person and be reintegrated into society. I am in my 2nd year of community college for Website Development. So I am hoping to do something with that. My credit is pretty bad but I am working on that. I make minimum wage and it will take me awhile to save a considerable sum of money. Instead of funding a business out-of-pocket, I would like to find help owning a business, where should I start for funding this goal considering my credit and criminal background. Any help and advice is greatly appreciated.John R.
JGabriel | Community Moderator |
3/28/2013 - 1:13 pm
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are there expansion sba loans available for x-felons?
Try reaching out to your nearest Certified Development Company (nonprofit corporations certified and regulated by the SBA, that work with participating lenders to provide financing to small businesses). To find your nearest CDC, enter your zip code in our Local Asssistance tool and select "Certified Development Company" in the "Refine by Partner" section on the left.
kmurray | Community Moderator |
1/19/2012 - 8:11 am
Hi John,
A good place to start may be to talk to a mentor who could offer you specific guidance.
Other great resources are SCORE or Small Business Development Centers , two of SBA's resource partners. SCORE is a nonprofit association comprised of thousands of volunteer business counselors throughout the country. They are trained to serve as advisors and mentors to aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners-at no cost to you! You can find your local office or set up an online meeting to chat with someone about your questions.
Visit SBA Direct to find your local SBA resource partners by entering your zip code.
Our website offers information for various stages in the business process, so check out our "Thinking About Starting" section for tools and resources.
aleshia | Window Shopper | 3/18/2013 - 9:18 pm
JGabriel | Community Moderator | 3/28/2013 - 1:13 pm
kmurray | Community Moderator | 1/19/2012 - 8:11 am
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