Business Resource Links

NAICS Changes for 2012

Business Assistance Organizations in Marquette County

MI-SBTDC (Michigan Small Business & Technology Center) provides free, one-on-one business counseling services to individuals. A business counselor visits Marquette weekly and meets with business owners and those interested in becoming business owners. Call the Lake Superior Community Partnership office at 906-226-9658 to make an appointment.

Michigan Works! is a public/private partnership providing assistance to job-seekers and assisting businesses with their human resource needs. Visit www.jobforce.org or call 906-228-3075 for more information about their services.

Northern Initiatives serves the business needs of the Upper Peninsula with lending services, consulting services, entrepreneurial education programs and seminars of interest to the business community. Visit www.northerninitiatives.com or call 906-228-5571 to learn more.

A “Virtual” Incubator program is available through a partnership between the MEDC and the MI-SBTDC. Information is available at www.accelmich.org complete with a nice list of resources for entrepreneurs

Helpful Websites for Business Assistance/Research

Michigan Economic Development Corporation

www.michigan.org/medc/services/sgtartups/?m=12;7

Small Business Administration

Small Business Planner The resources you need to get your business started. Whether you’re sitting down to write your business plan, wondering about your legal obligations, or researching your financing options, you’ll find the information you need right here.  After you have successfully launched your small business, you have the ongoing challenge of managing it. This section provides a variety of resources that will help you run your business smoothly or exit your venture, if you choose to take a different direction.

Export Business Planner The Export Business Planner is a free, customizable tool for small business owners who are exploring exporting. Using the planner, you can work through the critical processes of export readiness and planning via a ready-made, easily accessible document that can be updated and referenced time and again as your export business grows.

Free Online Training SBA has recently expanded its free online courses to provide strategies to businesses to help with economic recovery.   The most recent additions are:  Strategic Marketing: How to Win Customers in a Slowing Economy; and Downshifting in a Slowing Economy:  A Business Planning Guide.  To access these and other online courses visit: Online Courses

Become More Energy Efficient  As business owners look at ways to reduce expenses in an effort to conserve limited financial resources, reducing energy costs can provide some savings.  Adopting "green" practices can decrease expenses while contributing to a cleaner environment.  Ideas include simple things like using energy efficient lighting, weather stripping, insulation, and installing light sensors.  Green projects that require a capital outlay such as an energy efficient HVAC system are eligible for SBA loan guaranty programs.  Federal tax credits for energy efficiency upgrades, and other financial incentives are also available.  To learn more about going green, access the following Web sites:

How to Become Energy Efficient

Going Green Fact Sheet

Use Your Voice Through the Office of Advocacy The SBA Office of Advocacy exists to protect, strengthen and represent the nation's small businesses within the federal government's legislative and rule making processes.  The Small Business Watchdog Blog, through the Office of Advocacy, focuses on regulatory issues.  Businesses can post their thoughts on the latest small business economic research, point readers to interesting news items, and comment on proposed new rules.  Through this blog, information is spread about the importance of small business to the economic community.  To post or leave a comment visit Advocacy Blog.