HELPFUL RESOURCES
Business Resources
- LivePlan – LivePlan offers a user-friendly platform that simplifies the entire business planning process, making it accessible and manageable for businesses of all sizes. Click Here for LivePlan
- Here’s why we’re so excited:
🔹 Strategic Planning: LivePlan helps us craft detailed, strategic plans that align with our clients’ visions and objectives.
🔹 Financial Projections: With easy-to-use financial forecasting tools, LivePlan ensures accurate and realistic financial planning.
🔹 Performance Tracking: LivePlan’s dashboard allows for real-time tracking of business performance, helping clients stay on course and adapt as needed. - FSCFirst – https://fscfirst.com/
- ASCENT – A free learning platform for women entrepreneurs: https://ascent.sba.gov/
- Baltimore City SourceLink: https://www.baltimoresourcelink.com/
- District of Columbia’s Department of Small and Local Business Development: https://dslbd.dc.gov/
- HUD Mid-Atlantic Economic Empowerment Webinar – Offering a Path to Self Sufficiency (Section 3) – 8/19/2020: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEqHgeds-Hg&feature=youtu.be
- Maryland Back to Business: https://open.maryland.gov/backtobusiness/
- Maryland’s Department of Labor: http://www.labor.maryland.gov/
- Regional Resource Team – Agency contacts: https://businessexpress.maryland.gov/grow/regional-resources
- Maryland’s One Stop Business Portal: https://onestop.md.gov/
- Maryland’s Work Sharing provides an alternative to layoffs for employers faced with a temporary, non-cyclical decline in business due to lower economic activity. Work Sharing avoids layoffs by preserving jobs for current employees, and in the context of reopening businesses closed due to COVID-19, it can also serve as a means of bringing back temporarily laid-off employees. Employers retain their workforce by temporarily reducing the hours of work, within a range of 20% to 50%, among employees within an affected unit, and the employees will receive partial unemployment insurance benefits to supplement their lost wages. http://www.labor.maryland.gov/worksharing/
- Other Maryland Labor programs handled by the Division of Workforce Development and Adult Learning:
- EARN Maryland is a state-funded, competitive workforce development grant program that is industry-led, regional in focus, and a proven strategy for helping businesses cultivate the skilled workforce they need to compete. EARN Maryland invests in strategic industry partnerships from key economic sectors in every region. These partnerships will use the power of coordination across education, workforce and economic development initiatives to address the multiple needs of companies, starting with the training of skilled workers. Once formed, the partnerships will develop plans to train and educate workers – and place them in meaningful employment. https://www.dllr.state.md.us/earn/
- Maryland’s Registered Apprenticeship is a proven model of job preparation that combines paid on-the-job training (OJT) with Related Instruction to progressively increase workers’ skill levels and wages. Registered Apprenticeship is also a business-driven model that provides an effective way for employers to recruit, train, and retain highly skilled workers. It allows employers to develop and apply industry standards to training programs, thereby increasing productivity and the quality of the workforce. As an “earn and learn” strategy, Registered Apprenticeship offers jobseekers immediate employment opportunities with sustainable wages and advancement along a career pathway. Additionally, there are tax credits and financial incentives for employers with Registered Apprenticeship programs. http://labor.maryland.gov/employment/appr/
- Current grant info: Maryland Department of Labor (Labor) has established an Apprenticeship Innovation Fund (AIF) to invest in programs that support and enhance Registered Apprenticeship (RA) expansion strategies. The AIF is a competitive grant fund intended to seed the implementation of new and promising ideas, or to adapt proven strategies at the systems or service delivery level, so as to expand the reach of Registered Apprenticeship programs in Maryland. https://www.dllr.state.md.us/employment/appr/apprgrantexp.shtml
- Maryland Business Works is a highly successful incumbent worker training program. With a substantial initial investment of $500,000 in business engagement funds, the Maryland Department of Labor is eager to partner with Maryland’s businesses to support employer strategies for retention, growth and expansion. This project requires a dollar-for-dollar match by the employer, which allows for an overall investment of $1 million in incumbent worker training. Training funds can be used to upgrade the skills of current employees while also creating opportunities for new hires in in-demand occupations and skills. Participants completing the program will gain transferable skills or industry-recognized certifications or credentials, leading to potential career growth and increased wages. Projects will be industry-focused and employer-based, targeting small business, particularly at the local level. https://www.dllr.state.md.us/employment/mbw.shtml
- Maryland Procurement Technical Assistance Center (MD PTAC): https://www.mdptac.org/
- Maryland Small Business Development Center (SBDC): https://www.marylandsbdc.org/
- Prince George’s Chamber of Commerce: http://www.pgcoc.org/
- Prince George’s County Office Procurement: https://www.princegeorgescountymd.gov/businesses
- Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Southern Maryland Region: https://www.marylandsbdc.org/locations/southern-region
- S. Small Business Administration – Get Local Assistance: https://www.sba.gov/local-assistance
- S. Small Business Administration – Office of Women’s Business Ownership: https://www.sba.gov/about-sba/sba-locations/headquarters-offices/office-womens-business-ownership
Housing Resources
- Certified Housing Counselor: Housing Initiative Partnership, Inc.: https://www.hiphomes.org
- Certified Housing Counselor: Housing Options and Planning Enterprises, Inc.: https://www.hopefinancial.org
- Certified Housing Counselor: United Communities Against Poverty, Inc.: https://www.ucappgc.org/
- S. Department of Energy, Energy Star Program: https://www.energystar.gov/
- Pepco Home Performance With ENERGY STAR® Program: https://homeenergysavings.pepco.com/home-performance-with-energy-star-program/overview/rebates
- BGE Home Performance with ENERGY STAR®: https://bgesmartenergy.com/residential/help-me-save/home-performance
- Maryland Mortgage Program: https://mmp.maryland.gov/pages/default.aspx
- District of Columbia Home Purchase Assistance Program (HPAP): https://dhcd.dc.gov/service/home-purchase-assistance-program-hpap
- Prince George’s County Pathways to Purchase Program – First Time Homebuyer Assistance Program: https://www.princegeorgescountymd.gov/2599/First-Time-Home-Buyers
- Maryland Mortgage Program (MMP) 1st Time Advantage: https://mmp.maryland.gov/Pages/1stTimeAdvantage.aspx
- Maryland SmartBuy: https://mmp.maryland.gov/Pages/SmartBuy/default.aspx
Personal Resources
- American Red Cross: https://www.redcross.org/
- The ARC of Prince George’s County: https://www.thearcofpgc.org/
- FEMA: https://www.fema.gov/
- Maryland’s New BEACON One-Stop Application – Unemployment Insurance: https://www.dllr.state.md.us/employment/uibeaconone.shtml
- Maryland’s Department of Health: https://coronavirus.maryland.gov/
- Maryland’s Department of Labor: http://www.labor.maryland.gov/
- Operation HOPE: https://operationhope.org/
- Operation HOPE Disaster Recovery: https://www.hopeinsidecovid19.org/recovery
- Prince Goerge’s County’s Board of Elections: https://www.princegeorgescountymd.gov/559/Board-of-Elections