|
Poor Folk Marketing.com
|
marketing iedas internet marketing online marketing offline marketing | |
|
Featured Business, Start a Personalized Candy Wrapper Business: Wrapcandy.com |
|
|
| |
| |
| Home | Small Business Information | Pay Per Click Advertising | Affiliate Revenue | Web Promotion | |
|
|
|
SBAs 8(a) Program Can Help Some Companies Compete
Q: A friend told me that as a woman of Native American descent I might be eligible for a special SBA program that will help me start a small business. He said I could compete for government contracts through this program. Can you tell me what SBA program he's referring to?-- Clara P. A: Your friend is probably referring to the Small Business Administration's (SBA) 8(a) Business Development (BD) Program. The 8(a) Program (named after the section of the Small Business Act from which it comes) is an SBA program created to help small disadvantaged businesses better compete in the U.S. marketplace and within the arena of government procurement. The SBA provides business development, technical assistance and other services to the small businesses that are accepted into the 8(a) program. The 8(a) program is reserved for what the SBA calls "socially disadvantaged individuals." Socially disadvantaged individuals are defined as those who have been subjected to racial or ethnic prejudice or cultural bias because of their membership in a disadvantaged group. The SBA has designated the following groups as socially disadvantaged: · Black Americans · Hispanic Americans · Native Americans (Native American Indians, Eskimos, Aleuts, and Native Hawaiians) · Certain Asian Pacific Americans · Other individuals who can prove that they meet the SBA's criteria to be considered socially disadvantaged One point where your friend is incorrect is that the 8(a) program is for new companies. The 8(a) program is primarily for companies that have been in business for a minimum of two years, though that rule may be waived if your company is able to meet some pretty strict management, financial, and performance criteria. Obtaining 8(a) status is no guarantee that a company will be successful in obtaining government or other contracts, but it certainly doesn't hurt. The Small Business Act mandates that all small businesses have the opportunity to provide goods and services to the U.S. government. To help ensure that mandate, the SBA negotiates annual procurement preference goals with every Federal agency and reviews each agency's results to make sure the goals were met. The statutory goals are: 23 percent of all prime contracts go to small businesses; 5 percent of prime and subcontracts for small disadvantaged businesses; 5 percent of prime and subcontracts for women-owned small businesses; 3 percent of prime contracts for HUBZone small businesses; and 3 percent of prime and subcontracts for service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses. A HUBZone (Historically Underutilized Business Zone) is a designated area within urban and rural communities that has been given preferential contract award consideration in an effort to stimulate economic development. A company may qualify for HUBZone status if it is owned or controlled by one or more U.S. citizens, has at least 35 percent of employees who live within the designated zone, and has a principal office located there. HUBZones are a whole 'nother topic that we can discuss at another time. Suffice it to say that a company that obtains both 8(a) and HUBZone status may be entitled to double dip in the government procurement trough, that's why you often find a number of 8(a) companies specifically moving into HUBZone areas to take advantage of the perks both programs offer. The U.S. government purchases billions of dollars in goods and services every year, everything from staples to those wonderfully expensive toilet seats. Obtaining 8(a) status allows small businesses to compete for a portion of that business. The basic requirements for applying for 8(a) status are your company must be a small business as defined by the SBA, must be owned and controlled by one or more socially and economically disadvantaged individuals who are U.S. citizens, and must show a potential for success. The SBA defines a small business as "one that is independently owned and operated, is organized for profit, and is not dominant in its field." As expected, the 8(a) program has its fans and its detractors. It's fans are those companies that obtain 8(a) status and thereby get preferential treatment when competing for government procurement contracts. The program's detractors are typically those companies that fail to obtain 8(a) status or that do not meet the definition of socially disadvantaged, i.e. businesses owned my white American males (that's a can of worms we won't open this week). You can learn more at the SBA's website (sba.gov) or by calling your local SBA office. Here's to your success! Tim Knox Small Business Q&A is written by veteran entrepreneur and syndicated columnist, Tim Knox. Tim serves as the president and CEO of three successful technology companies and is the founder of DropshipWholesale.net, an online organization dedicated to the success of online and eBay entrepreneurs. Related Links:
MORE RESOURCES:
Small-Business - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
