Small Business Resource Hub

Welcome to our series on starting and growing a business! This beginner-friendly video series will take you through the fundamentals of building a successful company. From developing a business idea and conducting a feasibility study, to creating a business plan and scaling your company, we will cover all the essential steps to help you launch and grow your own business. Whether you’re a first-time entrepreneur or just looking to brush up on your business skills, our series has something for everyone.

  1. How to Start Your Own Business | Part 1 – Will Your Idea Work?
  2. How to Start Your Own Business | Part 2 – Business Planning
  3. How to Start Your Own Business | Part 3 – Marketing

 

FEDERAL INFO RESOURCES

1. Small Business Administration (SBA): Support America’s small businesses. The SBA connects entrepreneurs with lenders and funding to help them plan, start and grow their businesses.

2. Score: the nation’s largest network of volunteer, expert business mentors. We have helped more than 11 million small business owners since 1964.

3. USA.gov: Federal business resources

4. Sam.gov: The System for Award Management (SAM.gov) is an official website of the U.S. Government. There is no cost to use SAM.gov. Used to register to do business with the U.S. Government, find contracting opportunities, and update, renew, or check the status of your entity registration.

5. Internal Revenue Service (IRS): The tax collection agency administers the Internal Revenue Code enacted by Congress.

6. US Treasury: National treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, which serves as an executive department.

7. US Department of Labor (US DOL): Executive departments of the U.S. federal government responsible for the administration of federal laws governing occupational safety and health, wage and hour standards, unemployment benefits, reemployment services, and occasionally, economic statistics.

 

FEDERAL FUNDING RESOURCES

Small Business Administration (SBA)

  • Loans: Start or expand your business with loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration. Use Lender Match to find lenders that offer loans for your business.
  • Investment Capital: Find an investor for your business through a Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) licensed by SBA.
  • Disaster Assistance: SBA provides low-interest disaster loans to help businesses and homeowners recover from declared disasters.
  • Surety Bonds: The Small Business Administration (SBA) guarantees bid, performance, and payment surety bonds issued by certain surety companies.
  • Grants: SBA provides limited small business grants and grants to states and eligible community organizations to promote entrepreneurship.
  • Business & Industry Loan Guarantees: This program offers loan guarantees to lenders for their loans to rural businesses.
  • NJ/PA 17980 EIDL Fact Sheet: Click Here

SBA Business Templates – SBA.gov

Other Resources

 

NEW JERSEY

1. Business.NJ.Gov: One-stop for learning about State and sometimes federal and local opportunities and regulations in New Jersey. Explore a rich library of content on registering, hiring, funding, and more.

2. New Jersey Small Business Development Centers Network (NJSBDC) : No-Cost small business consulting, Training & events starting at $0, and exclusive small business resources.

3. The New Jersey Business Action Center (NJBAC): Provide mentoring, technical training, regulatory assistance, site selection, emergency preparedness guidance, and access to business recovery programs and services.

4. New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA): With the creative and versatile loan solutions available to small to mid-sized businesses through the NJEDA, now is an opportune time to contact NJEDA to determine if any of our programs may be the right fit for your small to mid-sized business needs.

5. New Jersey Business & Industry Association (NJBIA): For more than 110 years we have been focused on the advancement of competitive excellence and financial success of our members. We are the voice of thousands of businesses bound together to build a more prosperous New Jersey by providing advocacy, support, networking and exclusive money savings benefits to businesses throughout the 21 counties of the Garden State.

6. New Jersey Department of Labor (NJDOL): We want to help you succeed and we want to help New Jersey’s economy thrive. We’re committed to providing quality service and helping New Jersey’s skilled and productive workforce enable employers statewide to compete successfully in the world marketplace.

7. NJ COVID-19 Business Support Eligibility Wizard: This is a beta version of the Eligibility Wizard that focuses on newly announced State Emergency Assistance programs and the SBA disaster loan program.

8. NJ.gov Updates for Businesses: Learn about new rules, resources, and upcoming changes that may affect your business—including critical information and programs for state emergencies.

10. NJ Division of Taxation: Business Related Tax Information

11. NJ Small Business Manual: NJ small businesses can now receive a small business manual to get information and guidance on establishing, maintaining and expanding a small business. The manual is available through the New Jersey Business Action Center, which is housed in the Department of State.

12. New Jersey Advanced Manufacturing

LOCAL:

 

NEW JERSEY AND NEW YORK FUNDING RESOURCES

 

NEW JERSEY

NJ STATE GOVERNMENT

  • Small Business Fund – A $10 million capital reserve fund to take a first loss position on CDFI loans that provide low-interest working capital to micro-businesses. This will allow CDFIs to withstand loan defaults due to the outbreak, which will allow them to provide more loans at lower interest rates to microbusinesses affected by the outbreak.

