The U.S. Small Business Administration has introduced a smart phone app to help people who are interested in starting or growing a small business.
Developed and donated as a gift by Palo Alto Software, Inc., the SBA mobile app aims to make the search for small business resources more efficient. The app will first be available for the Apple iPhone, with future versions for other types of smart phones.
The SBA mobile app also features a built-in startup cost calculator to help estimate the costs associated with getting a business off the ground, plus an SBA partner locator to help users find SBA offices, Small Business Development Centers, Women’s Business Centers and SCORE.
The mobile app will also help users connect with SBA district office staff and SBA-affiliated counselors and mentors who can provide free, personalized small business assistance. The app will help answer questions such as: How do I start a business? Where can I go in my area to get free help with writing a business plan? And where do I begin finding funding for my business?
Users will also have mobile access to SBA video content and social media alerts to provide them with tips on the go. This will include live updates from the SBA’s YouTube channel and from SBA’s Twitter feeds.
“Increasingly, smart phones are the vehicle through which Americans access information,” said SBA Administrator Karen G. Mills in a statement. “This is certainly true of many entrepreneurs and small business owners and this new application ensures they will have access to SBA’s resources and programs – literally at their fingertips.”
The free mobile app can be downloaded at
