I need to know about grants available in the Ky area for women business owners?

Question

I am thinking more along the lines of catering or party planning.

Answer 1

Check two places in your local area:

1. The closest chapter of NAWBO, the National Association of Women Business Owners. Many corporations award grant funds in cooperation with local NAWBO chapters.

2. Your nearest SBA (United States Small Business Administration) office.

Some communities also have "Business Centers" or "Microbusiness Incubators" to help teach small business management skills to new entrepreneurs, and some of these are focused in particular on serving women and minority communities.

Be prepared that grant funds for a brand new startup that has not even opened its doors yet are scarce, unless you are low enough income enough to be eligible to tap into something like your city or county's "welfare to work" program. Grants are more often available to a woman entrepreneur who has proven herself capable of taking the first steps on her own. So before you even try to apply for anything, be sure you are at least armed with a very well prepared and researched written business plan, including marketing plans and financial projections. Your local SBA office can provide free resources to help you do this. Good luck.

Answer 2

Grants are usually offered to business that help solve social problems. And grants are tough to come by sometimes. So you may just have to march into the bank to ask for a start up business loan. Below are a few sites that have plenty of information on starting up businesses and they are government sponsored sites. Good luck.

Answer 3

This question should be in the business section as you might get more info there. However, there are several programs available for 'minority' 'women owned' businesses.

Check with Department of Commerce the Minority Business Dev agency: http://www.mbda.gov/

I strongly recommend you read all that is on this website - including the FAQ and other links.

Be wary of 'sites' that offer financing to new businesses - check always with the BBB (Better Business Bureau)

In each State/City there is normally a group of retired executives that provide assistance to new businesses - check to see if there is one in your area.

If you know of a women owned business in your area, I would strongly recommend you pay them a visit and see if they are willing (most would be) to sit with you and just walk you thru some of the steps. It might cost you a lunch for that person, but worth to learn from people who have been thru it.

GSA and other govt agencies sometimes put on free seminars on setting up small businesses (go thru the SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION in your area for info on classes, pamphlets, etc)

Good luck!