Are You Eligible For The Minority Business 8a Certification Program?

The minority run enterprises in the United States of America have grown in numbers in the last decade yet they could not establish themselves fully due to certain constraints on the socio-economic frontier. The aim of SBA is to draw in response from the minority business owners who are finding no way to boost their small business presence. The SBA therefore came up with the 8a certification program, which is undoubtedly the best thing to happen to the US minority owned businesses. If you belong to one of the minority communities in the USA, you stand a chance to grab this unique opportunity provided by the Small Business Administration (SBA) by earning the 8a certification for your enterprise.

Minority Business 8a Certification Program

To start with you have to apply to the SBA for obtaining the 8a certification. Before you start processing your 8a application you must take a break from all the activities and make sure that your personal and business status both stands eligible for obtaining the coveted 8a business certificate. To make things easy here are the prime eligibility criteria -

1. The applicant business firm must be ‘majority-owned’, that is the owner must have 51% or more of the ownership rights (in case there’s more than one owners)

2. All applicants must be American citizen either by birth or through naturalization.

3. The applicant business firm must be owned directly by individuals who belong to one or more of the minority communities of the United States of America. The term ‘minority’ is variously defined by the SBA, more prominently it indicates people who belong to one or more of the socially and economically segregated groups like the aboriginal American Indians, the Alaskan natives, the Hawaiian islanders as well as includes the black Americans and Hispanics naturalized American’s.

4. The applicant’s business must essentially be a ‘small’ business in every sense of the term.

5. The applicant small biz firm must display its promise and potential for future growth and success.

6. The small business must also have a considerably good track record in the same field in the last 2-3 years prior to applying for 8a certification.

Once your business meets all the of the above eligibility parameters, as decided by the SBA authority, you’re free to apply for the coveted SBA 8a Certification program and take your entrepreneurship initiative to the next levels of prosperity.

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How 8a Certification Benefits Small Business Development?

The small business development programs conducted by the SBA is launched with the intention of helping entrepreneurs from economically weak and socially segregated communities that are native to the American soil, to gain business success with federal government help. The 8a certification program is foremost among the different initiatives launched over the years by the SBA. However, to realize the several 8a certification benefits the eligible businesses have to keep their eyes and ears open. The aim of SBA or Small Business Administration is to help spread word about the several 8a certified advantage and benefits offered by the federal government and inspire U.S owned small business owners to apply for the coveted certification. Let’s take a look at the various 8a certification benefits and how it helps in small business development.

Benefits of 8a Certification Small Business

• All successful candidates can receive sole-sourced contracts. Sole sourced or ‘no-bid’ contracts enable the 8a firms to clinch government projects without having to contest with other established business houses, as is the norm outside the government run marketplace. Thus, one of the prime 8a certification benefits is that it helps the 8a certified companies to get government contracts and help to establish them in the highly competitive marketplace.

• 8a certified firms are free to form joint ventures with other approved firms and bid on huge federal projects as a team. The high point of these joint venture initiatives is that the contesting firms can work on big federal agencies and increase their business revenue as well as earn valuable experience and increase their business network in the process. Moreover, working with a recognized department of the federal government adds to the business portfolio of the 8a approved firms and helps in improving their market presence and reputation.

• Participating firms can cash in with the “Mentor Protege Program” and obtain a detailed know how of the 8a certification benefits. The mentor ship program will help the newly inducted 8a firms to understand the tricks of the trade and help them to get acquainted with the workings of the federal marketplace.

You might be wondering that in spite of these several 8a certification benefits why aren’t most small business firms aware of the 8a certified advantages? Well, you can put the blame on the lack of public promotion and advertisement for that. But the good news is, recently the SBA themselves have started to take huge initiatives in terms of promotion of the 8a certification benefits. With ample support from 8a consultants and agencies, the situation looks promising. For a detailed know how on the 8a certified advantage I invite you to visit 8acertification.net. Get inspired!

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How To Evaluate Your Eligibility For 8 A Certification in 4 Steps?

We have been discussing all about the 8 A Certification and its efficacy in helping small businesses flourish, for as long as we can remember. However, little is being said about how a business owner can self-evaluate his/her company’s market standing in order to decide whether they need to apply for SBA 8a Application or not. This post will shed light on this less-discussed issue.

