5 Free Resources for West Virginian Businesses

For your networking needs in the Mountain State, here’s a list of 5 free resources for West Virginian businesses to take advantage of!

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“There’s no ‘I’ in team,” “Teamwork makes the dream work,” “United we stand, divided we fall,” – you get the picture. Teamwork is the name of the game in business, so it’s paramount to begin networking and making connections ASAP. In this list, we break down five free resources your WV business can use to build connections and achieve your goals:

West Virginia BusinessLink

West Virginia BusinessLink is a free online resource whose mission is to “help small businesses thrive.” Its homepage offers guides for startup, growth, and funding. It also extends personalized assistance in a variety of topics from community events, legal issues, marketing, and even networking. Interested businesses can reach out to West Virginia BusinessLink by filling out some basic info about their enterprise. This allows an associate to detail an assessment that informs BusinessLink’s custom consulting.

Vertx Partners

Of course, Vertx Partners is at the forefront of connecting WV businesses, big and small, with one another and the federal government. Vertx Partners serves as a hub for a wide array of disparate entities sharing a common goal: the national defense industry. It’s the only company in the state of West Virginia connecting businesses with federal U.S. Air Force contracts. Vertx points you in the right direction for your contracting needs, whether that involves getting started, education efforts, or extensive networking with other business insiders

West Virginia Small Business Development Center 

The West Virginia Small Business Development Center’s name speaks for itself: it develops small businesses here in the Mountain State! Like the rest of the resources here, it’s completely free. Do you need assistance calculating your initial marketing plan, startup costs, or management structure? The West Virginia Small Business Development Center specializes in small business startups, so first-time business owners will find an array of helpful guides to peruse and help grow their fledgling business.

U.S. Small Business Administration

The U.S. government founded the Small Business Administration in 1953. It remains to this day the “only cabinet-level federal agency fully dedicated to small business.” Operating at such a level in government gives the Small Business Administration a wide reach over its potential clients. This reach benefits clients by assisting with counseling, securing seed funding, and growing beyond. The West Virginia District Office is located right in the heart of West Virginia in Clarksburg, offering regional clients a chance to meet with a representative in person. 

AFWERX

AFWERX is a multi-pronged approach to national defense innovation headed by the Air Force. This organization splits into three distinct approaches – AFVentures, Spark, and Prime. These three focus on small business technological innovation, operational application, and adoption acceleration respectively. Interested parties can easily fill out a form on the site and inquire AFWERX for more information regarding its programs.

Helping businesses helps everyone else in return – that’s why there are so many free resources out there at your disposal. Business owners (especially small business owners) know how important it is to spend wisely and maximize what’s available to them, so we hope that this primer explaining 5 free resources for West Virginian business will get you thinking about the connections you make.

If your business has a connection to West Virginia and you need help navigating the world of government contracting, reach out to us here at Vertx. We’re here to help – at no charge to you.