SVC forum on services

The voice of small business was created in 1976 out on Capitol Hill, called the U.S. Small Business Administration. It was created for the small business owners that wanted to be heard so they got the Office of Advocacy to represent them. The office of Advocacy represents the ideas and concerns of the nation’s small businesses within the federal government. The SBA has really expanded themselves and offers over 50 services to look through to better your business in this tough and growing economy. The SBA has four main tabs that they show on their website, starting and managing a business, loans and grants, contracting, and counseling and training. Within these 4 main tabs there are many great options to look at and explore to better your business.
One of the main services they offer is writing a business plan, they state, "A business plan is an essential roadmap for business success." This is very true, if you have a business plan that is well thought out and is ready to go you will be a successful business owner. Without a successful business plan there is no way you’re going to make it in the business world. It is much harder for a small business to make it than a large corporation. It may seem sad and annoying but as small business owners we have to work ten times harder to make it all work out at the end of the day. The writing a business plan page offers you advice, guides to writing a plan, essential elements of a good plan and much more. I believe that any business owner new and old should review this annually to make sure they are sticking to goals and statements in the business.
Another service that they offer on the SBA website is bonds. There are two kinds of bonds, surety and tax-except bonds. This service is helpful because it shows business owners what they can do to protect themselves and what best option is there. “Bonds represent a unique funding opportunity for small business owners. Any bond offering made by your small business should be carefully reviewed by an attorney.”
The third service that jumped out at me was the "Women's Business Centers (WBCs) represent a national network of nearly 100 educational centers designed to assist women start and grow small businesses." I am a woman in a small business and I believe that this is very important. This service on the website helps woman find the nearest WBC and helped them make it in the business world. It also has links to businesses owned by woman and their stories. I believe that woman are going to be the majority of the small business work force in years to come and with these resources they are going to be able to be very successful.
There are many services that I feel could help me as a business management student at SVC such as running a business and writing a business plan. These two services could help me a lot so that I can become knowledgeable within these areas to become a successful business owner in years to come. The more you know the better you are set up to be a successful business owner.
Some of the services that I would like to explore further would be SBA loan programs and to what qualifies a small business to be a small business and how they can gain funding through SBA. Also I would like to further explore the local resources that we have in Island/Skagit County and all of the offices and local connections small business owners could have that they possibly have no idea about.
The SBA has really opened my eyes to what can be out there for the small business world and how as a small business owner I can better myself and succeed in this tough economy.