Simply put, here are 4 steps of eligibility to evaluate whether your business requires 8a certification -

1. If you are at social disadvantage – Are you an American Hispanic, an Asian American? Or do you belong to one of the Native American tribes or even a member of the Black American community? In either case, the SBA will consider you as a member of the socially disadvantageous people residing in the United States of America and give you permission to submit 8a certified application. Moreover if you have ever been at the receiving end of any sort of discrimination against you concerning your ethnicity and financial as well as social backwardness, the SBA will grant your case a special status and allow you to pursue the 8a certification program for your enterprise. Further you might be asked to provide a “proof of discrimination” against you / your business, which you may have faced in the mainstream US society , in fields other than business like career, society and education, just to name a few.

2. If your net worth is below $250K – The SBA has designed this 8 A Certification program for those businesses that are economically weak, which means the owners of such businesses must not hold personal assets worth USD 250K and above. If your personal net-worth is below this fixed sum, then obviously you can prepare to submit your SBA 8a Application.

3. If your business indeed fall under the small business clan- “How do I know whether I’m a small business or not?” Well, let me tell you this. A company is determined as small business depending on the number of employees it has as well as the gross income it generates in a single financial term. The NAICS code helps to determine your company’s true status. So get the NAICS code for your business from the SBA website to find out your business size –small, medium or big.

4. If you have a full 51 percent or more business ownership – the SBA has made it clear in their rule book that before submitting their SBA 8a Application, the 8 A Certification aspirant business must provide documents to the SBA which would clearly act as a proof indicating that the owner has 51% or more single ownership of the firm concerned.

These are just the 4 major steps to finding out whether your business is eligible to apply for the 8 A Certification. If you have any comments on any of the information shared, or if you wish to add a keynote on the same, feel free to comment below. Stay connected to Ez8a 8 A Certification blog for more.

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Features And Efficacy Of GSA Schedule Contract For Small Business Owners

The abbreviation of GSA in association with the schedule contracts stands for General Services Administration. This is a term which is exclusively prevalent in the United States and is a legal organization which gives in for long-term contracts which are essentially government wide by nature. These contracts are addressed to the commercial firms, regarding the wide scaled provision of all kinds of products and services which are relevant and prevalent in the commercial facets of functioning. The outstanding feature of these kinds of contracts is that these are characterized to give out products and services at remarkably reasonable prices that are also attached with discounts as well. Various commercial organizations in the United States have undergone such contracts with the GSA and that they are still up to continuing the same on account of the fact that the services offered by these contracts are really effective in saving funds at large.

GSA Schedule Contract For Small Business Owners

A GSA Schedule Contract is something that is also referred to as the Multiple Award Schedule Contract and that it gives in for one of the most significant vehicles of the government contracts whatsoever and this is on account of the fact that these contracts are high in smoothening the government sales procedures and their execution in the United States.

These contracts, with the help of their pre-determined terms and conditions on pricing, cater the companies sell to the government buyers and in this regard it has to be mentioned that one of the most significant features that can be attached on to the Advance GSA contracts is the GSA which gives in for advanced and organized negotiations that effectively build a bridge between the federal government who is seeking to purchase various goods and services and the manufacturing companies who are up to selling the same to the government. However in this regard it is necessary to point out that GSA services are used at large by the state, federal as well as the local leveled governments, all of which are highly provided with almost every kind of a good or a service required in their functioning.

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5 Pointers Why 8a Certified Advantage Outweigh Cost And Time?

It’s not unknown how tough the US marketplace had evolved into in the post 9/11 world. A dwindling economy continued for over half a decade and now that the US market is getting back on its feet, thanks to the recent economic measures on the home front, companies are expecting to see prosperous days ahead. In this current economic scenario, it goes without saying that this is the perfect time for entrepreneurs to launch their startups and for small businesses to explore the hidden frontiers of prosperity - the federal marketplace - by cashing in with the 8a certified advantage.

8a Certified Advantage

Many small business firms are confused as to how the 8a certification outweighs the cost and time involved in getting this coveted approval from SBA. Here are 5 pointers to help your decide –

1. Sole Sourcing – it is a powerful vehicle that enables the federal agencies to award contracts (including purchase of goods and products and procuring for services) from 8a certified companies without having them to bid for the project. On the other hand sole sourcing enables the 8a certified small business firms to win contracts without entering into project bidding with their closest competitors, directly from the federal marketplace.

2. Limited Competition – Once you get your business 8a certified you actually limit the competition on getting federal contracts! You will be surprised to know that there are approximately 24 million businesses operating in the US soil, not surprisingly only 8500 of these firms gets to enjoy 8a certified advantage. So you have plenty of free space to jump into!

3. Huge Federal Spending - the federal government spends a lot of dollars each year on federal contracts with the 8a certified firms for procuring goods and services at pre-negotiated rates. Last year the amount of federal spending for 8a program was a staggering $30 billion. Now could you believe that? It’s only feasible if you get your small business certified through SBA 8a application.

