Where To Find Small Business Grants For Your Start-Up

Grants are given every year for a variety of reasons, from small business start-ups, continuing education, preserving historic monuments, to art. Business grants are usually given to applicants that have a solid business plan, and the more detailed the reports are, the better chance of getting the grant.

When starting up your own small business, the first priority would be to find start-up capital. The best capital to get is the small business grants such as free grants that you never have to pay back, or other types of grants that are more like loans and require repayment with interest.

New business owners and existing business owners are eligible to apply for business grants. There is a wide array of Federal business grants available such as Free Government Money for Minorities, Free Government Money for Women, and Obtain Free Government Money for equipment, rent, offices, expenses and overhead

There are numerous sources to find the best business grants:

* The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance is a major provider of business grant money.

* The Federal Register is another good source to help you keep current with the continually changing federal grants offered.

* FedBizOpps is another great resource, as all federal agencies must use FedBizOpps to notify the public about contract opportunities worth over $25,000.

* The U.S. Government’s Grants has its own website where you can find, obtain information and apply for many of the grants that are available.

* Government’s Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) provides a listing of Government grants and other types of assistance that you can receive.

Federal law mandates that government agencies and private foundations give away over 1 trillion dollars to individuals and businesses. Foundations are required by law to distribute 5 percent of their market value assets or interest income annually, whichever of these amounts is greater, or risk losing their tax-exempt status.

The incentive for giving away grants is great. First, elected officials seeking reelection give away billions in government cash so that people vote for them; second, big corporations save a lot of money in taxes by giving money to foundations.

Another option when starting your business would be to apply for private grants from foundations and corporations. Foundations award grants to businesses that are able to help the foundation reach its long-term goals. In the United States there are more than 65,000 private grant foundations which award more than $20 billion to applicants. Two good resources for private grants are the Foundation Center and the Council on Foundations.

Author: Susan Jan
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Merchant Loans For 2009

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There are many reasons why I feel the merchant loan will be one of the most sought-out methods of business financing for 2009. Many of those reasons stem from our current economic situation.

Fact: “We are in the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression,” as stated many times by President Barack Obama. It is also a fact that the issues that tipped off the U.S.’s recession ultimately have a domino or ripple affect and in the worst cases can even result in a cycle of economic hardships that is difficult to break.

Example: Banks tighten their lending standards, making it more difficult for business owners to get loans. –> Business owners have to find other ways to finance, such as increasing prices. –> Read more of this >>

Recession Proof Businesses and Strategies to Recession Proof Your Own Business

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Recession Proof Businesses will always have a better opportunity to survive in a severe recession, and if you are smart, and do your research, not only can they survive, but they can actually thrive in a recession or any economic collapse as we are now seeing in the U.S.

In choosing a business in a recession, look for the industries which are being impacted the most and identify a business which addressed the downturn in each. Obviously, most businesses will feel the impact, but there will always be some which experience more profit erosion than others.

As example, real estate has been hit hard due to the subprime mess and banking collapse. What do real estate people do when there is no business, then start prospecting as they are on commission basis for the most part, and no sales, no commissions, no income. Read more of this >>

Replica Chanel J12 watches

Chanel watches you can wear as a fashion table, you can put it as a family heirloom collection, in the auction field, Chanel watch the shadows of frequent flashes, particularly in its J12 series.

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Chanel watches and jewelry CEO Philippe Mougenot said: “We hope that the High watches in the kernel, we should have a perfect process, but also in appearance must also be worthy of and appreciation, which is why we will Tourbillon with a combination of high-level jewelry reason, a representative of the watch manufacturing process of the peak is a symbol of China and the United States, visually appealing. In 2005, “J12″ series introduced the first only to watch high-tech precision ceramic Tourbillon Since then, move up a complex function of the wrist the field of the table process. 2008 Chanel watches have been the time of the birth of 21 years, Chanel is also the sixth time this year to participate in Basel, Switzerland, International Watch & Clock Fair, the table at this year’s Basel show, brings Chanel J12 Haute Joaillerie Series jewelry watch that this section is a high-level jewelry watches Chanel watch la chaux de fonds perfect mosaics workshop presentation, and in order to celebrate the Plaza, Paris, France, Yoshito Chanel fine jewelry store on the 18th re-opening of the world’s limited edition of 12 only. all the tables in sections by la chaux de fonds factory handmade, every watch set with 713 weighing a total of 43 karats of pure diamond.

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Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/sales-articles/replica-chanel-j12-watches-1322189.html

Can’t Get a Business Loan?

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It time again to revisit alternative financing strategies for business owners needing money. Whether your business needs capital to grow, meet payroll, or to just simply survive, there are numerous alternatives for your company when banks so ‘NO’.

Personal loans are no longer viable options for business owners. Banks have tightened their purse strings on personal credit just as they have with business credit. This tightening typically does not have anything to do with the state of your credit or the value of your collateral. But more reflects their past indiscretions with their depositors’ money. Further, most business owners, over the last two or three years, have already encumbered all of their personal assets, leaving nothing of value to collateralize.

The following lists many alternatives that may still be available to your business. These alternatives allow business owners to capitalize on their previous hard work; Read more of this >>

Maintaining a Small Business in a Downturned Economy – Merchant Cash Advance

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Many small business owners in the United States may feel like the problems of the economy have landed directly into their own laps. In this situation it is important to be both pro-active and reactive. Taking early action to offset the financial problems that have already occurred and others to prevent further financial turmoil from arising is vital.

Choosing to receive a merchant cash advance, an upfront sum of cash in exchange for a business’s future credit card sales that can be used at the business owner’s discretion, can be a smart step for a small business owner, in addition to other procedures that can promote healthy business during difficult times.

