Category Archives: Resources

Surety Bond Guarantee Program

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The SBA’s Surety Bond Guarantee Program helps small and emerging contractors obtain bid, performance and payment bonds. The SBA guarantees up to 90% of a bond issued by a surety company for construction, service, supply and manufacturing contracts. To qualify as a small business an applicant’s annual receipts must meet the NAICS standard.

The Seattle Bond Office handles applications for bond guarantees on behalf of contractors domiciled in nine western states and thirteen southern states.

Learn more here… http://www.sba.gov/surety-bonds

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Contract Opportunities for Service-Disabled Veterans

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Small Business Concerns owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans has been established under The Veterans Bene ts Act of 2003 – Public Law 108-183. This act assists federal agencies in meeting the 3% veteran contracting goal.

Federal contracting of cers may now set-aside or award sole- source contracts to Service-Disabled Veteran Owned (SDVO) Small Business Concerns (SBC).

Eligibility:

  1. 51% or more owned by one or more service-disabled veterans.
  2. Management and daily business operations is controlled by one or more service-disabled veterans or the spouse of such veteran if the veteran is permanently and severely disabled.
  3. At the time of contract offer, an SDVO SBC is small as defined by the size standard corresponding to the NAICS code (13 CFR 121.201) assigned to the contract.

Small business concerns self-certify. You should obtain a letter from the VA certifying that you are a service-disabled veteran in the event another business protests your award.  Continue reading →

How to find the right investor for your small business.

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By Caron Beesley, Contributor

Although small businesses still turn to credit unions, community banks, and traditional banks for their capital needs, outside equity such as angel investment and venture capital, are  valid options. In fact, the venture and angel capital industries are experiencing a sharp increase in demand thanks to a greater certainty in the domestic economy.

If you’re looking for a private equity firm, venture or angel capitalist to fund your business, what are your options? Below are some tips for identifying the right fit for your needs and taking those important first steps.  Continue reading →

Ask SCORE: How can I protect my ideas?

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Got a great idea? Follow these first steps from SCORE Counselor, Alan Tratner of Santa Barbara, CA.

1. Put all your ideas, notes and drawings in an inventor’s journal, and have it signed, witnessed and dated. Be careful about disclosing your ideas to anyone—use a confidentiality or non-disclosure document when discussing your ideas.

2. Decide whether to file a provisional patent application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. For more  information on the benefits and how to file, visit the USPTO Web site at http://www.uspto.gov.

3. Conduct a Preliminary Patentability Search to discover what patents exist like your ideas — and get a patent attorney to render you a Patentability Opinion. There are many ways to conduct the search, including the Patent Depository Libraries on the uspto.gov Web site. File a PTO Provisional Patent Application for one year if all looks good.  Continue reading →

Business webinars from SCORE.org

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Here’s a handbook for the business side of farming.

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By Patrice Barkentine, Outreach and Education Coordinator
Office of Compliance and Outreach, Washington State Department of Agriculture
Current version published September, 2014

WSDA Handbook for Small FarmsWelcome to the “Handbook for Small and Direct Marketing Farms: Regulations and Strategies for Farm Businesses in Washington State.” This is the seventh edition of this guide, popularly known as “The Green Book.” For more than 30 years, WSDA has produced this invaluable resource for our state’s small and direct marketing farmers. Our goal is to help farmers understand the rules and regulations for direct marketing an endless range of crops, livestock, seed, nursery products, processed and prepared foods, body care products and beverages in Washington State. We also cover information on business licensing, financing, taxes, labor, and more.

We have two major goals with the Seventh Edition of the “Handbook for Small and Direct Marketing Farms.” One is to expand the content to cover new products grown by Washington’s innovative farmers and the second is to make the format more user-friendly and accessible. You will find every page of the book numbered from 1-174 as well as an index at the back of the resource to easily find key words in this expanded edition. New information is in direct response to the frequently asked questions we get from farmers around the state.  Continue reading →

Do you need a business license?

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Different types of businesses need different types of licenses. It can get pretty complicated, so Washington State has created an online tool that will help you create a personalized Business Licensing Guide based on your answers to a few questions.

To give it a try, click here…

bus_licensing_guide_763

Then leave a comment to let us know what you think.