4. Large Contract Amounts – Now that’s another catch for applicants who wish to benefit from 8a certified advantage. Contracts are quite large for all 8a approved firms. You must know that federal contracts are awarded up to $4 million for products and services and up to 6.5 million for manufacturing deals.

5. Honest and Fair Pricing - yes, only in the federal marketplace you’ll get to benefit from the honest and better pricing structure. The 8a certified firms gets a full and open source price adjustment is offered by federal customers to 8a firms up to 10% of the fixed contract amount.

So you can see from the above that once you can see your SBA 8a application through the certifying authority you’re in a win-win situation. Take benefit of the 8a certified advantage and set your business rolling on the fast lane of success.

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Learn The Several Benefits Of Timing An 8a Certification

Are you a small business owner looking forward to cement your financial stability in the highly competitive market place? Then you must get your business 8(a) certified. However, deciding when to go forward with an 8a application process is something that businesses don’t realize more often. In fact, it’s not an easy decision either. But then, waiting for the right time to apply might hinder your chances of getting your business 8a certified at all. In some cases it might be too late for your company and since you didn’t apply upfront you end up missing out on the lucrative opportunity that SBA 8a has to offer to small businesses. So due to a miss-timing of the 8a application your small business misses out the opportunity of becoming a large federal contractor. But all of these can be avoided if you have known the 8a certification benefits and properly timed your application.

EZ8A - 8a certification benefits

Here’s our video explaining all about properly timing your 8a application and what benefits would you be getting out of it. Watch it here –

Now that you know that timing of your 8a application is crucial don’t waste valuable moments. Get In touch with a certified 8a consultant, learn the 8a certification benefits and set your business on the road to unprecedented prosperity.

For more tips and suggestions on small business success and how 8a certification can help fulfil your business goals, stay connected to ez8a.

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The Government Mission For GSA Schedule Contract

The primary mission of gsa consultant is to provide help to small and medium size businesses to grow revenues from sales to the federal and state government. They offer various kinds of services to federal and state government employees. Those are:

• GSA Schedule Preparation: They save time, money and resources for contract holders. They help to secure GSA Contract Award 6-12 months sooner than if the contract holders opted for in house method. And more importantly, they help contract holders to gain an in depth contract knowledge and proficiency across all GSA schedule.



• GSA contract management offers wide range of services related with contract. Most importantly, gsa consultant provide all the adequate knowledge and support related with contract management. They also provide services related with any modification on the contract. Furthermore, they provide other services vary from GSA contract extension to GSA Audit support.



• They also maintain all the compliances and regular updates related with GSA contract. Such as, GSA basics, marketing through GSA Contract, Selling through GSA Contract and GSA Compliance.

Experts opined that gsa schedule is a vehicle for both customers and vendors that helps fast, easy and effective contracting. It establishes long term contracts between companies and government agencies. It provides access to numerous numbers of products and services with a discounted price.

One can order products, services and supplies through gsa schedule. Customers who can offer from the schedule will get various opportunities, such as:

• Savings.
• Flexibility and choice.
• Shorter lead time.
• Transparency.
• Control procurement.
• Lower administrative cost.
• Reduction of inventories.

It also offers lot of opportunities to the vendors. Through this schedule vendors can connect with various government organisations.

The schedule contracts and sales are all comes under the purview of Trade Agreements Act (TAA). TAA states that goods and services which manufactured or altered in USA or any “designated country” only come under the purview of the schedule. However, there are two major federal regulatory bodies that determine the policy for the schedules program – Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and General Services Administration Acquisition Manual (GSAM).

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Role Of The 8A Certification Consultants In Upholding Business Authorities In America

The term 8a certification refers to an effective step that has been undertaken by the authority of the Small Business Administration so as to cater the scope of the business processes that have been stuck behind, to get back on the roll of processing. This is a feature that is in prevalence in the land of the United States of America and it is a fact that the inception of such a concept has created revolutions amongst the existing business authorities in this country. This is on account of the fact that this feature has been initiated by the authority of the Small Business Administration 8a which undertakes the responsibility of upholding the downtrodden business initiators so that they can get capable enough in making their grounds firm enough so as to compete with the other business authorities who have reached high levels of profits out of their processes.