  • Grants by NJ State Department: Unlike federal grantmaking, which primarily uses Grants.gov as a portal for finding and applying for grant opportunities, NJ State grantmaking is administered through individual departments.

  • New Jersey State League of Municipalities: Federal Funding Resources.
  • New Jersey Business Action Center Grants: A list of NJBAC grant opportunities.

NJEDA

  • NJEDA Financing and Incentives: Programs to provide businesses with low-interest financing through bonds, loan participations, loan guarantees, and variable or fixed-rate loans.

NEW YORK

FOUNDERS FIRST CDC GRANTS

Statewide Chambers of Commerce

New Jersey County Chambers of Commerce

All Chambers of Commerce in New Jersey

State Government Offices

Business & Economic Development Centers

New Jersey Venture Capital Firms

New Jersey Small Business Incubators

As a recipient of the Federal and State Technology (FAST) program’s grant award for the State of New Jersey, the NJSBDC can support specialized training, mentoring, and technical assistance for research and development (R&D)–focused small businesses specifically for SBIR & STTR Grants Opportunities.

➡️ Here is a list of SBIR/STTR resources:
➡️ SBIR/STTR RESOURCES BY AGENCY:
➡️ Department of Energy SBIR/STTR Resources
➡️ Other Tech Resources:

Export Counseling and Assistance 

Export Financing and Grants 

Business Resources 

The Tool Kit can be used as a resource tool for any stage of your business life cycle. These seminars and training courses are offered directly from the the SBA.gov website and are designed to help you grow your business and succeed. This tool kit consists of resources for both new businesses as well as existing businesses.I. Courses for new businesses II. Courses for existing businesses

New Businesses

Business Planning
  • How to Write a Business Plan
  • Market Research
  • Strategic Planning
Marketing and Sales
  • Sales for a Small Business Owner
  • Marketing 101: A Guide to Winning Customers
  • Social Media Marketing
Financing 
  • Financing Options
  • Finding and Attracting Investors
  • Pricing Models for Successful Businesses
Business Basics
    • Legal Requirements
    • Young Entrepreneurs
    • Buying a Business
    • Encore Entrepreneurs: An Introduction to Starting Your Own Business
    • Encore Entrepreneurship for Women
    • Understanding Your Customer
    • Cybersecurity for Small Businesses
    • Disaster Recovery: A Guide to SBA’s Disaster Assistance Programs
    • Establishing Values for Your Business
    • Selling Your Business
    • Take Your Business Global
    • Non-Manufacturer Rule Primer
    • Small Business Primer – Understanding Small Business Size Standards and Affiliation
    • Uniform Certification Service
  • The WOSB Advantage

Existing Businesses

Existing Business Courses
  • Introduction to Accounting
  • Introduction to Human Resources
  • Introduction to Pricing
Government Contracting
  • Pre-8(a) Business Development Program- Business Planning and Operational Management
  • Certificate of Competency
  • Contracting Opportunities for Veteran Entrepreneurs
  • Government Contracting 101 (Part 1)
  • Government Contracting 101 (Part 2)
  • Government Contracting 101 (Part 3)
  • HUBZone Mini-Primer #1
  • HUBZone Mini-Primer #2
  • HUBZone Mini-Primer #3
  • How to Prepare Government Contract Proposals
  • Pre-8(a) Business Development program – Introduction to federal contracting
  • Pre-8(a) Business Development program – Winning contracts
  • Price Evaluation Preference – HUBZone Program Guide for Contracting Officers
  • Small Business Contracting Emergency Acquisition Procedures
  • The HUBZone Primer – Eligibility & Certification Requirements
  • Women Owned Small Business Program – A Primer for Contracting Officers

SBDC DISCOUNTS & OFFERS

Disclaimer: Tools and software below are not endorsed by the NJSBDC, please research before choosing any of these. 

  • LivePlan: Get started with an exclusive SBDC client discount
    $15 per month for the first 3 months of access to LivePlan. Click Here
  • Thryv: Transform how you do business, with all your business apps in one place. SBDCs and their clients get 20% off Thryv products and services. Click Here
  • QuickBooks Online: To access the NEW QuickBooks online webpage specifically designed for SBDCs and their clients. Click Here
  • Constant Contact: Save up to 25% off Constant Contact. Click Here
  • SBDC Partner Program with Constant Contacts
  • TechSoup: Explore Tech Soup’s Nonprofit Tech Marketplace. Click Here

Learn More about the above Offers Here

OTHER BUSINESS RESOURCES