Finding Federal Government Grants – Using the CFDA

The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance is a government-wide compendium of Federal programs, projects, services, and activities that provide assistance or benefits to the American public. It contains financial and nonfinancial assistance programs administered by departments and establishments of the Federal government.

In 1984 the Office of Management and Budget transferred responsibility for Federal domestic assistance program information to the General Services Administration. This transfer was mandated by the Federal Program Information Act and included requirements for distribution of the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance.

The GSA now maintains the Federal assistance information database from which program information is obtained. The Office of Management and Budget serves as an intermediary agent between the Federal agencies and GSA, thus providing oversight to the necessary collection of Federal domestic assistance program data.

The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance is the basic reference manual providing information on all Federal domestic activities. Its most critical function is allowing users to identify programs of particular interest. The CFDA also is a tremendous resource for basic information on Federal assistance programs. Additionally, the Catalog endeavors to improve communications and enhance coordination between State and Local entities and the Federal government.

The Catalog provides the user with access to programs administered by Federal departments and agencies in a single publication. Program information is cross referenced by functional classification (Functional Index), subject (Subject Index), applicant (Applicant Index), deadline(s) for program application submission (Deadlines Index), and authorizing legislation (Authorization Index). These are valuable resource tools that, if used carefully, can make it easier to identify specific areas of program interest more efficiently.

Since 1977 the GSA has published printed editions of the CFDA. Legislation required free dissemination of the Catalog to specific recipients. In 2003 the General Services Administration distributed close to 10,000 copies of the CFDA.

New rulings now gives the General Services Administration discretion in what form to produce and disseminate the CFDA. The General Services Administration is endeavoring to move to a more paper free environment and toward that end now maintains and distributes the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance through the CFDA Website. The General Services Administration no longer prints and distributes free copies of the Catalog.

Michael has an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He maintains a site on federal grant money and is president of Information Organizers, LLC.

Starting a Catering Business – Ten things to think about

If you are looking for a small business opportunity in a growing industry and you are also fond of food and entertaining then why not start planning your own catering company.

Below are ten steps to follow to get your home-based catering business off the ground.

1) Researching the Market and Education – Start by thoroughly researching the catering market in your city. Take note of what competitors are doing, find out more about market demand and try to identify market sectors that offer the best opportunities. Interview people who have used nearby catering businesses in the past and ask them how you could improve on the services that they had experienced.

2) Industry Experience – While most states and countries don’t require you to have any work experience or qualifications to start up a catering business, if you have had experience working in the food and hospitality field (or even with another catering firm) you will have an immediate advantage.

3) Health Restrictions and Paperwork – As a catering business operator you will have to comply with the rules and regulations of your local health authorities. Ensure that you fully understand them and set out a plan for complying with them.

4) Where are you going to Prepare Food for your Clients? – Will you operate out of the kitchen in your home, rent commercial kitchen space or only accept on-site jobs that let you use a kitchen at the place where the event will be held?

5) What Insurance will you Need? – Make sure that you are covered with an appropriate insurance policy in case things go wrong and you are liable for damages.

6) Creating Menus -Think about the kinds of menus you will offer prospects and start to look at wholesalers and other sources of ingredients in bulk volumes.

7) Be certain that you can handle the stress of catering for an event by having a trial run. Invite some friends or family members to come to your home for a fully catered meal so that you can try out dishes on them and get their feedback.
Branding – Start thinking about a suitable name for your new company and think about how you want customers to perceive your business. How will you stand out against competitors? What about your company philosophy?

9) Start Up Financing – It is important that you know exactly how much you will need in the way of start up capital so you should carefully note down all of your expected start up expenses.

10) Once you have given serious thought to the above factors you can then proceed to prepare a plan for your business. A well researched plan will help you to organize your research findings and prove to yourself that your idea is workable. You will then have a blueprint to follow and help you to set and reach goals.

Get your catering company off to the best possible start by following the above ten steps before you open your doors for business in this exciting industry.

For our next article on Choosing a Name for a Catering Business and to read reviews of some of the top start up kits visit – Start a Catering Business

The New Face of Internet Advertising

It is no secret”the advertising industry has been shifting for quite some time. Gone are the days when consumers rely on the local newspaper, White and Yellow Pages, or even radio as reliable sources to locate business services and products. Even television commercials have become less effective due to the fact that viewers can easily fast-forward through commercials using DVR systems. The Internet has created the Now Generation”a group of people who expect your services to come to them, at the point of need.

So where is this point of need, you might ask. The point of need is wherever that particular person may be. Thanks to the cellular phone and laptop computers, the Now Generation has been conditioned to expect to be able to easily access pertinent information about whatever they want, whenever they want.

The more convenient the source of your advertisement is to access for the consumer, the more likely they are to view it. Why purchase a newspaper when every major news source has an extensive Web site with streaming video with to-the-minute updates? Why open up a phone book when the same information can easily be accessed within seconds on a mobile or wireless device? The fact is print advertising is becoming less effective each year, as 54 percent of people solely search the Internet for a desired product or service rather than searching through a phone book, and 63 percent of people search online before making a purchase in a store.