8A Certification Small Business Consultants

It is a noteworthy fact that the program of the 8a certification is supposed to have certain qualifications and criteria to be fulfilled by the initiators of the business authority who seeks to be involved into the processing of this program and it is reality that fulfillment of these criteria is not a very easy process and it is here that the integrity of the role of the 8a certification consultants come into the forefront. These are persons who are supposed to be entitled with the task of making the building a bridge between the business owners and the 8a authorities which would let the former to carry out the criteria required, in a proper manner. These persons are efficient in helping the seekers to shirk out the additional hassles of going through the procedural methods of 8a certification so that the under-privileged lot of the society can avail the advantages of this authority at a rapid pace.

As is mentioned earlier that the 8a certification is an authority that has been grounded on the base of the Small Business Administration and that the latter is characterized by a number of mainstream criteria that are mandatory to be fulfilled so as to get eligible for consideration of the authorities. The sba qualification, in association with the term, refers to the features that are brought under consideration so as to register a particular business authority under the SBA, which include the concerned authority to be a proved small-scale business authority.

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Is It All Right To Hire An 8a Certification Consultant?

Are you a small business owner in the US looking to expand your presence in the business world? Then you have more reasons to smile compared to those in other parts of the world. Why? The Small Business Administration (SBA), a US Government run organization offers 8a certification to businesses that are struggling to get a strong foothold in the ever-competitive marketplace. SBA accepts application from business owners who wants to avail this certification and get their businesses eligible for 8a certification. However, SBA maintains a high standard and ensures a stringent quality when it comes to approving eligibility to applicants of the 8a program. It is a known fact that each year almost seventy percentage of the applicants are refused upfront. Only thirty percentages of the applicants are approved to submit their application form. Again among those a handful of the approved candidates, in effect finally get 8a certified. Hence it goes without saying that you need professional assistance to help you get past the SBA scanner and go on to bag the coveted certificate in due course.

8a Certification Consultant

Let’s take a look at some of the high points of hiring an 8a certification consultant

• Following all the SBA rules is not everyone’s cup of tea

You might ask why? Well, to put it simply, there are scores of directives, dos and don’ts associated with the application process. Right from determining your perfect eligibility to the 8a program to actually going forward and applying for the same, you have to juggle through a lot and that’s time consuming. As well, you may not properly remember all the 8(a) rules and clauses while filling up the application form. Hence a slack might cost you the whole year as your application stands a chance of disapproval. Hiring a consultant who can guide you from day one and help you get past the selection process is the best way out.

• Authentic representative of your business

I have seen people putting up ads on the internet that say any small business can acquire 8(a) certification through them. Not really! SBA has strictly mentioned in their 8(a) directive that only disadvantaged small business owners can benefit from 8(a) program so it’s not applicable to all and sundry. Only if you are from a disadvantaged community and wish to enlist your business as a federal vendor agency by acquiring an 8a certification, you’re welcome. The directives have various other clauses that only a professional can help you with.

• Ensures that your application never gets turned down

I have seen small business owners trying by themselves and applying for SBA 8(a) certification and their application being turned down by the Small Business Administration authorities. Believe me, the process of reapplication and sanctioning gets a hundred times tougher after that. On the other hand a seasoned 8(a) certification consultant can make the process a walk in the park. Just follow his or her directives and in no time you can get your application sanctioned and claim your 8a certification.

To sum up, I would like to say one thing only, don’t take chances with the future of your small business. If you’re determined to ensure the stability of your company get in touch with a reputable 8a certification consultant. Success will be yours!

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Criteria Associated With The 8A Certification Requirement

Business procedures behold their origin to the days of ancient times and these have undergone developments in their ways and processes to a considerable extent over years. This has formed the base for the various business initiators to come up with newer trends and practices in association with this so as to carry out these procedures in a smarter and a more profitable manner whatsoever.

8A Certification Requirements

Businesses have gained grounds in almost every corner of the world and in this regard it has to be mentioned that the United States of America is globally recognized as a business country which gives in for commerce through this means to a considerably high extent, though however on the contrary, a number of business organizations who are not essentially flourished to the same level to which the mainstream business organizations are, have been rooted here. On elaborating this, it has to be pointed out that there are many small-scale business authorities in the land of United States, that have not been able to establish themselves to the extent they had desired to and this is specially on grounds of social deprivation which would include in them the racial status of the business owners, their caste, creed and also financial positions. It is here that the integrity of 8a certification gains grounds. This is an authority which gives in for the required support to these deprived authorities to get them out of their crisis.

The feature of 8a certification requirements signifies the set of distinct criteria that have to be fulfilled so as to get registered with this facility. The requirements would mainly call for the business owners to be genuine by nature along with legitimate citizenship of that country. They must produce legal evidences that prove that they are socially deprived and that another noteworthy feature of the sba 8a qualification is that it requires the business authority to exhibit scope and chances of its betterment through its agenda and strategies to a satisfactory extent, thus making itself eligible for being undertaken by the authorities of the 8a certification authorities whatsoever.

