Cornerstone Alliance
38 W. Wall Steet, P.O. Box 428
Benton Harbor, MI 49023-0428
269.925.6100

Starting a Business

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Small Business Services

Are you an Entrepreneur?

Cornerstone Alliance Small Business Services (CASBS) provides business counseling, training, technical and financial resource assistance to small businesses and entrepreneurs, with an emphasis on low-income, women, and minority entrepreneurs. CASBS utilizes a network of economic development resources to provide advice and assistance that is as complete, thorough, and as confidential as possible.

Women's Business Center at Cornerstone Alliance. Women's Business Centers provide assistance and/or training in finance, management, marketing, procurement, and the Internet, as well as addressing specialized topics such as home-based businesses. WBCs provide individual business counseling and access to SBA programs and services. The mission is to provide women and others from diverse backgrounds, many of whom are facing social or economic barriers, with opportunities to develop the skills and acquire the knowledge needed to achieve financial independence.

Service Area: The U.S. Small Business Administration's Office of Women Business Ownership (OWBO) designated Cornerstone Alliance as a Women's Business Center (WBC) to serve Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren counties. The Women's Business Center at Cornerstone Alliance is not a place... it's a program. There is a resource center located at The Alliance for World-Class Communities offices at 38 West Wall Street that can be utilized, free, by clients.

PRIME is the Program for Re-Investment in Micro-Entrepreneurs, and is funded by the Small Business Administration. The SBA funding provides assistance to organizations such as Cornerstone Alliance that help low-income entrepreneurs who lack sufficient training and education to gain access to capital to establish or expand their existing small businesses.

Through one-on-one business counseling, training courses and networking events, Small Business Services at Cornerstone is seeking to help these small business owners grow their enterprises into sustainable and growing companies. There is no fee to participate in PRIME, just a sound business concept and the determination to see it through to its completion.

PRIME is open to individuals with a four-person household income of $44,800 in Berrien County, or the localized equivalent in Small Business Services tri-county region.

Please contact Bob Jones at 269-925-6100 on the PRIME offering.

CORE FOUR Business Planning Courses
Our Small Business Services Unit offers the CORE FOUR Business Planning Courses quarterly throughout the SBS Class year, with sessions that present entrepreneurs with information on how to plan a business. Each quarterly program includes classroom instruction on marketing, cash-flow, and operational planning. There is also a strategic Success Planning component, which focuses on the pesonal goals of the business owner, business ethics, and other personal development topics.

Technical Assistance Program
Our Technical Assistance Program provides both business and technical assistance to low-income individuals who are looking to obtain private-sector financing for their businesses. The TA program is designed to address the specific neeeds of the low-income small business owner, by assembling every possible resource into one strong support system dedicated to the success of the business. Among the services in our TA program you will find:

Entrepreneur Support
Pre-Loan Application Review
Loan Application Processing
Loan Packaging
Financial Assistance
Financial Counseling
Management Assistance
Marketing Assistance
Government Contracts Assistance

Business Resource Center
Located on the first floor of the Cornerstone Alliance and Chamber of Commerce Building, the Business BRC center Resource Center provides clients of our Small Business Services team a resource of counselors, business reference materials, computers, Internet access, and computer software to help with every aspect of starting or expanding a small business.

Our Business Resource Center offers a reference library addressing a wide array of business issues, including Entrepreneur Magazine's Start-Up Guides. The Business Guides are designed to give clients the help, information, and guidance needed to make their dreams a reality. Step-by-step instruction, how-to lists and hands-on worksheets guide clients through every aspect of the start-up process. Choose from over 20 guides covering such subjects as Home Inspection Services, Sales & Marketing, Bridal Consulting, Child Care Services, Starting & Running a Home-Based Business, and many others. Additionally, a video library addressing many of the business planning and marketing concerns is available through this unit.

In addition to the counseling services, computer workstations, and business financing opportunities currently available, clients have access to reference materials, computer databases, text books, on-line information exchange, start-up guides, periodicals and brochures, computer tutorials and video tapes.

You'll find the Business Resource Station on the ground floor of our offices at 38 W. Wall Street in downtown Benton Harbor. You may call 269-925-6100 for an appointment to visit the library or use the center's computer workstations.

Looking for Funds to Start a Business, or Need Funds to Help Your Business Grow?
If you are located in Berrien, Cass or Van Buren County, then look no further! Small businesses needing small-scale financing and technical assistance for start-up can apply to obtain Microloan Funding at Cornerstone Alliance. Here are some of the basics of the loan program:

Who Qualifies? Most small or start-up businesses located in Berrien, Cass & Van Buren Counties qualify. Members of minority groups, women, low income individuals an veterans are priorities of the program.
Average Loan Size? $500 to $10,000.00 on average, although larger amounts may be considered. Total debt of the project cannot exceed $105,000.00
Use of Loan Proceeds? You may use the loan for the purchase of business equipment such as machinery, fixtures, or furniture...the purchase of business supplies and materials...inventory...or working capital.
Businesses that Do Not Qualify? Not-for-profit companies, consumer and marketing co-ops, academic institutions, gambling concerns, floor planning concerns (i.e., wholesale auto inventory financing), speculative concerns (i.e., real estate and commodities, lending or investment institutions, and multi-level marketing or pyramid sales.

Renaissance Development Fund—Commercial Micro-Loan Program
An initiative aimed at addressing access to business financing for those who are traditionally underserved, including low-income persons, persons with disabilities, women and minorities. Borrowers with a minimum of 6 months business history may be eligible for a business plan loan ranging from $500 to $25,000.

Click here to learn more about the various loan products available.

SCORE Counselors to America's Small Business
Cornerstone Chamber of Commerce and the Cornerstone Alliance Small Business Services Team has an outstanding component of volunteers in the role of SCORE Counselors willing to assist with entrepreneurs who are either starting a new business or have a business, but are looking for ways to improve their performance. The SCORE Team works with both for profit and not for profit organizations.

Call 269-925-6100 or toll free 1-866-477-9922 to learn more. Our e-mail address is: smallbusiness@cstonealliance.org

The Microloan Program and Women's Business Center are funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All SBA programs are extended to the public on a non-discriminatory basis. Cornerstone Alliance is an equal opportunity employer and provider.