How small-business help works in AtlantaA short guide: who to call first and what to expect.
For free advice,SCORE Atlanta pairs you with a volunteer mentor who has run a business, for as long as you want. The UGA Small Business Development Center gives free one-on-one consulting. Mentors will ask for your numbers, even rough ones. Bring what you have.
For a loan, try a community lender before a bank or an online lender. Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs, 678-335-5600, lends to small businesses that banks turn down and coaches you along the way. Invest Atlanta, 404-880-4100, has loans and some grants for businesses inside the city. Grants are few and slow. Plan around sales and a fair loan, and treat a grant as extra.
To make it legal, register the business with the Georgia Secretary of State, then get a business license from your city or county. You can file both yourself. Ignore official-looking letters that offer to file for a fee.
To sell food you make at home, Georgia has a cottage food license for baked goods, jams and similar foods. For other foods you need a licensed kitchen, and some kitchens rent space by the hour.
For a first shop,iVillage @ MLK has small shop spaces for local businesses at the H.E. Holmes MARTA station.
The Women's Entrepreneurial Opportunity Project (WEOP) is a nonprofit in Atlanta that helps women, especially Black, Indigenous, and women of color, build successful small businesses. It offers coaching, workshops, and networking through its ABOVE program, including special training on how to win government and private contracts.
ACE is a nonprofit lender that makes loans to small businesses in Georgia. Each loan comes with free coaching from a business advisor. Its Women's Business Center gives coaching and training in English and Spanish.
SCORE Atlanta offers free business mentoring for people who want to start or grow a small business. Mentors are volunteers, and you can meet them in person or by email, phone or video. SCORE also runs free online workshops and webinars, and it has courses and templates you can use on your own.
Boys2Men & Girls2Win Home & Sanctuary for Youth runs youth development programs for teens and young adults. Programs include mentoring, life skills, entrepreneurship, robotics, auto mechanics, and horse-assisted therapy. The group says it serves youth ages 13 to 26.
ATDC is Georgia's startup incubator, backed by Georgia Tech. It coaches technology founders and connects them to investors, talent and corporate partners. It takes no ownership in your company. It has three membership levels: Educate for anyone in Georgia with a business idea, Accelerate for early tech companies, and Signature for fast-growing tech companies.
TruFund is a nonprofit lender with an Atlanta office. It offers small business loans and business advice to owners across Georgia. Its main focus is the 10-county Atlanta area, and it aims to reach women, minority, and disadvantaged owners.
The Georgia Business Council is a statewide group that helps small businesses in Georgia grow. It connects them with large company partners and offers events, mentoring and workshops. Its work is about business growth and supply chains.
Cascade Business Association is a group of volunteer business owners in the Cascade Heights area of Southwest Atlanta. It holds monthly member meetings and networking events, and it speaks up for local small businesses. It also promotes local events for free and keeps a directory of Cascade businesses.
The Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is a business group in Atlanta that works to help Hispanic businesses and professionals across Georgia. It offers networking, workshops, leadership training, a veterans group, and volunteer matching. Its site says it is open to all.
The Urban League of Greater Atlanta has worked in metro Atlanta since 1920. Its Financial Empowerment & Economic Resilience Center is a one-stop place for emergency help with rent and bills, jobs, housing, small business help and money coaching. It also runs programs for young people and a water bill help program for DeKalb County.
Pittsburgh Yards is a 15-acre site in southwest Atlanta that helps small businesses grow. Its main building, The Nia Building, has coworking memberships and private offices or maker spaces. The site also hosts a community market, networking nights and public events next to the Atlanta Beltline Southside Trail.
The Atlanta Business League has served the Atlanta business community since 1933. It helps small and minority-owned businesses grow through membership, mentoring, training, events and advocacy. Members also get business referrals and technical help.
The Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs (RICE) is an Atlanta group that helps entrepreneurs start and grow businesses. It runs a step-by-step learning program called Big IDEAS, with coaching, mentoring, and links to money and contacts. Members can also use office space, a mailbox, and storage at 504 Fair Street SW.
The Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund is a member-owned nonprofit of mostly Black farmers, landowners, and co-ops. It helps people keep their family land and start businesses they own together. It does this through classes, events, and hands-on help, mostly in seven Southern states.
The Wellness Room is an Atlanta business led by Dr. April Brown, a licensed professional counselor. It offers wellness workshops and keynote talks for workplaces and groups, faith-based retreats for Christian women, and business consulting for therapists.
Quality Care for Children is a nonprofit that has worked with Georgia families and child care providers since 1979. It helps parents find child care, learn about help paying for it, and apply for state help like CAPS. It also coaches and trains child care providers and runs a food program for child care programs.
The Ke'nekt Cooperative is a Black-owned community space on Ralph David Abernathy Blvd in Atlanta. It runs a cooperative retail space for Black-owned businesses and offers business support. It also hosts weekly and monthly events, like tech help for seniors, community conversations and mindful walks.
SAGE is a community hub for the Sweet Auburn neighborhood in Atlanta. It offers loans and grants for local businesses and creative people, runs four community gardens, and holds monthly Saturday health and wellness gatherings. Its office is at 522 Auburn Avenue.
The Metro Atlanta Chamber is a business group that has worked for more than 160 years. It covers a 29-county region. It helps companies move to or grow in metro Atlanta, speaks up on public policy, and publishes free data about the region.
Invest Atlanta is the City of Atlanta's economic development agency. It helps businesses with loans, bonds, tax credits, and one-on-one office hours. Its site also has a section for homebuyers and homeowners. Its work is for places inside Atlanta city limits.