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Filing A SBA 8A Certification Application Successfully

In the US economy there is enough scope for small and medium scale enterprises to grow. Over the last few years the constant squeeze in the global economy has taken a toll on the US market as well but it has not succeeded in putting the small and medium scale business enterprises out of business. This is largely because the US economy supports the growth small and medium scale enterprises that mainly depend on the local consumers rather than aiming for the global market. The 8a certificate for business can prove to be a leverage for those who at some point of time have faced some sort of discrimination— social, political or economic. However, business owners have to be careful enough while filing a 8a certification application.

SBA 8A Certification Application

The Small Business Administration or the SBA is a federal agency in the United States, entrusted with the task of helping small and medium scale business organizations gain a foothold in the market. The 8a certificate is a special recognition to those who have been subjected to racial, ethnic or economic discrimination in the past without any fault of their own. Business owners with 8a certificate enjoy some distinguished facilities over other businesses. Those who can have 8a certificate include African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans and Americans who originate from the Asia Pacific region. Business owners have to take the help of professional lawyers in order to file an application successfully and to avoid complications in future.

People who belong to the economically challenged section of the society are also eligible for an 8a certificate. Business owners with business properties whose net worth is less than $250,000 can apply for a sba 8a certificate. However, in order to apply successfully one has to fulfill each and every criterion down to the last detail. Failure to file an application successfully even once can make all future efforts even harder and so it is better to take the help of a professional law practitioner in this regard. Applicants have to fill each and every field carefully and provide authentic testimonials in support of their statements.

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Features Of 8A Certification Requirement In Business Procedures

Business procedures are commercial activities which are carried out by persons who are associated with the financial facets of functioning in the society. The basic feature of a business procedure is to deal with buying and selling of goods, commodities and services in return of cash or at times, kind. Businesses are prevalent in almost every corner of the world and that these form a major part of the economy in any kind of a society whatsoever.

8A Certification Requirement

While talking of businesses, it has to be mentioned that a significant feature which is highly attached on to business processes is the feature of 8a certification, which, in association with the term refers to an organization which works under the banner of Small Business Administration in the United States, serving the purpose of lending a hand of help to the business procedures which are existent in that land, but are not being able to flourish or compete with the full-fledged business organizations that are doing well in the same land. This is actually a status which is tagged on to those business authorities which lack in certain requisites like fund or resources so as to establish themselves as the same. This kind of a lack in business requisites may be resultant of certain social disparities like on grounds of caste, creed or financial status. Here it is relevant to mention that 8a certification requirements, in association with the term refers to certain credentials which have to be evidently satisfied by the authorities who seek for such certification. This kind of a status would require the business owner to own the business majorly and that he or she should essentially be a citizen of America. Persons who are managing the business must be evidently recorded to be a socially deprived being and that they must portray some real effective potential of success through the business strategy so as to get undertaken in the Small Business Administration. The feature of sba 8a qualification essentially checks whether the persons in charge of the business portray positive characters or not, before assuring them of their help.

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How To Form An 8A Certified Small Business Administration

In the United States small and medium scale enterprises play a hugely important role keeping the nation’s economy running. As a result, it has become important more than ever to provide these business organizations with optimum support so that they can continue making contributions in the economy. A large number of socially and economically challenged entrepreneurs in the country are involved in the small and medium scale enterprises sector which has grown exponentially over the last few years. The 8a certificate has been introduced to provide some extra leverage to the small businesses owned by economically and socially challenged entrepreneurs. 8a certified small business administration enjoys some extra facilities from the government and are able to stay in the market competing with large business corporations.

8A Certified Small Business Administration

In order to file a successful application for an 8a certificate a business organization has to prove certain things. This certificate is for those who have been in a disadvantageous position for a long time in history due to no fault of their own. The socially disadvantaged class includes African American, Native Americans, Hispanic Americans and Asia Pacific Americans. All these people have suffered some sort of racial or ethnic repression at some point of time and the 8a certificate is designed to provide them some respite in matters of business and self employment. An 8a certified small business administration must be governed by those who are in a socially disadvantageous position. However, the business organization has to prove that it is in a similar situation if it has to earn a certificate.

8a Certification - What is 8(a) Certification Advantage?

