Agriculture Tractors

Mini Skid Steer

I'm soon to be unemployed after 29 years. Can I get a free grant to start up an excavating business?

I know very little about grants,is it possible ? I have very good credit,but very little money.I'll need to buy a mini track hoe, a small dump truck, a skid steer,a trailor and small tools and meterial.Can you give me some advice on this matter? Thanks!

It is hard to find grants to start a business. Unlike the myths that some perpetuate, federal government and even private foundations hardly give grant money for starting a for-profit business.

One possible exception is for companies developing or exporting agricultural goods, including food and forest product. Another exception could be the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) or Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs http://www.sba.gov/aboutsba/sbaprograms/sbir/index.html , which fund the research and development of technological innovation that meets specific government needs.

Your best bet actually will be from the states if they offer grant programs for women (or any other special interest groups -- minorities, women, disabled, veterans, etc). Or check with non profit organizations, particularly women organizations if they offer grants. Examples include

Iowa Women's Foundation http://www.iawf.org/
New Mexico Women's Foundation http://www.nmwf.org/guidelines.html

Even SBA does NOT give out grants. From the SBA website http://www.sba.gov/mostrequesteditems/CON_FAQ2.html

"The U.S. Small Business Administration does not offer grants to start or expand small businesses, although it does offer a wide variety of loan programs. (See http://www.sba.gov/financing for more information) While SBA does offer some grant programs, these are generally designed to expand and enhance organizations that provide small business management, technical, or financial assistance. These grants generally support non-profit organizations, intermediary lending institutions, and state and local governments."

Nonetheless, you can go to the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) http://www.cfda.gov and Grants.gov http://www.grants.gov - these are two sites created by the federal government to provide transparency and information on grants. Browse through the listings and see if you can find any grant that would support a for-profit venture.

Here is a listing of federal grants for small businesses. See if there is any available for individuals for starting a business -- THERE'S NONE.

http://12.46.245.173/pls/portal30/CATALOG.BROWSE_BENEF_RPT.show

Most of the federal grants are given to specific target groups with specific requirements (e.g. minority business owners involved in transportation related contracts emanating from DOT - Grant#20.905 Disadvantaged Business Enterprises Short Term Lending Program

Grants are also often given to non profit groups or organizations involved in training or other similar activities (grant 59.043 Women's Business Ownership Assistance that are given to those who will create women's business center that will train women entrepreneurs

I suggest you read the following books to get ideas of how to finance your business:

Financing Your Small Business http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1572484500/powerhomebizguid
Small Business Financing: How and Where To Get It http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0808007386/powerhomebizguid
Financing the Small Business: A Complete Guide to Obtaining Bank Loans and All Other Types of Financing http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1580626815/powerhomebizguid
The SBA Loan Book http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/158062202X/powerhomebizguid
Angel Capital : How to Raise Early-Stage Private Equity Financing http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0471690635/powerhomebizguid
Financing Your Small Business (Barron's Business Library Series) http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0764124897/powerhomebizguid

For private grants, you may want to check the Foundation Center's Foundation Grants for Individuals Online http://gtionline.fdncenter.org . It's a subscription based website ($9.95 per month) but their opening blurb only says that the database is ideal for "students, artists, academic researchers, libraries and financial aid offices." Entrepreneurs are apparently not one of them, so I take it they also don't have listings of private foundations who give grants to would-be entrepreneurs.

The Benefits of using a Skidster Mini Loader Machine

If you are in the building or maintenance trades you have very little room to spare, in more ways than one. First things first, you have very little time to spare. Every second counts when a crew of six is waiting, for any reason. Of course no matter what the job, or where you already know that you will have very little actual space to work with. And most importantly, you have no money to spare. Well these are the reasons that the Skidster was born.

 

Yes you could your crew of six pick up shovels and get the job done, but would the cost be? What if the job involves digging up the back garden of a flat? You know that you are not going to just run your normal equipment in that small of a space. This means either you jack your contract up to meet the cost of six skilled laborers digging for who knows how long to get it done, or you find a better way. Well the Skidster is the better way.

Small Packages Big Power
Imagine a machine that is small enough to fit down an alley with room to spare that can trench, bore, dig, lift or whatever else you would like it to do. Imagine that this mythical beastie is affordable and can handle jobs with serious mass to them as well. This was the vision that drove the creation of the mini loaders that have become the basic tools of the building and maintenance trades. The size and power are the keys to its utility. The engines that drive Skidsters are compact power. Even though the machine is so small that the operator must stand on a small platform, it does the work of machines that were three times the size just twenty years ago.

 

Imagine lifting 350kg nearly three meters with the same machine that can bore a one meter wide hole one meter deep. You can also do most of the major finish work on the lawn when you done, too. This is not a figment of your imagination; this is how your competition gets the job done. This is how labor costs are kept down and you remain competitive with the market. Keep in mind that some of the smallest on the market, which is similar to the one described above, are only 77cm wide. That could fit through a bedroom doorway and down the hall.

Stability Factors

There is no other way to deliver that kind of power with that kind of flexibility and safety. Keep in mind that vibration is a major source of disability in the trades. These machines eliminate that by creating a mobile, stable platform as a base for the work rather than the arms of your skilled tradesmen. That really is important as you are paying a lot for the best crews and they need to be able to be a productive as they can. Better ideas are usually obvious and a Skidster is obvious.

About the Author

Chris Tyrrell writes for Kanga Loader who are the sole UK distributor for Kanga Skidster loaders.

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