Helpful Organizations

There are a number of organizations and agencies that provide special assistance to entrepreneurs, small business owners, and small business agencies.

California Centers of International Trade Development

A program of the California Community College system, these 15 centers provide export-related training, resources, referrals, and one-on-one consultations at no cost.

California Chambers of Commerce

Maintained by the office of U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer of California, this site contains links to local government offices, Chambers of Commerce, minority Chambers of Commerce, and small business networks whose Web sites offer information, workshops, assistance with loan applications and grants, and networking opportunities.

California Community Colleges - Economic and Workforce Development Program

There are 31 Small Business Development Centers in the California Community College system, which offer programs that facilitate the success of Small Business through business management counseling and training. Services are provided in each county of the state.  The newsletter is available on this site, and the Vol. 1 - issue #3 publication identifies all the centers and provides contact information for them. 

California Worknet

The nation maintains a publicly-funded resource for jobseekers and businesses, and the California-specific site includes the list of One-Stop Career Centers (there’s one in each county). It helps identify job-ready workers with the right skills.

Minority Business Development Center

The mission of this U.S. Department of Commerce agency is to foster the creation, growth, and expansion of minority businesses nationwide. Assistance is provided to socially or economically disadvantaged individuals who own or would like to start a business. This site is the home page for the San Francisco (Western U.S.) region and identifies the California offices, including a Native American Business Development Center.

Office of International Trade

This federal office encourages small business exports and assists small businesses seeking to export. It includes online forms. There are also 15 Export Assistance Centers in California.

Small Business Development Centers

These centers provide management assistance to current and prospective small business owners, offering one-stop assistance through regional offices (six in California); it is available at no charge to people who cannot afford the services of a private consultant.

Small Business Resources Guide

Maintained by the office of U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer, the California site contains links to federal, state, and local agencies that provide information and tools for the small business owner, many of which are free of charge.

U.S. Hispanic Chambers of Commerce

The USHCC focuses on bringing the issues and concerns of the nation’s Hispanic-owned businesses to the forefront of the national economic agenda. The site also identifies the local Hispanic Chambers of Commerce in California.

Women’s Business Center

Created in partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Women’s Business Ownership, this is an interactive business training Web site for entrepreneurial women. It is available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Icelandic, and Arabic. The site contains a list of the regional centers, eight of them in California, which provide long-term training, counseling, and assistance in finance, management, marketing, procurement, and the Internet.

FranChoice

Free consultations for people interested in purchasing a franchise, provided by a company funded by corporations nationwide to seek qualified people to run and operate franchises in the U.S.

SCORE: Counselors to America's Small Business

The Service Corps of Retired Executives gives small business owners free guidance in establishing and maintaining successful enterprises. The Web site offers disaster advice; locations of local chapters; links to calculators, free software, business plans, trade shows, and other business resources; news and informational articles; and free, confidential counseling by e-mail and in person. Counselors representing more than 600 skills are available to assist in locating investors, setting goals, veterans' business issues, and other matters.

This service is supported in part by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian. The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services or the California State Library, and no official endorsement by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services or the California State Library should be inferred.