:: Starting Your Own Business ::

Halfway between Suffolk and Petersburg is a diner, rich in hometown atmosphere. As you walk in, you’re immediately greeted with true southern hospitality. The quaint atmosphere is inviting, and the red-checkered table clothes lining the tables are reminiscent of “the good ol’ days.” An elderly gentleman takes a seat at one of the tables and almost instantly, a lively waitress appears, coffee and cream in hand—“Will it be the usual today, Mr. Harris?”

On a regular basis, whether every day or every trip down 460, customers return faithfully to the Virginia Diner for the warm aroma of buttermilk biscuits and the southern hospitality of the staff. It feels like home. A restaurant that got its start in an old railroad car has come to be an institution in Wakefield, Virginia, and has been named “The Peanut Capital of the World.” The Virginia Diner continues to be a thriving example of the dream so many Americans have—to own, operate, and grow a small business.

But for many, there is a gap between their lifelong dream and reality. Sometimes the reason for the gap is not knowing where or how to start; sometimes the reason is finding a way to finance a small business; and sometimes it’s just the need to feel comfortable in the business world.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) offers resources to fill in those gaps, helping to make small business dreams a reality. The SBA offers programs and advice to help you grow and succeed in your small business plan.

To help you avoid many of the pitfalls that come with starting a business, the SBA has created an interactive checklist that will evaluate your reasons for wanting to start a business, your personal skills and experience, and your start-up plan. The checklist even has a financial calculator that will calculate the financial feasibility of starting your own business. The checklist can be found under the Small Business Planner on the SBA website www.sba.gov.

The SBA website also lists handy resources to address questions regarding applications for small business grants and loans and business assistance programs. The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) offer free one-on-one counseling sessions to those interesting in starting their own business. There are over 13,000 chapter locations nationwide. The SBA website features state chapter locators for both programs.

A step-by-step guide to creating your business plan is also available through the SBA, including lessons on strategizing for your business to succeed, outlines to help draft your plan, and even a glossary of terms often used in the business world. The SBA also lists sample plans for all kinds of business types from bed and breakfasts, to self-storage, to wedding consulting.

Just as the Virginia Diner has evolved from small beginnings in a railroad car to being the Peanut Capital of the World, your small business could be on its way to being the next legendary business in your town. These small business tools available through the Small Business Administration just might be the tools to bridge the gap between your small business dream and reality. For more information on resources offered by the SBA and to access even more small business tools, visit the SBA on the web at www.sba.gov.