10 ways to get involved with entrepreneurship for free

by Dave Rigotti on May 21, 2009

In honor of National Small Business Week, I’ve come up with a list of 10 ways on how you can get involved with entrepreneurship for free. Small businesses are important because they (from SBA Advocacy):

  1. Employ about half of all private sector employees.
  2. Pay nearly 45 percent of total U.S. private payroll.
  3. Have generated 60 to 80 percent of net new jobs annually over the last decade.
  4. Create more than half of nonfarm private gross domestic product (GDP).
  5. Hire 40 percent of high tech workers (such as scientists, engineers, and computer
    workers).
  6. Made up 97.3 percent of all identified exporters and produced 28.9 percent of the known
    export value in FY 2006.

So without further ado, here’s how you can get involved with entrepreneurship for free.

Start a company

  • Bizdom U
    “Bizdom U provides comprehensive, real-world training, mentorship, and support for aspiring entrepreneurs who have a burning passion and determination to build their own growth-oriented, Detroit-based business.”
  • Y Combinator
    “Y Combinator is a new kind of venture firm specializing in funding early stage startups. We help startups through what is for many the hardest step, from idea to company.”
  • TechStars
    “TechStars is a mentorship-driven seed stage investment fund. Each year we run a summer-long program in Boulder, Colorado and Cambridge, Massachusetts. We’re very selective – each year hundreds of companies apply to the program and we only take about ten per city. These companies get up to $18,000 in seed funding, a summer of intensive top-notch mentorship, and the chance to pitch to angel investors and venture capitalists at the end of the summer.”
  • Startup Weekend
    “Startup Weekend recruits a highly motivated group of developers, business managers, startup enthusiasts, marketing gurus, graphic artists and more to a 54 hour event that builds communities, companies and projects.”

Provide content

  • Startup Nation
    “StartupNation is a free service founded by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs. We created this site to be your one-stop shop for entrepreneurial success, and we’re thrilled that StartupNation has grown to be the leading online content and community resource for entrepreneurs.”

Volunteer

  • Startup Advisor
    Advisors act as mentors for new businesses. Typically, they have experience in the particular industry or with entrepreneurship, but that’s not always the case.
  • Chamber of Commerce
    Many chapters of the Chamber of Commerce welcome volunteerism and, depending on your experience level, may connect you with small businesses in the area who are seeking help.
  • Small Business Administration
    “The SBA helps Americans start, build and grow businesses. Through an extensive network of field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations, SBA delivers its services to people throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U. S. Virgin Islands and Guam.”
  • S.C.O.R.E
    “SCORE “Counselors to America’s Small Business” is a nonprofit association dedicated to educating entrepreneurs and the formation, growth and success of small business nationwide. SCORE is a resource partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)… Both working and retired executives and business owners donate time and expertise as business counselors.”
  • University Programs
    Many universities now have entrepreneurship programs that look for “real-world” help, stories, and more.

(A thanks is owed to the Loud Amplifier Marketing blog for reminding me it’s National Small Business Week with their post titled “Harnessing the Web for Start Ups.”)

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