Starting a Business? SBA Has New Mobile App

By Sonia Isotov

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) can now be access by smart phone users interested in starting or growing a small business. 

A new SBA mobile application will first be available for the Apple iPhone, with future versions for other smart phone platforms coming soon.

The mobile app will help users connect with Hawaii SBA district office staff and SBA-affiliated counselors and mentors who can provide free, personalized small business assistance. The user-friendly format of the app will help answer questions such as: How do I start a business? Where can I go in my area to get free help with writing a business plan? And where do I begin finding funding for my business?

“Increasingly, smart phones are the vehicle through which Americans access information. This is certainly true of many entrepreneurs and small business owners and this new application ensures they will have access to SBA’s resources and programs – literally at their fingertips,” said SBA Administrator Karen G. Mills, in a statement released today by the U.S. Small Business Administration. “Greater mobility fits with the new user-focused SBA.gov launched recently, and is another example of the steps we are taking to do a better job of connecting entrepreneurs and small business owners with the tools to help them start or grow their businesses and create jobs.”

The SBA mobile app also features a built-in startup cost calculator to help estimate the costs associated with getting a business off the ground, plus an SBA partner locator to help users find SBA offices, Small Business Development Centers, Women’s Business Centers and SCORE.

The free mobile app can be downloaded from the SBA’s website at www.sba.gov/content/sba-mobile-app.