2012 Presents a New Opportunity to Own Your Own Business

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Cassius Butts  
By Cassius Butts, Regional Administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration

With a new year on the horizon, it’s a perfect time to dream about the future and set new goals and resolutions. If your plans include starting a new business, the best place to start is with the United States Small Business Administration (SBA).

The SBA has an office in every state, including four in North Carolina. We have lenders, counselors, and other partners who work in thousands of communities across the United States. With their help, we have been knocking down obstacles for entrepreneurs and small business owners for nearly 60 years.

In fact, for the fiscal year that just ended, we helped provide nearly 8,500 loans to small businesses in this Southeast Region. Nationwide, we had our biggest year ever.

Generally, we can help in two big ways

First, if you’re someone who has a few ideas down on paper and you need
someone who can help you formulate a business plan, the SBA or one of
our “resource partners” is a great place to start. You can find local
help by going to www.sba.gov/direct and typing in your zip code.

For example, you can find one of the North Carolina Small Business
& Technology Development Centers at University of North Carolina
campuses. Also, check out www.SCORE.org , a volunteer organization with
more than 350 chapters and more than 10,000 mentors, many of whom have
been successful executives themselves. North Carolina is home to more
than 15 SCORE chapters and branches across the state. Women can get help
from the two SBA Women’s Business Centers in Fayetteville and Durham.

The best part is that these folks can often help you for free.

The second situation where SBA and our partners can help is if you’re already a small business owner.

Many small business owners have come to us over the past two years,
looking for ways to reinvent their business and grow in the face of
tough economic times. Whether it’s getting an SBA loan, winning your
first federal contract, or learning the ins and outs of exporting, the
SBA and our partners can get you the information and the local
connections you need.

Why is all of this so important?

Economists agree that small businesses are a big part of the solution
to getting our economy moving again and to creating jobs that we lost in
the recession. President Obama and Congress have used – and continue to
use – the SBA and other federal agencies to help you get the tools you
need to succeed.

In particular, the president is pushing for more tax relief for small
businesses, especially those that are looking to buy more equipment or
hire more workers. We need to make sure that small businesses have every
possible incentive to help build on the growth that we’re beginning to
see in the economy.

I’m particularly proud of our efforts to help veterans, thousands of
whom are returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. We’re working
to ensure that businesses have every incentive to hire veterans, and
that veterans themselves can transform their skills and leadership into
starting a new business of their own. Last year, the SBA Veteran’s
Business Outreach Center opened in Fayetteville, NC to help them do
this.

So, if you’re thinking about starting or growing a business in 2012,
you know where to go. There’s no time like the present to have that
first conversation with the SBA or one of our resource partners in your
area.


Have a Happy New Year!