Best 7 Government Programs To Start A Business Or Take It To The Next Level

Submitted by Matthew Lesko on Tue, 09/30/2014 - 10:34

Searching Google is the worst place to start looking for free help to start or grow any business.

Look, I just searched “Money For Business” and got…

That’s right a total of 6 Billion 30 Million websites. You are not going to live long enough to look at even a tiny fraction of them. Plus, most of the websites listed first on your Google search are companies that want to SELL YOU the help you need. Government agencies and non-profit organizations that provide FREE MONEY AND SERVICES to businesses do not have advertising money to get their websites on top of the list and, in many cases, it is illegal for them to advertise at all.

Every wealthy business in the United States has used government programs to succeed because these companies spend millions on lobbyists to make sure they don’t miss any potential opportunity to grow their businesses using resources that are available to everyone. I know this personally because I spent the first 5 years of my professional life working for Fortune 500 companies in Washington, DC.

I believe every business and every entrepreneur should be aware of the free money and assistance available to them—but most have no idea where to look.

The following Top 7 List identifies the best programs that every entrepreneur or business person should know about. I’ve included links to web pages that show you exactly where to start looking for the program in your area. If you want more details, click on the YouTube video link where I’m interviewing a government official about the money program or service.

1) First Starting Place for Money, Management and Mentoring for Your Business or Your Idea

There are thousands of free small business consultants all over the country who get government grants specifically to provide expertise to people like you to start or grow businesses in their region. These Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) certainly will know most of the more popular money sources available locally and more importantly, they usually can get you free expertise on any problem you face—from filling out an application to designing a marketing strategy. Get to know your SBDC first and you can keep using their services throughout your development and growth of your business.

To find a SBDC office near you: http://asbdc-us.org

Watch this video of my interview of a government official: http://youtu.be/spgwRJk7Dak

2) SBA Loans May Be Better or Worse Than You Think

The biggest misconception about Small Business Administration (SBA) loans is that they require loads of paperwork and time. The second myth is all SBA lenders have the same requirements. This is not true. Different banks have different requirements and even different kinds of businesses they lend money to. You can get a list of local SBA lenders that match your needs and you should apply to all of them.

To find suitable SBA lenders for you contact: http://asbdc-us.org

Watch this video to learn more about SBA Loan programs: http://youtu.be/5j6BhUOVte4

3) Get a $1 Million Contract Instead of a $10,000 Grant

You can spend weeks, even months looking for grants for your business. But the problem with many grants is they tend to provide small amounts of money which you usually can only get once. But, you can spend the same amount of time figuring out how to get a government contract and better yet—you can get them over and over and over again, usually forever. The best part is the government gives out grants to experts who will personally help you complete the paperwork. Also, there are grants to small businesses to help you get government contracts. Can you believe it? You can get money to learn how to get more money!

To find free government contract consultants in your area: http://www.aptac-us.org

Watch this interview of a government official to learn more: http://youtu.be/jKQdvu5WrQI

4) $7,000 To Train Yourself or $250,000 To Train Your Employees

Are you a yoga instructor who wants to learn a new technique to expand your business? Do you operate a call center and want to train 50 people to provide better customer service? Every state offers training money so businesses can compete better in our world economy. It’s all about having a skilled workforce.

Contact your local office to learn about programs in your state:

http://www.careeronestop.org/businesscenter/index.aspx

Watch my interview with a government official explain these programs:

Part #1 http://youtu.be/e6ocZiBhPFw

Part #2 http://youtu.be/Ox9DqAqEHEc

5) Get Customers Overseas and $5,000 To Go Visit Them

To better compete in this world economy, two federal government agencies—U.S. Department of Commerce and U.S. Department of State—as well as every state government has free help for you to find business in other countries. They will use our embassies to find you customers, check out their backgrounds, set up appointments, provide translation services, allow you to use embassy offices to meet, and more. You can even get grants to travel overseas to attend trade shows or meet with potential customers.

Contact your local office to learn about programs in your state:

http://www.sba.gov/content/economic-development-agencies

Watch my interview with a government official explain these programs: http://youtu.be/Atj3-XemrGo

6) How to Get Free Money Legally from Your Congressman

Your U.S. Representative and Senators and also your state elected officials have better access to all that is hidden away in the bureaucracy than you or I will ever have—even better than the big buck lobbyists. It’s our elected officials who decide how much money each department and agency will receive. So government offices cater more legislators than to taxpayers like you and me. These elected officials have lots of staff who simply take calls from taxpayers and figure out how the government can help their constituents, namely you. The main reason is if your elected official's office helps you get a grant, contract, job, or a flag flown over the Capitol in honor of your mother, you will vote to reelect them regardless how much trouble they get into!

Go here to find out how to contact your elected officials: http://votesmart.org

Watch this video with an elected official explain how they can help taxpayers: http://youtu.be/LlW9yDuSIwI

7) Experts Analyze Your Business for Free So You Can Double Your Sales

You can’t afford a big time consulting company like Booz, Allen and Hamilton to evaluate your small business. But you can afford to contact similar consultants who are government subsidized and don’t travel in private jets. They actually come to you and give you $5,000 worth of free consulting. They spend a half a day with you and provide a free analysis of your business.

Go here to find your local office: http://www.nist.gov/mep/

Watch this video interview of a government official explain the program: http://youtu.be/o7KOF_vIcaM

There are literally thousands of government programs that offer free money and services to businesses and entrepreneurs. To round out my Top 7 to a total of 10, here are 3 more great resources I bet you never heard of.

8) Government Lawyers Will Collect Your Money from People Who Give You a Bad Check

Watch this video and learn how to use this service: http://youtu.be/XsUJ_kcKmdQ

9)IRS Experts Will Show You the Easiest Way to Write Off Your Home-Based Business

Watch this video for details: http://youtu.be/3VGyzut994k

Contact website: http://www.irs.gov

10) Entrepreneurs from Other Countries Can Get a Green Card to Live in the USA

Watch this video for details: http://youtu.be/luXNvSDXv8Q

Contact website: http://www.uscis.gov/working-united-states/permanent-workers/employment-based-immigration-fifth-preference-eb-5/eb-5-immigrant-investor

Watch Video Of This Report On YouTube…http://youtu.be/zljMcXoprAo

Matthew Lesko

New York Times Best Selling Author and Entrepreneur

[email protected]