FREE MONEY - Myth or Miracle?
Herbert R. Williams
(c) Copyright 2005 by Herbert R.Williams
This may come as a surprise... but there really is FREE
money for the asking - if you know how to ask.
The problem is not how much is available, not your
qualifications to receive the money, not that your not
entitled to the money but, no one tells you how to go about
getting it. There are virtually thousands of web sites you
can surf that will sell you all kinds of lists and books
(most, woefully outdated) that make it sound like getting
your free money is a "piece of cake". It's not, but it is
possible and done all the time. Read on and I'll try to give
you the basics on what must be done to get your "piece of
the pie".
Step #1: Have a goal. Be able to articulate what you want
and when you want it. Put your dreams on paper so you can
share them with others. Abstractions will not work. Your
ideas must be real so that others can visualize them and
feel them with you.
"I want to open a kennel'" is not the same as " My community
needs a place where dog owners can trust their pets to
someone who will watch over their needs while they are away".
Step #2: You must have a budget. How much will the project
cost to start. How much working capital will I need to back
me up while I'm building the business? How much will I need
while I'm growing? What will my expenses be, both short term
and long term? What will my projected sales be for the first
three months, 6 months, year and three years in the future.
Step #3: You must have a complete business plan.
Your business plan should include your budget, your
location, your competition, how you plan to advertise and
get business. Also include the services you plan to offer,
the market you expect to pull from and any other details
about your business that would be important to an investor.
Step #4; Research the grants and grantors available for your
type of venture.They are listed by, public, non-profit, state, city, county
type of project, grantor, how much is available, when
available, contacts, phone numbers and addresses.
If this all seems like a lot of work, it is. Don't let it
discourage you. When Pete T., a good friend of mine, thought
about applying for a grant for an auto repair shop he asked
me if there were any resources that were available to help
him apply for a grant. I immediately went to the web and
started searching and boy was I surprised. When I 'googled'
the word 'grant' more than 157,000,000 pages popped up. There
is plenty of help out there.
If it sounds a little daunting, don't be discouraged. Start on
your project NOW. The biggest deterent for you getting some
FREE money for your project will be procrastination, putting
off till tomorrow, what you can and should do today.
Put your ideas on paper, check you figures and start your
project. There is FREE money for you, it's not a myth.
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About the Author
Financial Planning Advisor for the last 38 years. Owner/operator of
http://www.money-from-grants.com