Another important requisite for having an 8a certificate is being economically challenged. In the United States anyone having a capital less than $250,000 is economically challenged and is eligible for an 8a certificate. It is to be kept in mind that there are a large number people who are economically challenged when it comes to investing money in business. It is possible for 8a certified small business administration to gain some extra leverage in the market and be in business competing with others. It is to be kept in mind that there are a large number of people who think that when it comes to capital, small and medium scale enterprises lag far behind larger corporations. This certificate works a lot to allow the small business units enjoy certain facilities that would help them move forward in the market. Moreover, businesses managed by women are also eligible for 8a certificates.

The best way to file a successful application for 8a certificates is to take the help of professional 8a certification consultant who has quite a few years of experience in this field. There is no room for making errors in the process as if once the applications gets rejected all future efforts get even tougher. Hence, a professional consultant can help a person out in this regard and can make the filing process a successful affair. It is better for clients to contact more than one service provider and choose the right one.

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Top Ideas To help You Achieve Success As An Entrepreneur

Winners don’t do different things. They do normal things in a bit different way. The maxim is true in its entirety. If you are an entrepreneur by profession and are in the habit of seeking constant streams or sources of ideas you should get the point that every time you might not need a concept which is as new as a new penny just out of the mint. In order to achieve success as an entrepreneur you mint have to mine a little harder. Probably you are going to find a perfect mix and match of the traditional methods as well as some mint fresh concepts useful for your ultimate objective. Here is a quick peep at some quintessential ideas which are going to help you a lot in terms of accomplishing your objectives and set your mark as a visionary entrepreneur of this era.

Overcome pessimism

Pessimism can prove to be biggest hurdle for your success as an entrepreneur. It is an impediment as well as a predicament. So you do need to make it sure that you are going to overcome pessimism at any cost. In order to overcome the problem of pessimism you can make use of the technique which renowned and astute motivators would like to describe as ‘auto-suggestions’. It is a particularly useful method which is often adopted by professionals, sports people as well as top notch sales people so that they can tide over the negative feelings that threaten to unhinge their mindset.

Go for a certification program

If your business is in a state of its formative years or in its startup phases then you do need to go for a certification program. You can consider the 8a certification program in this regard. With the help of this kind of a helpful program you are going to win your spur in your respective field of business in due course of time.

Use latest technologies

Use latest technologies such as crowd sourcing, social sharing through internet, life style apps, specific tools for enhancing productivity (TENXER, EVERNOTE). These technologies are gradually turning out to be the tools that change the way business are done on global platforms.

Take care of official red tapes

Take care of official red tapes are going to be a pain in the neck if you are not careful enough about them. Do everything in your power to make sure that the obstructions are well taken care of. If you have to pull strings, then pull strings. Use your connections. You would be surprised to know that an 8 a certification program can prove helpful in this regard. If you are 8a certified then you get to face less amount of stringency from official circles.

In order to give you a final word on this issue, you must make it a point that you are not going to get distracted while making your earnest initiatives. If you have to achieve success as an entrepreneur then you do need to make it a point that you are going to turn out to be more productive in a true sense. You need to reinstate or concretize your business vision. You have to tap into your expertise or potential and most importantly you have to keep asking questions that keep you motivated and help you brave through oddities.

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7 Common Myths About The 8a Certification

Myth 1 : I can’t get certified if a family member is already in the program

The SBA has a waiver, which can be granted if the two firms are located in and market to a different territory or if they are in different industries.

Myth 2 : A majority of my sales must come from the private sector or I will lose my certification

The SBA has business mixed targets that your firm must meet in the ‘Transitional years’—years five to nine of its certification. In the years 5-9 you must have 15-55% of your sales from the private sector. If you fail to meet these targets you could lose your ability to perform on sole source 8a contracts. Automatically if you don’t make good faith efforts to correct this business mix target, you could lose your certification.

Myth 3: A firm cannot get certified unless it’s been in business for at least two years

The SBA has a waiver, which can be granted to firms that are wanting to obtain the certification sooner than two years. Typical requirements are that:

• The owner has a significant business background and has a significant technical background in the industry of the applicant concerned.
• The firm has successfully performed on at least one federal contract
• The firm has a potential for success indicated by income, profit and the firm must have at least one tax return.
Note a two year waiver is not needed if the only reason the firm is less than two years old is that it has an entity type change. For example, from a sole proprietorship to a corporation.

7 Common Myths About The 8a Certification

Myth 4 : A firm cannot get certified if it’s had a prior application rejected by the SBA

The SBA rejects 70% of 8a applications for a lack of completeness. Having your application rejected on its first attempt is very common.

Myth 5: An 8a certification isn’t that beneficial for my business

In 2011 8a certified firms received 18.4 billion dollars in federal contracts. This represents 2-3 million dollars in additional annual revenue per 8a certified firm.

