San Francisco Small Business Resources
A Hidden Gem: San Francisco’s Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center
If you own your own business in the Bay Area or you’re thinking of launching a small business, you may be surprised at just how many resources are available specifically to help you succeed. One of the hidden gems in San Francisco is the Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center in San Francisco, which is a high-impact program dedicated to helping entrepreneurs launch their dream business or grow their existing business the smart way.
If you visit the Ren Center, you’ll get access to a wide range of courses, consultations with business advisors, a financial resource center, and even an incubator with office space. Some of their classes include Business Planning, Introduction to Intellectual Property, Quickbooks, and more. Check out their list of upcoming classes.
The Ren Center has a terrific track record of success with helping to launch a wide range of Bay Area businesses. Some of the names include the Black Jet Baking Co., the American Grilled Cheese Kitchen, Three Twins Ice Cream, and the Bay Area Medical Academy. You can read about these success stories and more on the Ren Center website.
Note: the businesses they’ve helped skew toward food, fashion, retail, and services, though there are a few examples in other areas. If you’re in the high tech field, then your startup would probably benefit more from the resources found at local coworking spaces and tech incubators. You can check out our megalist of Bay Area startup resources for some of the great options for techies in SF and beyond.
Other Bay Area Business Development Centers
If the Ren Center isn’t for you, San Francisco and Alameda County also have their own business development centers, where you can get free one-on-one business counseling. In addition, the City of San Francisco has their own Small Business Assistance Center where you can also get one-on-one consultations and receive a customized checklist on the steps you need to take in order to comply with local licenses and regulations.
Always worth mentioning, you shouldn’t ignore the wealth of services available through your local SBA office. Unfortunately, as you can see in our screen grab, SBA services are on hold, due to the government shutdown. Not so cool.
Finally, last but not least, don’t ignore the benefits available through SCORE. You can increase your odds of success through free mentoring from experienced business professionals in your field.
Are we missing anything? Send us an email if you think we forgot an important San Francisco Small Business Resource.
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