SBA’s YES Tour Engages Young Entrepreneurs

All across the country, there are young men and women dreaming of opening their own business. Some are looking to start the next social media phenomenon, while others are focused on a business idea that fills an important niche on their campuses and in their communities.

The Small Business Administration has the tools and resources these entrepreneurs need to succeed. At the SBA we know that young entrepreneurs are a valuable source of American innovation and long-term growth.

To assist more young entrepreneurs, we have launched our Young Entrepreneur Series (YES). It provides an opportunity for young entrepreneurs to hear from SBA leadership about best practices in building their companies – and what resources are out there to help them navigate the start-up and growth of their companies.

SBA’s Deputy Administrator Marie Johns recently completed a five-city Young Entrepreneur Series (YES) tour, and we now are building on that with a comprehensive campaign to reach more young entrepreneurs.

I recently attended a YES event at Eastern Connecticut State University in Willimantic, Connecticut. This event, as well as the one at the University of New Hampshire in Manchester, offered an opportunity to meet and hear from young entrepreneurs who shared their stories with young adults and business owners. What we’ve learned through our outreach efforts is that young entrepreneurs have different sorts of needs – they’re not just online and mobile; they’re starting different kinds of businesses while working out of cafés or even dorm rooms.

As a result, we’ve launched a new set of online tools with links to resources and online courses geared specifically toward young entrepreneurs at http://www.sba.gov/content/young-entrepreneurs. The new SBA online community also puts articles and advice from tens of thousands of small business owners and entrepreneurs just like you at your fingertips. You can join us at www.sba.gov/community.

In addition to our YES program, we have many tools available for young entrepreneurs. We like to call these our “three Cs”: capital, contracting, and counseling.

We provide a government guarantee on SBA loans that are given by banks and credit unions to increase access to capital; opportunities for small businesses in federal contracting (including special efforts for women, veterans and disadvantaged businesses); and we offer counseling and training to over a million aspiring entrepreneurs each year.

In terms of access to capital, one great example is SBA’s microloan program. It provides low-cost, low-dollar loans to entrepreneurs and small business owners who need a small infusion of capital to start or expand their businesses.

As you build your business, SBA resource partners like SCORE, Small Business Development Centers and Women’s Business Centers are here for you to provide mentoring, coaching and advice for every stage of your business, from starting up and writing a business plan, to access to capital and expanding your operation.

SBA is dedicated to educating young entrepreneurs, connecting them to each other and other successful business owners and providing better access to tools, resources and information on starting, growing and managing a business.

But no matter where you are, how old you are, or what your business is, SBA has resources to help you grow your business. You can get in touch with your closest SBA district office or resource partner at www.sba.gov/direct.

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