Please answer these questions:
1) Would you pay someone thousands of dollars to fill out a credit card application?
2) Do you like to make a simple process complicated?
3) Do you have thousands of dollars to spend on just applying for SBA 8a?
4) Are you easily intimidated by negative advertising when it comes to the SBA 8a application process?
If you answered YES, to any of the above, stop, take a deep breath and read this.
Why spend the money to have someone else fill out forms for you if you can fill them out yourself for free? The SBA provides all of the forms in the Global Login System (GLS) at no charge.
Don't let SBA 8a application prep companies use negative marketing scare tactics to scare or fool you into spending thousands of dollars to prepare your application or disadvantage narrative. The SBA 8a application is just a series of forms, you can fill them out, it is not rocket science!
And while we are on the topic... why provide all of your sensitive personal and professional data to a third party? Do you want to give your social security number, your tax return information and all of your personal data to a total stranger? And then pay them thousands of dollars just to copy / paste information from your forms into the SBA 8a online application? Get educated and make an informed decision.
My Story: In 2005, I decided to apply for SBA 8a certification as a Caucasian woman-owned business. (Note: This is the most difficult category to get 8a certified, only about 4% of SBA 8a certified companies are in this category. We are talking about less than 400 companies out of about 10,000 total.).
Before I attempted to apply for SBA 8a certification, I made sure I had all registered in all four required databases. There is no cost to register in these databases. the problem is that no one tells you at the SBA which order to apply for them. So listen up and learn from my experience.
First, I registered with the IRS for my Employer Identification Number (EIN). Next I went to Dun & Bradstreet to get my DUNS number and then I got my company registered in the Central Contractor Registry (CCR). It took moments to complete each application, however there is a little lag time when you apply for the CCR. About two business days later, I was eligible to register in the Global Login System (GLS), where the online SBA 8a application is housed. That application took about 30 minutes. Again, these are free services, you don't have to pay someone to fill out the forms. To make it easy I have prepared a free special report with links at my website to guide you painlessly through the process.
When I opened my GLS application, I discovered there were actually two sections to the online application. The first part was what I call "cut and paste", where you copy information from your tax forms or business information and paste it into the online SBA 8a application forms. That is a no brainer, but it just takes time because there are multiple forms to fill out. There is plenty of explanation and you can call your local or Washington DC SBA office for help, yes they do answer the phone or even call you back.
The second part is what I call the "mysterious narrative" section. There was practically NO information on what the SBA review team expects to see in your narrative. I found that you have to literally pick apart the legalize of the SBA 8a legislation to figure out what to write. That can be intimidating and time consuming. In fact it took me about 2 weeks of research to get the information I needed. I suggest that you write your narrative in Word and then cut / paste it into the Form 1010 Personal Information section.
How much money did I pay someone else to fill out SBA forms or write my own life story? Zero, zip, nada. In reality I would have paid someone to help me write my narrative, but there were no affordable options. In fact several companies actually charge up to $2,500 to prepare the narrative. After my company was certified and because I own a training development company, I decided to offer affordable options to other small business owners.
Bottomline: You can fill out the majority of the SBA 8a forms on your own. Get some help with your narrative. But don't pay thousands of dollars to someone else to fill out a bunch of free forms. You now know enough to get started. It's time to take action and get started on your SBA 8a certification process today, no excuses!
V. Karen Miller is the president of Design2Train, a SBA 8a certified training development company. She has helped hundreds of business owners across the nation to successfully complete their social / economic disadvantage narratives. Claim your copy of the free Special Report to be informed and empowered on the 8a application process. Visit: http://www.the8amentor.com
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