Myth 6 : A company should be a well established mid-tier business before applying for the 8a certification

The SBA will certify firms with as little as $100,000 a year in annual revenue. Once certified, the SBA gives the firm the ability to enter into: joint venture and mentor protégé agreements with large federal contractors. These relationships enable the 8a certified firm to greatly increased growth by providing them with expertise, bonding, insurance, financial capabilities and other assistance.

Myth 7 : I must be a 100 % member of a minority group in order to prove SBA that I am socially disadvantaged

If an individual can show a 25% or more blood lineage to a presumed disadvantaged minority group like Hispanic American, African American, Sub-Continent Asian, Asian Pacific American or a Native American, he/she can qualify for an 8a certification. In some cases, the SBA will ask for additional supporting documentation to show that you represent yourself as a member of that presumed group in American society.

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What is takes to qualify for the 8A certification program

8a certification application

8A Certification Application

If you are thinking to apply for the 8A certification program, and not worried about your eligibility, then it is quite likely that your application for the federal certification may get rejected. Qualifying for 8A SBA program is one of the hardest steps for a potential applicant.

To qualify for the Benefits 8a certification program, you need to meet few requisites. In case you fail to meet any one the mandatory requisites, your firm will not get the official federal recognition. In order to derive the benefits of the 8A SBA program, your firm needs to meet the eligibility requirements, which includes:

Disadvantaged Business

If you intend to apply for the 8A programs, it is mandatory for your firm to be monitored by a disadvantaged individual. It is imperative that a disadvantaged person occupies the highest rank or position in your firm. The disadvantaged individual must be in-charge of the firm and should be responsible for the day-to-day activities of the business.

Good Track Record

Your firm must maintain an excellent record of accomplishment, by delivering every order on time and meeting all the customer requirements.  This will help the SBA to evaluate your company on a positive note and help you qualify for the government program. Few positive testimonials from your previous clients will add to your overall credentials.

Good Moral Character

This is one of the most important requirements set by the SBA. The person representing your company must have a decent moral character. Fiscal responsibility plays an important factor in moral accountability. Make sure that the representative you opt for your company is not on parole or a felon. Such people should not hold a significant position in the ownership or the management of the company. However, few other mars such as a DUI arrest for 10 years do not prohibit you from applying in the 8A certification program. Few other felony convictions such as tax scofflaws, unmet taxes, default on SBA loans, liens etc. are taken as serious crimes, committed by an applicant and hence will reject the application.

Small Business Concern

According to the standard set by the SBA, your business must be small and meet the requirements of the federal program. In case the SBA does not define your firm “small”, it is not possible for your company to get the certification.

Presence

A company applying for the 8A certification should remain active for not less than 9 years. It is imperative for your firm to remain active for nine whole years in order to qualify for the SBA program. The reason for such a requirement is that the SBA wants to determine whether your company is durable enough to bear the uncertain ups and downs in business and whether it has the potential for success.

To get the certification, your firm must meet all the eligibility factors set by the SBA. If the above points are not fulfilled, be rest assured that your application for the certification will get rejected. All the documents and paperwork must be in proper order before applying and must be in agreement with the federal and state law.

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What are the mandatory requirements of your business to become 8A certified?

If you have overlooked the importance of the compulsory requirements of your business to get 8A certification, getting your business certified by the SBA can become very difficult for you.

In order for your business to get 8A certification, it is mandatory that certain requirements are met as suggested by SBA. Fulfillment of specific details and requirements confirms that your firm is qualified to be 8A certified. Such requirements include:

8a certified

Business concern

This part generally involves the structure of the organization, articles of incorporation and special agreement bonds with the state government. This section also includes bank signature cards, insurance information and business background. The SBA confirms whether you actually control the organization or not and if your business have shared ownership, location or management. If in case any individual is having a higher position than you in your organization, it is quite likely that your business will not be 8A certified. The SBA also verifies your employment background and find out the possibility of any discrepancy. The sole purpose of the verification is to determine whether you have job outside the organization or not. The SBA also scrutinizes your personal financial statement and determines the net worth. Your net worth must value below USD 250000 excluding your house and business.

Financial Status

You business concern should be financially capable to be able to thrive in the program and must have positive equity. If your business has negative equity, it will not get 8 a certification. The SBA also evaluates whether your company can prosper without the continuous introduction of capital in the business. The cash flow of your company is also determined by the SBA to find out whether your organization will be able to cover the expense when any client fails to pay within time. Your business must provide at least 3 years of business tax returns for the analysis of the SBA to verify the sales report and authenticate the financial statements.

