Richard Gauger ⋅ West Chester, PA ⋅ 35 years experience

Hi Shieleen,

Based on previous posts, you have already gotten some great advice. You also may want to contact your local SCORE chapter. They offer free face-to-face business start up counseling and have many resources that may may be useful.

As a Score mentor in PA, I counsel both in face-to-face meetings and by email or phone.
www.linkedin.com/pub/richard-gauger/11/560/947/
http://chestercounty.score.org/mentors/richard-gauger

I would be happy to email an attached Word file that I developed as basically a (general information) template for business start ups that may be of some help.

Thank you for your service and best wishes for success in your new business venture. Rich

Jeanne Yocum ⋅ Durham, NC Tuscarora Communications, Ltd. ⋅ 30 years experience

Hi,

Are there any community colleges near you? Many of these colleges have Small Business Development Centers on their campuses, where you can take workshops and get counseling/mentoring from experienced small business people. Also, check out SCORE.org to see if they have any retired executives who have a background in the line of business you hope to enter. Good luck!

Dr. Scena Webb ⋅ Auburn, WA Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms (ATF) ⋅ 15 years experience

Hi Shieleen,

Check out VWISE for ideas on your small business. This group is Syracuse University partnering with the SBA to bring conferences free of charge to women veterans. There are some active duty women who attend as well. You will be impressed. They have a great program and really inspires others to move into their small business dreams. Visit their website VWISE.

Scena

Tim Finnigan ⋅ Chicago, IL Dex Media ⋅ 20 years experience

Hi Shileen,

Your Local Chamber of Commerce is always a good place to start, they can give you advice but also you can check on competition in the area. Once you start your SMB they can help with advertising options and vendors in your area.

Good luck,

Tim

Ted Mittelstaedt ⋅ Portland, OR Portlandia IT LLC ⋅ 20 years experience

Shieleen,

You didn't say what kind of business you want to start so I can only give you some general advice. But here are 5 bits of advice on starting a small business:

1) Work for a company that is already running whatever business you want to start. Do this for several years. The quickest way to fail in a small business is to get into a business that you don't know how to do. People that market franchise opportunities prey on people like that. It seems obvious but you would be stunned by the number of people who dump gobs of money into business opportunities that they know nothing about.

2) Intuit has a lock on the small business market, most small businesses use QuickBooks and you will be ahead of the game if you just buy the dang program and get familiar with it

3) Call a few CPAs and schedule initial appointments. These are free - the CPA wants to get your business, naturally. They will be able to tell you the best way to legally structure your business - partnership, LLC, Incorporated, etc. And it is worth paying one to spend the time with you to setup your chart of accounts and so on. Find a CPA you like and never, ever, attempt to do your own business taxes.

4) Make sure your personal credit is squeaky clean. Banks almost never loan out money for small business startups to people who have never run a business before, most people get credit from their vendors who won't issue credit if your personal credit is bad. By the time the bank is willing to loan money you won't need the bank.

5) If you don't like selling or are bad at it, find someone who likes it or your wasting your time. The biggest secret of running your own business is knowing how to sell. A very good model for many small business people is to have 1 person who loves doing the actual work of the business and hates selling, and 1 person who loves running around talking the ears off anyone who will listen, about the business, but couldn't do the actual work of it. If you like doing both you will have an advantage but you will run out of hours in the day.

Jenny Bulfer ⋅ Waseca, MN Satis, llc ⋅ 8 years experience

I see someone suggested the SBA. Be sure to ask them about about getting certified as a woman-owned business.

Eric Martin ⋅ Blackshear, GA KBR, Inc. ⋅ 25 years experience

Congratulations on starting the planning phase of your dream to start up your own small business! While I recently retired from the Navy after 20 years of honorable service, I'm the owner and CEO of my very own new business, Martin e-Enterprises, LLC and we're in the business of helping small businesses, such as yours, find the financials services necessary to get your small business off to a great start. If you follow the advice given by those who've answered previously, you'll be on the road to getting your new idea off the ground. If you find yourself in need of funds to start your new business, or if you're in need of point-of-sale (POS) terminals so that you can accept Visa, Mastercard and other credit cards for your business, you'll find we've got low rates and we'd be willing to see if you qualify for our financial products and services. Just send us a copy of your business plan, your particular industry or services that your new business will provide and we'll review your documents, and if you qualify, we'll forward your documents onto our partners at Visa and Mastercard and start the process to get your business up and running. Email us at martin_e-enterprises@outlook.com or text us at 757-918-5218 and we'd be happy to see if check and see if your business plan meets our strict qualifications for the assistance you'll require to start.

Denise Dukette ⋅ Vergennes, VT Out of the Office Virtual Assistance ⋅ 9 years experience

Hi Shieleen-

I agree with Richard Gauger .. SCORE is a great place to start. As they are funded by the Small Business Administration, their services are free to you and they can help you set up your business plan, offer sage advice and connect you with others. I should know .. I'm a mentor as well.