7 Reasons To Take Control Of Your Small Business' Checking Needs Business checks are available in many styles and varieties. They offer many benefits to your small business, some you may not have thought of. How to Start a Pet Transportation Business Pet Transportation Services are needed as the number of pets in the U.S. Can Your Business Run Without You? What would happen if you decided to take an extended vacation? Would you still have the same business results when you returned?I met a business owner recently who told me an interesting story. His business was 15 years old and he had approximately 50 employees. Creative Marketing Tips: Simple Things You Can Use In Your Business To Attract More Clients The single most important activity you can do in your small business is create a unique marketing strategy and plan. When was the last time you saw a company marketing themselves in an outrageous way? In this day and age it looks like everyone has read the same book on marketing - and sorry to say - that book doesn't work!What does work - is a little creativity, a little personality and a lot of effort to make yourself so different from your competition - that there is no real competition. How To Cut Expenses And Manage Your Business If you own a small business, you should know that often times it can be the little things, rather than the large expenses, that can eat away at your budget. But many times, small business owners will try and increase their profits by looking around at what larger expenses they can cut. Starting A Concrete Cleaning Pressure Washer Business Concrete cleaning can be a lucrative business to start. Here are some tips which will help you do it right. Expanding A Mobile Car Wash Business What is the best time to expand a mobile car wash business? If everything were perfect and you could choose the best time to buy a new mobile car wash rig, you should buy it in April and have it running by the 20th of May. If you have 1. Business Relationships Defined What makes a business relationship?What really makes a business relationship? This may be very hard to define as it goes beyond just meeting the person and chatting about something you have in common. A relationship is developed over a period of time and usually does not happen instantly. How to Find a Microenterprise Loan for Your Business If you're looking for start-up capital for your business, but you don't have the credit, collateral or background needed by your bank to get a business loan, then microenterprise might be your best bet.Microenterprise Development programs have been around since the 1970s. Local Government Relations for Small Business Most small businesses simply go about their daily business and serving customers without ever worrying about local government relations. For some it turns out okay but for others it can become a disaster. Alliances: What works, what does not Why Alliances FailWhen do you know an alliance is falling apart?An alliance will surely fail without good communication on both sides. It will also fail if the alliance partner is not capable of completing the tasks set out in the service level agreement. What Your Small Business Can Learn From The Doctor Most doctors never distinguish the difference between customers and patients. That's why they have waiting rooms instead of reception areas. Five Break-through Ideas to Immediately Increase Profits and Improve Cash Flow Too often in business we get trapped into reviewing our sales numbers without analyzing the all important "profit" number. This is commonly referred to as the "bottom-line" of a business. 11 MONSTROUS Small Business Marketing Mistakes and How To Avoid Them Increase your profit potential by identifying - and avoiding - these 11 marketing mistakes.MONSTROUS Marketing Mistake Number 1: Sinking a Fortune Into an Unproven ProductIs your business idea built on market research or a hunch?Entrepreneurs often fall in love with their products or services before they determine if there's a real market, and they throw fistfuls of money into the venture. Boston Market; Mobile Auto Detailing Boston itself covers 50 square miles of concrete and traffic, well city limits actually exactly 46 square miles, the entire metro area can be and is often over stated at 1100 square miles, but more realistically about 380 in our humble opinion. And you know some of that is water. How to Prepare for Your Start-Up Venture! When you awoke this morning, you found yourself buzzing with a fantastic idea for starting a new business and you hadn't a doubt in your mind that you could turn it into a huge success. But now what? All those great ideas floating around in your head and you're excited about making them happen, but at the moment you don't know where to begin. Alliances: Drawing The Line How far can you go based on your relationship with an alliance partner?The imaginary line you draw in the sand will let you know when an alliance is getting close to failing. I would suggest setting the line a little higher than the disaster point. 5 Good Reasons a Self-Employed Professional Should Take Vacation So you think you're not justified in taking time away from your business because you're self-employed? Here are five great reasons why you should definitely take a vacation:1. Physical down timeYou work hard to grow and maintain your business. How To Plant Seeds of Success With Small Business Ideas Think of all of your business ideas as tiny seeds that have the potential to germinate and grow into huge fruit bearing orchards! However, the proper steps must be taken; you can't scatter the seeds haphazardly on pavement and expect they will germinate. Growing a business is no different; it needs a fertile environment conducive to growth in order to germinate and thrive. The Key To Success - Choose The Right Partners Do you promote yourself as offering prompt, reliable and quality service?Of course - none of us promote ourselves as anything less, and equally we strive to provide this level of service all the time.So what happens when you take your networking to the next level, and start to offer referrals, or even establish partnerships or alliances for certain activities?Whatever you do at this point creates significant impact on your business and personal reputation - potentially positive and also potentially negative.
|
| home | site map |
| PoorFolkMarketing © 2007 |