Personal Data

Your personal data which includes financial position, personal history and narratives play a significant role in the eligibility criteria of your 8A program. You do not require providing with a social disadvantage network in case you are a member of a designated group such as the Asian Pacific Americans, Black Americans, Hispanic American etc. Providing an economic disadvantage narrative is essential for each and every applicant, in order to determine whether a particular application is approved or not. The economic and social disadvantage narrative displays specific events from your life displaying the discrimination depending on the membership of the group applied for. Such narratives may include specific gender, handicap and specific race. The sole purpose of SBA is to offer credibility to your narrative by verifying as much detail as possible.

To get your business 8A certified, it is essential that you fulfill the above mentioned points carefully. After proper scrutiny of the above mentioned points, the SBA may grant the 8A certification to your business and offer an official recognition.

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Quick glance on 8A certification application process

For small business organizations, federal loans can be quite useful to develop the business. However, such loans are offered by the SBA only for business organizations which are owned and managed by minority, women or service disable veterans. The SBA 8A program is one of the largely available business agendas present in the market which focuses on developing the small organizations and promotes individual entrepreneurs. To avail such benefits of  SBA 8A, it is mandatory for you to successfully complete the application process. The 8A certification process as suggested by the SBA generally comprises of 3 basic parts including:

If you are an applicant, not less than 51% of the ownership of your business should be managed and controlled by a minority, women or service disable veterans. In addition to it, the owner of the majority of shares should have active involvement in the daily business operations. In this context, SBA utilizes a highly adept system that determines and finds out the individual majority shares owner of your business and makes sure that they adhere to the basic rules and regulations.

The second part is a very difficult step as it demands certain legal obligations to prove that you are economically and socially disadvantaged. According to the norms and standard set by the SBA, your business can qualify as economically and socially disadvantaged. If you are the majority share holder, make sure your net income should be more than USD 250000. This amount should exclude assets such as company ownership and personal home.

In the third step, the SBA will systematically check your business to determine whether it qualifies for small business requirements or not. If your business is on the list of banned businesses, then it will not pass the SBA 8a application process. The SBA accepts the standard for small business set by North American Industry Classification System which states that a business is small scaled if:

• It has around 500 employees form mining, manufacturing and other industrial procedures

• It has USD 7 million as an average annual receipt for a number of non-manufacturing businesses

• It has 100 employees for wholesale trade businesses

8A certification application process can turn out to be a complicated tricky task if not dealt with proficiency.  Getting your business organization 8A certified will not only add value to your company but will also help in bidding for federal contracts. Thus, 8A certification widens your prospects and offers you will a number of avenues to expand the growth of your business.

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SBA 8a Consultant Increases The Approval Chances of Your Application!

8a Certification

If you have started a business then you need SBA 8a approval to manage and control the daily operations of your company. To get the SBA approval, it is better to take help of a reliable 8a consultant and increase the chance of approval.

Does taking help of a consultant mean getting a guaranteed SBA approval on your application?

The answer is a definite NO.  If any consultant claims that he can give you guarantee of having your 8a application approved by the SBA, then you better try looking for another consultancy. Apart from the SBA, nobody can guarantee the approval. Beware of the desperate consultancies who promise money back guarantee, in case of rejection of the application. A good consultant would ensure that your 8a application meets all the necessary requirements for getting SBA approval. It can only assure that your application will get a fair review. A good consultant is aware of SBA requirements for 8a certification and sees that there are no irregularities in your application.

How to select a reliable SBA 8a consultant?

When you are looking for a good and reliable 8a consultant, consider the following tips and make your choice:

• Check with BBB: Whenever you come across a consultancy company, the most authentic way to check its credibility is through BBB or Better Business Bureau. If the company is listed in BBB website and has at least a “B” grading, you can say that it is quite reliable. Check out the various customers’ reviews and grievances and see how the company has handled such issues. If the issues have been resolved by the company, you can go ahead with it.

• Check the website: Once you have short listed the consultancy companies from the BBB, you can check out the homepage of each. If the company is reliable enough, it will have a physical address on the website. It will also state its affiliates (if there is any) and state about the principals clearly.

• Check references: The consultancy companies display the list of customers who have acquired certifications with their help. You can directly make a call to these people and check about the company, regarding their service, originally quoted price, duration to get the application completed, process used by the consultancy to manage and collect data submitted by the clients, and so on.

Once you are satisfied with the chosen 8a consultant, you can call them up and speak about your potential problem. If you feel the chosen one is cent percent trustworthy then provide them with the necessary documents and move ahead to get the SBA 8a certification.

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