Small business certification

I've gotten this question a couple times now this summer, so I thought I ought to address it here.

Q: There are women-owned certification programs, minority-owned certification programs, and small business disadvantaged certification programs,, such as 8(a). Is there a small business certification program? If not, how do those programs that require small businesses fill them?

A: According to my sources - the SBA and a very nice woman at the NFIB - there is no small business certification as such, as there are women, minority and small disadvantaged programs.

Wait, you say, so how do they get SB for contracts, etc.? They assume they are telling the truth, but then require documentation (payroll records, tax records, etc.) to make sure. Trust but verify.

BTW, it’s the same for veterans – no certification, but one will need to bring in the documentation at some point.

Comments

Anonymous said…
The point about there being no certification process for veteran owned businesses will soon be inaccurate. There is a newly formed organization which will certify vet-owned businesses in the same manner as WBENC certifying women-owned businesses.

If any veteran owned business owner is interested in obtaining certification, I'd be happy to send them information (we're a partner with the group). The new organization will launch this fall.

Brian Moran
President
Moran Media Group
brian@moranmediagroup.com

Popular posts from this blog

New York State County ZIP Codes

Starting a Mobile Food Concession Business? Be Sure to Follow the Rules of the Road

Beware credit counseling services like Clear Your Debt LLC