Wishing you all the best and thank you for your service :)
Denise

Steven Richardson ⋅ Orlando, FL U.S. Marine Corps, Private First ⋅ 1 years served

I own Superior Small Business Consultants, LLC and I specialize and helping small business get structured, I will be more than happy to help you my website is www.superiorsbc.com. Don't worry about the schedule fee page; I do see you are on the veterans site I am a veteran as well and will work with you. My number is 352-396-9584 cell if you need any help. My name is Steven.

Joe Floyd ⋅ Norfolk, VA U.S. Air Force, Senior Airman ⋅ 4 years served

As a business owner with thirty or more years experience, I can tell you that the best thing to do is research the business you want to be in. Visit some of the same type businesses and talk to the owners. They will surly be able to handle your comments and advise of true obstacles that may effect your business. These are the best sources. They won't see you as competition but as another business owner who's wants to make her mark. I am available for comment if need be. Research, Research and Research. After all, good competition makes an economy stronger. This is one of the most important, life changingt decisions you will ever make.

Good Luck.

Joe Floyd

Veteran, USAF

Andrew Gonzalez ⋅ Westlake Village, CA Kilowatt Cycling Inc. ⋅ 10 years experience

Each state will have guidelines and resources. On the Federal level, there's the Small Business Association.

I live and work in California as a gym owner / operator so I can speak to how and some of what you may encounter here.

Standing by if you need further assistance.

GySgt Gonzalez AD
USMCR
KILOWATT CYCLING INC

Jim Mulvaney ⋅ Fort Myers Beach, FL The Wealth Builder Grourp ⋅ 33 years experience

I am available for discussion

James Mingey ⋅ Oregon City, OR Veterans Business Services ⋅ 25 years experience

Take a look at Streetshares.com for a flexible loan program

Michael Del Vecchio ⋅ Killingworth, CT U.S. Army, Staff Sergeant ⋅ 3 years served

Hi,

A couple of things are available -
*VOC REHAB at the VA helps vets with disability ratings with training and equipment http://explore.va.gov/employment-services/vocational-rehabilitation?gclid=Cj0KEQjwtvihBRCd8fyrtfHRlJEBEiQAQcubtJLX2wMIzdVlp2K5N05jUn4AaI6unu1frdQZYH0QBgAaAljw8P8HAQ
*Work Vessels for Veterans supplies capital equipment at http://www.workvesselsforveterans.org/
*the EBV program at national universities helps with start ups - there is one in LA http://whitman.syr.edu/ebv/
*SCORE has online and local mentors at https://www.score.org/

I teach vets at EBV and am a SCORE volunteer - contact me if you want to talk. Take care

Heather Gillbanks ⋅ Houston, TX General Electric ⋅ 26 years experience

Shieleen,

Are you opening a small business (like a franchise) or are you creating a startup (something new, without a verified business model)? These are 2 very different things, so being clear on what you're about is critical to your future success.

Best of luck - and do reach out if you have more specific questions,
-heather

Colleen Deere ⋅ New York, NY American Corporate Partners (ACP) ⋅ 15 years experience

Hi Shieleen,

You can also utilize ACP's collection of Small Business Resources: http://acp-usa.org/Resources/Getting-Started. There's a wide variety of content and videos relevant to all stages of the small business, including deciding on a business idea, writing a business plan, financing, and more.

Best of luck!
Colleen

Wanda Kane-Harris ⋅ Tallahassee, FL U.S. Army Reserve, Specialist ⋅ 13 years served

Hi Shieleen,
I was fortunate to learn about and attend an entrepreneurship program for veteran women called VWISE ( Veteran Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship) through the the Institute for Veterans and Military Families. Here is their website. http://vets.syr.edu/education/v-wise/
IVMF has numerous programs, be sure to visit the programs tab on their website and see which programs you qualify for. Best wishes to you.

David Adler ⋅ Deerfield, IL Adler Law Group ⋅ 20 years experience

Hi Shieleen, A good place to look is the local chamber of commerce or your secretary of state's office. The State of Hawaii has online resources located here: http://invest.hawaii.gov/business/starting-a-business. There are some resources for how to start a business. Other good resources include small business attorneys, for all the legal nits and accountants. You should also check out blogs and magazines online, like entrepreneur. Feel free to ping me if you have any specific questions.

John Ervin ⋅ ⋅ 1 years experience

Gregorio,

I am a disabled vet who is a small business coach and career coach. Send me an email or give me a call and I can walk you through some resources. There are an amazing amount of resources abailable to entrepreneuers and anyone looking to improve their career or find that job!

John Ervin, johnaervin3@gmail.com, 856-237-6213