Jun 1, 2011

The Five Best Small-Business Resources You’re Not UsingBy Carol TiceEntrepreneur.com

Running a small business can be a lonely life. Working long hours to keep the doors open, it can be easy to feel as though you’re the only struggling entrepreneur. But you’re not — and help is available.

The irony is that many small-business owners don’t ask for assistance even when there are valuable and affordable resources out there providing expert advice and support. Here are five often-overlooked sources of help for entrepreneurs:

1. The Small Business Administration and SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives). With SBA funding shrinking, now’s the time to make good use of these resources while they’re still around. After all, your taxes paid for them.

The SBA is not just for business owners who want to get a loan. If you’ve never set foot in a local SBA office, visited a Small Business Development Center, taken an SBA training program or met with a volunteer SCORE mentor then check out the range of offerings. The retired executives who serve as SCORE volunteers are an unheralded national treasure, yet few businesses tap into their knowledge.

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