THE RURBAN FRINGE

There Is No Free Money

Posted on | August 13, 2009 | No Comments

Ahhh … the lure of free money!

Briefcase Full 'O CashIt sounds great – in theory – as websites like this seek to entice business owners to pay for access to this kind of information.  That’s right.  Pay. 

But make no mistake, these types of sites exist as independent businesses themselves, acting as information clearing-houses. 

The funding program information they claim to have access to, in fact, can almost always be found free-of-charge through a variety of sources.  I know, I work in the field of economic development, and have used/directed people to the exact same programs … and my services are free. 

There is no free money.

Case in point … we do not advise clients to purchase this (extremely costly) information.  Yet recently, a walk-in client accessed our services – purchased book in hand – and was extremely disappointed that not one thing provided in their book could assist her.  Nothing.  Zippo.  Nada.  And she was out-of-pocket $300+.

There are good programs out there to help businesses.

But from our experiences, any granting programs that do exist at provincial or federal levels are often quite targeted as to the industry/sector they represent, and have a rigorous application process.

There are, however, any number of alternative financing and loans programs available to businesses.

So, do your homework. 

Better yet, connect with your local Chamber of Commerce, Community Futures organization, business network,  or regional economic development alliance … the resources, contacts, and support received through these places will far outweigh any information these clearing-houses provide.

Related Posts:

Category: Entrepreneurship
Tags: > > > > >

Comments

Leave a Reply