If you are thinking of starting a business, this is the place to be. We have resources to help you go from idea to opening your business.
Use the resources to your right. In your planning stage, take the
entrepreneur assessment quiz to see if you have the personality to work for yourself. This tool was developed for English/French speaking Canada, but the concepts apply in the US as well.
The next step is to prepare a
business plan so you can figure out whether your business can make money. We have many business plan resources for you, including a free, password-protected online tool from the US Minority Business Administration.
If you need help preparing your plan, you can get free one-on-one help from your Small Business Development Center. Here is their contact information:
Northland Pioneer College SBDC
2251 E. Navajo Blvd. Holbrook
928-532-6170
http://www.npcsbdc.com
Be sure to use the
cash flow calculator tool to see how much cash your business will use or generate. The key to business survival is cash flow - and inventory, billing collection days, profitability greatly affect it.
After you have figured out your business plan, we have tools to help you look at your feelings about
risk and where you can get
funding.
Has your business idea passed all these steps? Now you're ready to determine the proper legal entity for your business. Use the
Entity Wizard in the right panel.
Once you've chosen an entity, use the
Form your Business Kit, with everything you need to create that business entity.
Now you're officially in business. We have some tools developed for new businesses including a 30 day marketing primer and several online webinars.
Be sure to contact your
Small Business Development Center for free help. The SBDC also offers low-cost business classes.
Here are some other sources of help within the Tools:
