How to Get Help For Your Small Business Without Breaking the Bank
As a small business owner, you have limits on your resources. You cannot afford to pay for entire departments dedicated to solving all of your marketing, strategy, finance, accounting, and other problems. Lean growth is not simply philosophy – it’s your only chance at surviving and hopefully thriving as a business.
However, one of the first lessons you need to learn as a business owner is that you absolutely cannot do everything yourself. Even if you had the capacity to learn to do everything, this would take up time that you simply do not have the luxury of wasting. It’s time to figure out how to get some serious resources without paying big bucks.
Check out SCORE
SCORE has the largest network of free volunteer small business mentors in the nation. Many of the 10,000+ volunteers are retired business executives looking to give back. They can provide very specific expertise depending on your business needs. This non-profit organization is funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Most of their offerings have ZERO cost, including meeting one-on-one with a mentor.
Join your local Small Business Development Center (SBDC)
SBDC Programs deliver professional, high-quality, individualized business advising and technical assistance to existing small businesses and pre-venture entrepreneurs. You can get assistance in various areas, including strategy, operations, financial management, human resources, marketing, sales, etc.
Much of the programming is offered at no cost. You may be surprised at the quality of guidance that you can get.
Contact Local MBA programs
If there are MBA programs in your area, check to see if any professors offer experiential learning by partnering with local businesses. Some professors will offer students credit for performing consulting projects for local companies. The professors will guide the students through the project, and with many
