If you have ever had the opportunity to meet successful people, you are likely to discover that more often than not, they had a mentor. Many times, someone took them under their wing and showed them the ropes. Someone gave those insider secrets that changed their life and shortened their learning curve. Relationships like that are priceless and there are many low-cost and no-cost mentorship opportunities all around you. One example is the SBA – Small Business Administration www.sba.gov. It is your new best friend and long lost big brother or sister who can show you the way through the maze.
The SBA has been around since 1953 and its objective is to aid, counsel, assist and protect the interests of small businesses in America. It provides a vast amount of free resources and provides you with the tools to help you plan, start, and manage your business as well as show you how to get out with the right exit strategy when you are ready.
If you visit www.sba.gov you will find resources on financial assistance, contract opportunities, online training, and one-on-one support through affiliates like SCORE and Small Business Development Centers. It also offers tools to help you with marketing, writing a business plan, buying an existing business or franchise, getting the right license and other forms of legal aid.
Finding a mentor or going through a mentoring program can really give you the edge and help you to shorten the learning curve with a lot less time, money and pain. A wise person utilizes all the resources available to them and the Small Business Administration has a vast number of programs designed to help today?s entrepreneur get ahead and be successful. You would be doing yourself a huge disservice if you don?t visit their Web site and find out what opportunities or resources are waiting for you!
If you are a small business owner, you need to know the Small Business Administration. They can help put you on the fast track to success.
