Resources

• Business Plan Assistance
• Financial Resources
• Emergency Response
• Material Trader
• Manure Trader

BUSINESS PLAN ASSISTANCE

Planning is one of the most important aspects of starting a business. Proper planning is needed for success in business and, for that matter, anything you do in life.

A business plan precisely defines your business, identifies your goals, and serves as your firm's resume. The basic components include a current and pro forma balance sheet, an income statement, and a cash flow analysis. It helps you allocate resources properly, handle unforeseen complications, and make good business decisions. Because it provides specific and organized information about your company and how you will repay borrowed money, a good business plan is a crucial part of any loan application. Additionally, it informs sales personnel, suppliers, and others about your operations and goals.

To research a business plan outline and sample plans, please visit the SBA site at www.sba.gov/starting_business/planning/writingplan.html.

FINANCIAL RESOURCES

There are myriad state and local sources of financing available to Pennsylvania companies. We have not listed them all here individually, but instead have provided links to source listings.

• The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (www.newpa.com/index.aspx) lists financing programs by type and purpose.
• The Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority (http://www.newpa.com/download.aspx?id=790)  loans available through local Industrial Development Corporations (IDC). A listing of the local IDCs can be found at http://www.newpa.com/download.aspx?id=559.
• Small Business Administration Loans (www.sba.gov/financing)  the SBA sets guidelines for loans, which are then disbersed by SBA partners.
• BusinessFinance.com (www.businessfinance.com)  offers a list of economic development organizations in Pennsylvania.
• Pennsylvania Economic Development Directory (www.ecodevdirectory.com/pennsylvania.htm) links to non-governmental economic development organizations that may be a source of financing.
• Infon Venture Capital Database (www.infon.com)  comprehensive online database. Free to search and some contact information is free.
• National Venture Capital Association (www.nvca.org)
• vFinance.com (www.vfinance.com) offers venture capital searches by state, industry and dollar amount. Contact information for firms costs $2 per contact.

                Other sources of funding

• Grants.gov is a good site to use when searching for Federal grants funding.
• Capital Connection describes various capital sources and services.
• The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

EMERGENCY RESPONSE

Every business owner should have a disaster preparedness plan in place just in case the unthinkable happens. Consult the SBDC to help you develop a plan specifically tailored for your business. Below are some resources to help get you started:

• Disaster Prevention Checklist (PDF) - a list of what to do when there's an emergency
• A Disaster Planning Toolkit for the Small Business Owner (PDF) - a compressive manual developed by the Institute for Business & Home Safety
• Emergency Management Guide for Business & Industry (PDF) - Developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
• Homeland Security: Tools for Small Businesses (PDF) - a workbook resource that contains real information about Homeland Security as it applies to small businesses

MATERIAL TRADER

Material Trader - a free service designed to help businesses find markets for materials they have traditionally discarded 

MANURE TRADER

Manure Trader - a free resource intended to facilitate the beneficial use of excess manure.