A business guide for Black women: looking to start your own business? Here is a must-have list of people to contact for money, technical assistance and sisterly advice

Black Enterprise, August, 1996 by Tonia L. Shakespeare

Looking to start your own business? Here is a must-have list of people to contact for money, technical assistance and sisterly advice.

ANYONE WHO'S EVER TRIED IT KNOWS THAT starting a business is no easy task. It requires an enormous amount of dedication, discipline and due diligence--not to mention money, time and energy. What keeps the successful going is the knowledge that the payoff can be enormous.

Unfortunately, too many women have their efforts thwarted by inexperience, poor planning and/or a lack of financing. Here is a list of essentials that will help you from becoming one of those casualties. This resource list includes books, organizations, financial institutions and technology vehicles, all geared to advancing the entrepreneurial empowerment of women.

COUNTDOWN

Top Entrepreneurial Organizations

These organizations will help you gain knowledge, increase your collective buying power and strengthen your relationships with other businesswomen. They offer an array of services from entrepreneurial workshops to loans by mail, and can provide you and your company with a number of cost-saving benefits.

National Association of Black Women Entrepreneurs Inc., P.O. Box 1375, Detroit, MI 48231; 810-356-3686; fax: 810-354-3793

Business workshops

Information services

Franchise opportunities

NABWE newsletter

National conference, Oct. 18-20

National Association of Women Business Owners, 1100 Wayne Ave., Suite 830, Silver Spring, MD 20910; 301-608-2590; fax: 301-608-2590

Monthly meetings

Lobbying group in Washington

Discounts on NAWBO-sponsored services such as Federal Express

Bimonthly newsletter

Membership directory

Research foundation

50 U.S. chapters and 33 international association affiliates

National Association for Female Executives, 30 Irving Pl., 5th Fl., New York, NY 10003; 212-477-2200

Group medical insurance coverage

Discounted hotel and long-distance telephone services

Loans by mail

Subscription to Executive Female

Access to NAFE Business Basics Program 200 local chapter affiliates

American Woman's Economic Development Corp., 71 Vanderbilt Ave., Suite 320, New York, NY 10169; 212-692-9100

Entrepreneurial training

Business workshops

Seminars held in New York and Los Angeles chapters

Women's Business Development Center, 8 S. Michigan, Suite 400, Chicago, IL 60603; 312-853-3477; fax: 312-853-0145

Individualized consulting

Business training

Loan assistance

10th Annual Entrepreneurial Woman's Conference, Sept. 12

Business and Professional Women/USA, BPW/USA Membership Activation Dept., 2012 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036; 202-293-1100; fax: 202-861-0298

Information exchange via e-mail

Educational loans and scholarships

Career assessment workshops

Launch plans for loan fund

Association of Black Women Entrepreneurs, Box 49368, Los Angeles, CA 90049; 213-624-8639

Bimonthly networking meetings and seminars

Newsletter

Once-a-year private consultation with an industry expert

National Council of Negro Women Inc., 633 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20004; 202-737-0120; fax: 202-737-0476

Newly launched Economic Development/Entrepreneurial Program Center

Individual business skills assessment

Technical assistance for start-ups

Galloway Braintrust Group, 1005 Duke St., Alexandria, VA 22314; 703-683-5588

Stringent membership requirements--limited to women who live and/or conduct business in the Washington metropolitan area. Female entrepreneurs must have been in business for five years and have a minimum of $200,000 in company revenues

Benefits include mentorship, research, lobbying and the opportunity for business promotion

Seminars open to nonmembers

WHAT'S THE URL?

Enterprising Sites Online

Looking for a fast and easy way to access business information? Go online. By subscribing to any Internet service provider (i.e., America Online, Prodigy, etc.), you can dial up the World Wide Web and dive into cyberspace. But first, take a look at the offerings of your own commercial provider. For example, America Online offers Your Business, which lists valuable resources and offers financial advice.

To start you Web hunting, here are a few must hits:

Entreprenet (http://www.enterprise.org). A small business guide library covering product pricing, the arithmetics of a deal, a venture capital resource center and Q&As with industry experts. The guide is produced by Enterprise Corp. of Pittsburgh, a nonprofit management and consulting organization.

Franchise Handbook On Line (http://www.franchise1.com). Listings of industry trade show events, article excerpts and news bytes are just a few of the items in this comprehensive directory. Check out the evaluation checklist for franchise offerings.

The Small Business Resource Center (http://www.webcom.com/seaquest/sbrc/welcome.html). A comprehensive overview on choosing, starting and running a small business. Covers the developmental stages of a start-up--from writing a business plan to acquiring capital.

WASBEC (http://www.wasbec.uca.edu/). You don't have to be a member of the World Association of Small Business Electronic Commerce to access this small business resource guide. A calendar of events lists seminars and symposiums around the country; valuable information on Small Business Administration links is provided.