>Thank you for your input Rose.
>
>I have considered the Grant route myself, but a lot of the
>information I have been reading seems to point to grants not
>generally being award to begin new small businesses. Perhaps
>I need to dive a bit further to find the most accurate
>information. If you have any ideas to legitimate websites
>that may offer some of these grants, I would appreciate it.
>
>Thank you!
>Tam

Unfortunately "diving deeper" is what you are going to have to do. Also you didn't mention whether or not you looked into the grant program offered right here on the Business Owner's Cafe site.

I can tell you right now that there is a government program to help provide better economic conditions in rural areas so if your area qualifies as a rural area then you should look into that grant program.

There is a grant program to help people fulfill their dreams and entrepreneurs are eligible to apply. There are all sorts of legitimate grant programs out there but the problem seems to be in people finding these programs. Unfortunately just because one can't find them doesn't mean that they don't exist it just means that they haven't found them yet. The ONLY reason that I know about these grant programs is because I took the time to look for them.

As I replied before these grant programs don't look at your past credit history - it is not a concern of theirs but what is a big concern of theirs is how serious you are about starting your business. A lot of these entrepreneurial programs require at least a business plan be submitted. And since you're not automatically guarenteed a grant just because you apply for one means that you have to make your submission the best that it can be.

Unfortunately there is no secret to finding these grant programs. You have to take the time to look for them.