Believe or not, there are companies that existed during the Great Depression that are still around today. They found innovative ways to make their companies last during a time when the “dollar value” of international trade fell more than 60 percent, an average of 600 banks failed each year, and unemployment rates hit 25 percent.

179-year-old beer-making company, Yuengling and 175-year-old guitar-making company, Martin Guitars, were both featured in a Business Week article titled “Learning from the Great Depression.” In the article, the company’s CEO says Martin Guitars’ resiliency can be credited to remaining fair and equitable and maintaining strong relationships with dealers. He is quoted saying, “Our billing has always been routine…No shenanigans. We don’t offer discounts to high-volume retailers.”

This is advice that many small business owners may be able to benefit from, because their small size and ability to interact with and develop relationships with their customers allows them to deliver customer service that big companies just can’t provide, and can keep customers coming back for the quality service, rather than the low prices.

Also in the article, Dick Yuengling, the current Yeungling CEO, said “…the family kept the business afloat by diversifying into dairy farming, Broadway shows, and dance halls during the Great Depression instead of shutting down or selling out.”

In addition to these tactics that a small business owner can learn from history, some small business owners have tried methods such as cutting back on purchases whenever possible, decreasing employee hours, bargain hunting for the best prices on equipment, etc., and making sure to pay themselves last. But when you’ve tried all of these things and you still find that you need more money, a merchant cash advance may be the innovative step that should be taken by today’s small business owners.


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What makes a merchant cash advance so practical, especially today, are its unique characteristics. Borrowers do not need to have excellent credit to receive a merchant cash advance. They also do not need to provide collateral or personal financial statements. Merchant cash advance payments are deducted automatically from a business’s credit card sales. Therefore, as customers make purchases using their credit cards, a small percentage from each sale is used to repay the merchant cash advance. Read more of this >>

Small Business Loan Advisor – Does Obama’s Economic Stimulus Bill Help Small Businesses?

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If you are a small business owner that has toyed with the idea of a SBA loan, is there anything beneficial in the new economic recovery act (“The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009″) that will help me? It may surprise you to learn there is. No, I am not a paid spokesman for the U.S. government. Let me go one step further. What if there was a program paid by taxpayer dollars that actually reduced your cost of doing business in procuring a loan? You would probably think it was another chimerical attempt by Congress to bluff the American public. But it’s actually true.

Here is how it works. When you get a SBA loan from your local banker (come on now–it is possible in this economy), you have to pay at closing what is called a “SBA guarantee fee”. These fees are dutifully collected and sent off to Washington to create a war chest. If you have the misfortune of defaulting on your loan, the lender can tender this default to the U.S. government and receive between 50% and 85% (possibly 90% under new laws) of the loss as reimbursement. In fact, that is one the purposes of the SBA: to cover defaults through the SBA guarantee loan program. But as the applicant, you have always had to pay this out of pocket. And it wasn’t cheap. For a loan up to $150,000, the fee was 2% of 50% of the loan value (the 50% in this example is the guarantee amount). It was 3% for loans above that amount. For example, with a $150,000 loan, you would be paying approximately $1,500 ($150,000 X .02 X .50) just for the guarantee fee, in addition to additional costs such as the processing fee, appraisal, etc. This is money that would ordinarily have gone into your pockets for business use. For the hearty among us who like to read the actual provisions of the statute, here you go (15 U.S.C. 636(a)): Read more of this >>

Small Business Start Up Grants


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If you have come up with a new idea or just want to finally start that business of your own, finding the capital you need to get started may be the thing getting in your way. It is no secret that many new business ventures fail because of insufficient starting capital. Well, you will be pleased to know that there is help available for startup businesses. In order to support the development of new business, the government and various organizations offer grants to new or expanding businesses. While this may sound very generous, it only makes sense since it is in the best interest of the country, and other businesses as well, to encourage new enterprises by investing new venture capital; thus giving life to the dreams of entrepreneurs and continuing to promote advancement in business and technology.

Finding the right grant for your new business is an important first step and may be the only way to get your business operational. You will be surprised once you start down his road that it is not as painful as you may have imagined. There many resources along the way to guide you through the process. Read more of this >>

Business Financing – Short – Term Working Capital Management

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Creative Commons License photo credit: | El CaganerBusiness financing strategies for short-term working capital management are often overlooked because of an apparent preference for long-term business financing. Although long-term business loan options are frequently appropriate, there are several short-term working capital management possibilities that will be much more effective for business owners in achieving successful business financing results. Two of the most overlooked short-term working capital financing strategies are business cash advance programs and short-term commercial mortgage loan programs.

BUSINESS FINANCING EXAMPLE ONE – SHORT TERM WORKING CAPITAL MANAGEMENT – Business Cash Advance Programs

For any business that accepts credit cards as a method of payment, a business cash advance is a critical business financing tool that is often overlooked. Even thriving businesses frequently need more working capital than they can borrow from a bank. Read more of this >>

Government Loans

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These days when there is so much of hue and cry amongst private loan agencies, each trying to downplay the merits and work of the other, the loans offered by government remain immaculate and selflessly benefiting the public.

Government loans are a cut above the rest in quite a few ways. Firstly every private agency offering loan does it with the purpose of making profits but in contrast to this government loans are meant only for the welfare of public. Since government is a body meant for the people, it does not seek any personal gains. Unlike the private banks and other such loan agencies, government also offers loans to those downtrodden people who can hardly pay it back. Government loans not just a great help to the destitute but also a big contribution in the smooth functioning of the economy of the country. Read more of this >>