Maryland offers a lot for women in business
In honor of National Entrepreneurship week 2013 (which is officially between the 16-23 of February) we are tailoring a lot of our content to speak to the unique needs and interests of women entrepreneurs.
The state of Maryland is quite women business friendly if you haven’t noticed. In fact, back in July 2012 we shared Maryland’s ranking #7 in a great report issued by American Express regarding which states were ranked favorably for women owned businesses (click here to read the article) in terms of growth and economic impact (DC ranked #1 by the way).
Trends continue to indicate that more and more women are going to pursue the path of entrepreneurship (according to a recent study released just last week in partnership by Web.com & NAWBO.) Therefore we thought it might be useful to point out what we feel are some of the top resources for women entrepreneurs and women business owners in the state of Maryland.
Our thought process for this initial list was that we focus on things that were government, or quasi-government in nature. We felt because these were not companies or associations or organisations that the information you’d find would be objective, and accurate. Our goal was to direct you to places that could really help you with the basics and/or some of the more complex need to know when it comes to business ownership. With that in mind, here are…
MyCity4Her’s Top 4 Resources for Women in Business in Maryland
The Maryland Small Business Development Centers (SBDC)
The mission of the small business development centers is to help small business and they do a really good job of it. SBDC’s (as they are known) constitute a coming together of several entities (including the SBA – Small Business Administration, state and local governments as well as outside private sector partners and funding resources). At the SBDC you can get solid advice about ways to better and grow your business through counselling, classes and other opportunities and resources – many of which are FREE. It’s a great place to start, if you’re just starting out and we also think it’s a good place to go if your established business is in a rut, or your finding you just need some help. SBDC’ offices are located throughout the state. For a list of those available in Maryland click here.
The Department of Economic Development (DBED)
Choosemaryland.org – The State’s catchy URl that leads you to the site where the agency has accumulated a lot of things to help anyone interested in some important information related to doing business in Maryland includes:
- Info on How to Start a business
- Business resources in the state
- Maryland Business Stats & Facts
- Information on Maryland’s top industries
and more…It also has a pretty nifty newsfeed and calendar. Check it out – we’re sure you’ll find something useful there. Women business owners and entrepreneurs seeking to do business in Maryland will particularly appreciate the section on the Minority Business Enterprise Program.
The Maryland Department of Licensing and Taxation New Business Check list
A lot of people get so excited about the prospect of starting a business they fail to pay attention to all the details necessary or related to properly running it. SDAT has a GREAT check list that walks you through all the steps you need to take to make sure you get started properly, because if you don’t do things right in the beginning it can mean some costly time on the part of professionals to straighten it out later. Though this is perhaps not as exciting or “fun” as some of the other resources cited – we think this resource is important and that’s why we wanted to share it. This great list will go “must cover” new business er…business (pardon the pun) like:
- Choosing your legal entity
- Registering a trademark
- State and local license requirements
among others. Check it out – You’ll be glad you did.
TEDCO
According to their web site…
TEDCO provides Mentoring, Funding, and Networking opportunities to Entrepreneurs for the accelerated success of an innovation economy in Maryland and beyond.
What that means and why should women entrepreneurs, or women business owners care and why are we recommending that TEDCO should be checked out is because it has – to start a great web site that’s got a wealth of information that can be useful, particularly to anyone thinking of pursuing some form of technology or innovation related business. TEDCO is a nexus between:
- Entrepreneurs
- Research labs
- Private investors
- Technology Councils
- Legislators
and more. We encourage you to check it out, there’s a lot of great information to be had online to start, they also offer some great programs including briefings on technology and hold a great Entrepreneur Expo annually.
If you have some favorite resources to share – feel free to add them in the comments section. Much continued success!