Calling All Entrepreneurs!!

Do you have a passion for a service? Is your hobby your passion? How would you like to take your passion to the next level by becoming an entrepreneur? As many unemployed adults are not able to find work in corporations, many are choosing to work for themselves. As with any important endeavor, deciding to become a business owner can be exciting, frightening, and liberating. Fortunately, there is a WEALTH of resources available to existing and those considering becoming entrepreneurs. I am fascinated with a) how much there is, b) how much of it is free, and c) how many people are unaware of it. Between the internet, libraries, university schools of business, and Small Business Administration program offices, there is a resource to fit your needs.

One great resource is a Small Business Development Center (SBDC). These centers are located in different parts of the country. I did a quick search on the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) website and found seven locations to choose from within 10 miles of my home. On the DCEO website they indicate that at an SBDC you can get FREE one-on-one business counseling and management assistance, assistance with the development of business plans, help accessing marketing information, business financing programs, assistance with financial analysis and planning, and access to business education and training opportunities.

There are resources that you can use to research if you don’t know for certain what type of business you’re interested in. On the website www.entrepreneur.com/toolkit, there are Startup Kits on restaurants, pet businesses, event planning, cleaning services, e-business, information consulting, and many more. There are also books for download.

I’ve been blessed to interact with many entrepreneurs and students of entrepreneurship through volunteering with the Joseph Center and the Joseph Business School. In one of the Joseph Center seminars on how to start a business, the facilitator explains the difference between a hobby and a business. The difference is profit. If you’ve already started a business and you’re not making a profit, or you don’t have a business plan to let you know when you will begin to see a profit, unfortunately you have a hobby. Even the word of God speaks of profit. In Isaiah 48:17 it says Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go. So if you are in business and need help becoming profitable or are seriously considering starting a business here are a few links to get you started with finding the help available to you!

http://www.sba.gov/aboutsba/sbaprograms/index.html

http://www.entrepreneur.com/

http://www.entrepreneur.com/toolkit

http://www.inc.com/

http://www.startupnation.com/

http://www.chicagobooth.edu/research/researchcenters.aspx

http://www.chipublib.org/cplbooksmovies/research/business.php

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