Small Business Resources
Starting a Business – Business Planning
Community Business Partnership
6564 Loisdale Court, Ste. 600, Springfield, VA 22150
(703) 768-1440
https://cbponline.org/Provides online and in-person training and counseling for people who want to start or grow small businesses.
Virginia Business One Stop
http://www.bos.virginia.gov/index.shtml
Information on all steps of owning a business in Virginia.
Virginia Small Business Development Centers, State Office
4031 University Drive, Suite 100, Fairfax, VA 22030
(703) 277-7703
https://www.virginiasbdc.org/
Provides counseling and training.
Fairfax County Bizex
https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/topics/starting-business
Business, Professional, and Occupational Licenses (BPOL) Information
https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/taxes/business/information-new-businesses
New businesses must file a business license application within 75 days of the date business began.
SCORE Counseling
https://washingtondc.score.org/
SCORE is a nationwide, non-profit volunteer association with over 12,000 retired and active business owners and executives. SCORE provides one-on-one counseling and mentoring, low-cost business-related workshops and FREE house calls to your business location to conduct business reviews. The Washington, D.C., area chapter has over 50 expert volunteer members to assist you.
Marketing a Business Online
- Wordpress.com – https://wordpress.com/start/user?ref=pricing-lp - free website builder
- Facebook.com – https://www.facebook.com/business/pages/set-up - Create a business page for free.
- Yelp.com - https://biz.yelp.com/ - Create a business listing and ask for reviews.
- Google.com - https://www.google.com/business/ - List your contact information and ask for reviews.
- Put pictures of your work online so people can see that you do a good job.
Networking
- Talk to friends, family, and classmates to see if they need your business.
- Visit www.meetup.com to find local groups in contracting, remodeling, housekeeping, or other common careers.
- Google businesses doing the type of work you would like to do in your area - and call them to see if they need help.
- Look on Facebook for local businesses like the kind you want to start, and follow their page to see what information they post and if they have jobs.
