YOUR SMALL BUSINESS LIFE LINE!
Are you looking for a Small Business Grant? Have you received a phone call from a company promising to get you hundreds of thousands in small business grant money just waiting for your new or existing business? Just send in your $2600 + and they will start the paperwork. BE CAREFUL! Small business grants are not given to entrepreneurs, new businesses, minority owned businesses or existing business unless you are a Non-Profit Organization, and in order to get a grant, it takes a lot of complete paperwork and time. If the Small Business Grant company got you excited and now you are convinced that you are going to get all of this FREE money for your business, imagine how excited they are when they get your money wired into their account and you never hear from them again. Any business that claims that they can get you grant money and charge you a fee is a scam.
A few companies that are currently hitting their solicitation marketing pretty hard right now are -
Small Business Funding Company of Nevada - Their contract is worded really good. Protects them from their false advertising stating that they are a grant writing service and that they do not provide grant money. They also also services on Incorporating which takes away some of the heat of their grant solicitations. They are currently under investigation by the Henderson Business Licensing Division. The phone number associated with an email I sent to SMFC while doing an investigation (I'm a Certified Fraud Examiner) is now showing up for The Grant Center 4760 S Pecos Rd Ste 204. Las Vegas, and the website for Small Business Funding Company is no longer active, yet The Grant Center has their website up and running, promising you all of this grant money.
Nationwide Corporate Funding of Nevada - Claims that they are not associated with Small Business Company of Nevada and that they are a "consulting business". Before you sign any paperwork and give them your bank account, ask yourself this very important question! Is my business a non-profit? If it is not a non-profit, DO NOT PAY anyone to find you grant money for your business. If you are a non-profit and are looking for grant writing services, there are Grant Writing service companies and individuals who are experts in writing grants and will assist non-profits to obtain legitimate grants. Make sure you read the fine print before you sign anything or pay anyone!
Some useful links to help you make up your mind about a Small Business Grant
Snopes.com - excellent article
Business Week Article on Small Business Grants
Rip Off Report - some interesting literature and complaints
Consumer Affairs - Grant Comments
Consumer Affairs - More Grant Scams