A few friends and I are starting a local PC repair/small business consulting shop (nothing new). One guy had the idea of applying for a gov grant to get our business started. (I now know that this does not happen...) Anyway, I was searching through the grants page on grants.gov and came across this, which I thought might be of interest to some. What I'm wondering is if anyone has much experience with obtaining government grants for research and if so, how was the experience? Our plan for our business is to slowly migrate to the security field, so I thought I'd look into the grant process to see if we'd ever stand a chance for one. (This really sounds like an "Ask Slashdot" article or something.) Peace, -J-Rod
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Re: Government Grants
Originally posted by latrasDid you Ask Lesko?
*grin*We are now accepting callers for these pendant keychains.
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Re: Government Grants
Originally posted by J-RodMan, that guy really makes late night television unenjoyable... heh. On that subject... linky. I'm glad I didn't get my hopes up too much... it was my friend's dad who gave us the idea. He said "government grants is the way all those foreign people get their damn quick stops."
The money for what you want to do is out there, I'd call your local small business incubator, your local chamber of commerce, and your cities economic development center, they all should have good pointers for helping you in the right direction.
Good Luck!Nonnumquam cupido magnas partes Interretis vincendi me corripit
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Re: Government Grants
Originally posted by erehwonYour friend's dad isn't too far off on that, the U.S. government almost nearly financed Mohammad Atta's attacks on the United States to the tune of $650K, we can thank our lucky stars Atta was such a nutjob during the interview as he didn't get the cash.
The money for what you want to do is out there, I'd call your local small business incubator, your local chamber of commerce, and your cities economic development center, they all should have good pointers for helping you in the right direction.
Good Luck!We are now accepting callers for these pendant keychains.
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Re: Government Grants
Originally posted by J-RodA few friends and I are starting a local PC repair/small business consulting shop (nothing new).
1. Do you have a business plan? No, I don't mean "have you thought about things" or "do you have a list of stuff". A business plan is a requirement for anyone legitimate who might give you money. Although google is your friend, here's a kick start.
http://www.sba.gov/starting_business...ing/basic.html
2. Is there a need in your community for yet another computer repair/consulting business? Before you answer this one, you need to do a few things. Get out the local phone book, and check the yellow pages. Check the advertisements in the local paper.
3. Examine your motivation in this. Are you, and any partners you might have), self starters? Can you make and keep to a schedule (this one is much harder than it looks)?
4. How is your current standing in the community? Do you already have potential customers lined up, or is this something you just started thinking about?
What I'm wondering is if anyone has much experience with obtaining government grants for research and if so, how was the experience? Our plan for our business is to slowly migrate to the security field, so I thought I'd look into the grant process to see if we'd ever stand a chance for one.
I know that Erehwon pointed out some sensible avenues to pursue, and I hope you follow up on them, but get the business plan in order first.
The creation of a business plan will tell you whether or not you are really going to succeed in this. If it seems hard, if you're tempted to leave things out, or pieces unanswered, then you're not ready to do this.
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Re: Government Grants
We have a solid business plan I wrote up and a presentation I created for a business class. I was the only one in the class the professor told that (if he were a bank) he would give a loan to. Our unique area that I'm considering is physical pen testing. We've had a couple small business customers lined up, some non-profit organizations, and quite a few home users. My friend and I are well motivated and even though the market appears full, a phone book ad made us a decent amount of money. Luckily, I have a guy I can turn to in the pen testing area for assistance and another in the forensic data recovery field. We have a ways to go before we want to offer official security services, for now we're covering the basics with any user we work with: passwords, WiFi encryption, viruses, and spam/con emails. I'm working on getting my Security+ so I can have a legitimate piece of paper to show I know something about security. For now, the business is an ad here a flyer there, offering the best service in town for the best price. As for the grants... well, they're something to talk about and make fun of after a round of drinks until we get some legitamate work under our belt. However, I'm still curious if someone would like to share an experience working for the suits...We are now accepting callers for these pendant keychains.
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Re: Government Grants
Originally posted by J-RodFor now, the business is an ad here a flyer there, offering the best service in town for the best price.
What can be a good idea, though, is to offer a discount on your service if the customer mentions the advertisement, is a new customer, etc.
Of course, charging a lot more than the competition, especially without a customer base, isn't going to work either. It's all about balance. Good luck and let us know what you find.
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