Places To Get Help For Your Small Business

Most Municipal governments have Small Business Development Centers. They also have Minority and Female Based Business Advisory boards. These are great resources for advice from a city/county/state perspective. There are resources for submitting bids, finding open requests for projects, etc... and there are possibly grants to grow your business, expand your business and hire particular types of employees.

They also have funds for renovating certain properties in central business districts or historical districts.
What you can also find there is contact information for the local chapter of Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE). It can be a great and inexpensive way to get some consulting from retired accountants, business managers, attorneys etc...

But where do you go when you're 2-3 years into your business and in RAPID GROWTH Mode??
This is when you just don't have time to make 100 appointments with government employees to get referred to the next appointment. This is the time when your business relies on YOU BEING ON THE JOB.

This is when you NEED to start creating your team of trusted business advisors.
Here are the basic needs and why:

1) CPA/Bookkeeper - in Rapid Growth Mode, your business is no longer in a place where you should be doing your own taxes or bookkeeping without at least professional guidance. You could have a part time bookkeeper or have a CPA set up your Quickbooks... but they need to be part of your planning and advising at this point.
Strategise for tax savings NOW!

2) Mortgage Broker - in Rapid Growth Mode, your personal and business finances are especially important. Now is the time to make sure that you're leveraged properly. You want to make sure your personal mortgage is in order. Now is NOT the time for a 15 year mortgage, a bi-weekly payment plan, or anything that ties up your money from your use. Remember - you might think that putting it in your business is an expense - but it is actually an investment and you can regain that money down the road with interest as a loan!

Speaking of which... now is the time you're probably going to start looking for new space. You're bursting at the seams and need to find something - rent or buy is your decision and your mortgage professional will be able to look at your finances and see if now is the time. If it is, he/she will be able to show you how best to finance the transaction with the LEAST STRESS on you and your business.

3) Realtor - when bursting at the seams, a Realtor can help identify the right space for you while you're working. Don't worry about shopping, calling property owners, landlords etc... contrary to popular belief, it does NOT cost more to use a Realtor in a real estate transaction.
Whether renting or buying, your realtor partner will be there to help you find the right place in the most efficient manner!

4) Attorney - hmmm...lots of people would be confused as to why I would leave this person til last. You have to have an attorney one way or another to make sure you're legally sound. I just don't push this one to the front because there are so many other professionals up there that cover a lot of the same bases. Sure, they don't do what an attorney does ... but an attorney can't do what they do either!! for example ... Attorney's can close loans, but not pick them!
Your attorney should welcome the opportunity to work hand in hand with the rest of your team. Then you'll be getting the best overall legal advice.

5) Personal Banker - if your bank doesn't know who you are or what you do... then it is time to find a smaller bank that caters to your needs as a small business owner. Any of your other professionals should know some of these people... they're not advertising like the big banks - but they will treat you better.

These are also the people most likely to help you with financial issues outside of your mortgages like merchant accounts, operating capital lines of credit, money market accounts, deposit accounts... they will also help you keep your books in good order! Sure... they'll do your mortgages too, but they will only have a few specialty loan programs so they won't be able to help you with ALL your needs.

When you've outgrown the small business groups and are ready to step into the big leagues, you probably don't even have time to do so without some major overhauling of your schedule! It will be well worth it, though to focus on identifying at least one of the first ones... they'll be able to refer the rest of the team with professionals they know, trust and work with regularly.
A good team of professionals at your service will not only save you time and money.... but grow your business for you!

Sound advice do take and cherish it.

read more here http://activerain.com/blogsview/96584/Small-Business-Real-Estate