This past week, the U.S. officially celebrated Small Business Week. Every year, since 1963, the President of the United States has issued a proclamation recognizing the significant contributions of American entrepreneurs and small business owners.
If you own a small business, you’re among the more than 50% of Americans who either own or work for a small business. Did you know that small business owners create two of every three new jobs in the U.S. every year?
I love small business owners! I think I mentioned that last week when I wrote about how small business owners can set and attain quarterly goals.
Well, I wanted to share with you some other important information for small business owners provided by the Small Business Administration (SBA). This government agency is dedicated to helping small business owners. The sba.gov website is also a good place to search for new business opportunities, by applying for government contracts. Here’s how to do it:
- GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING CLASSROOM – Sba.gov offers free online courses to help small business owners understand the basics about contracting with government agencies and applying for the 8(a) Business Development Program. If you qualify, you can apply to sell your service or product to the federal government. Every year, the federal government buys close to $100 billion worth of goods and services from small business owners. Go to sba.gov for more information.
- PROCUREMENT CENTERS – There are six SBA Procurement Centers throughout the U.S. and representatives in a number of states, including right here in Florida. Procurement Center Representatives (PCRs) can help guide small business owners through federal government buying activities in their geographic area and answer questions about contracting support.
- QUALIFYING AS A SMALL BUSINESS – Just because you’re not a big conglomerate, doesn’t mean you’re a small business. The federal government has a number of standards business owners must meet in order to register for government contracts as a small business. What’s your average number of employees over the last 12 months? Is your business for profit? Do you operate in the U.S.? Is your business independently owned and operated? These are some of the questions you’ll need to answer to apply for government contracting procurement. You can go to sba.gov and click under Qualifying as a Small Business for more specifics or feel free to call us at Brigade Bookkeeping and we’ll walk you through it.
- REGISTER FOR GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS – Once you’ve figured out that you qualify as a small business, taken the online courses and spoken to a procurement officer, it’s time to register for government contracting. You can do it all online. First you need to obtain a Dunn and Bradstreet or D-U-N-S Number, which is a unique nine-digit identification code for the physical address of your business. You can do that on sba.gov. Once you’ve done that, you need to register your business with the System of Award Management or SAM, which is a database of vendors doing business with the federal government. You’ll also need an administrative tax code and past performance evaluations. If it all seems a bit complicated, then e-mail me and I will help you take your first steps into government contracting.
Congratulations small business owner; you are the backbone of our country! I know it’s not an easy feat to run a business, but if you do it right, it can be rewarding. There are a number of resources out there for you, including the Small Business Administration. So take advantage of these resources and keep up the good work!
