Business Starting Grants

I am starting my first business, and i would to know where can i get start up capital suck as grants/investors

Starting a small business/ Start up Business Capital/ Investors and Grants

Public Comments

1. Check out the Small Business Administration web site -- they're a great resource for the small business owner. I listed a couple of other handy links as well. Try reading up on the subject -- check out Amazon, your local bookstore or library. Prior to investing your time, money & effort into a business name, it is strongly advised that comprehensive research be conducted to ensure that the name you're interested in is truly available. This entails searching the pending & registered Federal and State trademark files as well as the US National Common-Law files. Then, if clear, you can decide if you would like to file for a Federal or a State trademark. Research is needed to make sure your trade name is legally available, before opening, before expansion, before incorporation or before designing your logo. Similarities in sound, appearance and meaning affect you too! There are 16+ million trade names in use in the United States. Similar names matter, if close in sound, appearance or meaning. Similar names in related classes, distribution channels and customer matter too. You are affected by Common Law use (14 million), State Trademarks (500,000) and Federal Trademarks (2 million).
2. It is hard to find grants to start a business. Unlike the myths that some perpetuate, federal government and even private foundations hardly give grant money for a for-profit business. And yes, grants mean PAPERWORK - lots and lots of it, that is why a cottage industry of grant writers was born. Nonetheless, you can go to the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) http://www.cfda.gov and Grants.gov http://www.grants.gov - these are two sites created by the federal government to provide transparency and information on grants. Browse through the listings and see if you can find any grant that would support a for-profit venture. Even SBA does NOT give out grants. From the SBA website http://www.sba.gov/expanding/grants.html... "The U.S. Small Business Administration does not offer grants to start or expand small businesses, although it does offer a wide variety of loan programs. (See http://www.sba.gov/financing for more information) While SBA does offer some grant programs, these are generally designed to expand and enhance organizations that provide small business management, technical, or financial assistance. These grants generally support non-profit organizations, intermediary lending institutions, and state and local governments." You may want to go and pitch your ideas where investors gather. Here are some places where angel investors come and those looking for funding can come and pitch their business plans. Be sure to have a strong business plan and describe what makes your business idea stand apart: Angel Capital Association http://www.angelcapitalassociation.org Angel's Forum http://www.angelsforum.com Band of Angels http://www.bandangels.com Common Angels http://www.commonangels.com Keiretsu Forum http://www.k4forum.com Launchpad Venture Group http://www.launchpadventuregroup.com New World Angels http://www.newworldangels.com New York Angels http://www.newyorkangels.com Prairie Angels http://www.prairieangels.org (charges $125 to submit idea) Robin Hood Ventures http://www.robinhoodventures.com(charges $250)