In addition to meeting your customers at the point of need, establishing a strong online presence also has been proven in many studies to increase consumers perception of a company’s level of professionalism.

Now the question is, How is your business targeting the Now Generation? Hopefully your company is well versed in the Internet and has developed a Web site and an online marketing campaign that actively drives traffic to your Web site. Now is the time for you to learn how you can fully utilize the Internet to advertise and market your business to the masses.

Some may advise companies hoping to increase Web presence to utilize pay per click services, in which Web hosts display advertisements when a keyword query matches an advertiser’s keyword list. These sponsored links are generally placed at the top or side of a Web page, or within the page if the Web host so chooses.

While Pay per click (PPC) advertising is one of the most popular, fastest growing ways for businesses to advertise online, it is not the most effective, or cost-effective way to establish your companies Web presence, generate traffic to your Web site, or increase sales.

When sponsoring an ad, you, the advertiser pays per click every time a potential customer clicks on your link. Whether they choose to purchase any of your goods or services, you still have to pay for the advertising. Most pay-per-click companies have the following flaws:

Expensive”As stated earlier, advertisers must pay a predetermined amount for every visitor who clicks on your pay per click ad, even if those visitors do not actually purchase anything. Unproven science”Advertisers use certain keywords to attract customers to their ads and increase sales. The catch is, it is proven that certain key words perform, or attract users better than others. The question to ask yourself as a business owner is, Are these service providers going to supply these top-performing key words for me? Not a chance! Although some services do provide users with a back office of sorts, where the results of multiple ads can be tracked, it will take several weeks to determine how an ad, or specific keywords are effective”and in the mean time, you are losing money! Additionally, manner of these service providers offer tutorials on how to master the are of using pay per click advertising. These services are not cheap”typically ranging in cost from $450 to $1,000, but are not proven to increased the advertisers desired results. No Local Advertising Capabilities”Many businesses viewed the surge of the Internet as an opportunity to grow their business by marketing products and services to a national, and sometimes international, audience. In all actuality, the majority of small- to mid-sized business owners cater to a specific locality, region, or demographic area. Yes, clicks of any type can be viewed as exposure for your company Web site”but the problem is, pay per click does not have a way to geo-target the audience that your advertisement reaches”yet you must pay for every time a disinterested non-geo-targeted Internet searcher accidentally lands on your site, then quickly closes it because you are too far away to provide the desired service. These disadvantages have caused many to search for an alternative method for LOCAL online advertising and Web site traffic generation. Currently, there is only one proven method to strategically generate the traffic you want to your Web site. Find out how.

Setting Up a Catering Business

If you are passionate about cuisine and making people happy or you feel that you are a person who knows how to organize parties and events then starting an event catering company could just be a great small business opportunity for you.

Below we highlight 10 factors to consider before you take the plunge and proceed to start advertising your services as a professional caterer.

1) Initial Preparation – Find out as much as possible about the catering business and how to oversee a profitable catering business. Try to also learn about small business administration and marketing. Taking some classes on business related subjects is one excellent way to prepare. Research the industry in your region or town. Try to learn more about what the successful players are doing, the size of the market and what different types of events have the most potential. Interview friends and family members who have hired caterers in the past to try and better understand your future customers.

2) Experience – If you have not attained a culinary qualification or have not had relevant experience in the food, beverage and hospitality industries then you should aim to get at least several months worth of experience working for a business in the industry.

3) Health Regulations and Paperwork – As a catering business owner you will have to comply with the rules and regulations of your local health authorities. Make sure that you are aware of them and give thought to how you will comply with them.

4) Where will you Prepare Food for your Clients? – Will you operate a home-based business, rent commercial kitchen space ,operate out of a restaurant kitchen after hours or only take on jobs that allow you to use a kitchen on the premises?

5) Call suitable insurance policy providers to get an idea of the insurance policies that a catering business should have to protect them against unforeseen events.

6) Menus – Start putting together menus for different kinds of events. Have a look at what other caterers are doing to get some insight into what is in demand.

7) If you don’t have any experience in the catering business you should get some practice in by holding a large event for friends and catering to them. You will then be able to learn more about what it takes to prepare and serve food to large numbers.
Building a Brand – Start thinking about a suitable name for your new company and put some thought into how you want customers to perceive your business. How can you stand out against competitors? What about your company values?

9) Financing your Company – Try to get a clearer idea of the set up expenses that you will be up against and consider the options for financing your business. Can you fund the entire project alone or are you going to need another form of financing?

10) Your Business Plan – After you have given these other nine factors some thought, you can begin to put together a business plan outlining set up costs, administration and marketing methods and goals among other points. Cautiously estimate your expected income and expenditure for the first two years of your business and then you can determine how profitable your new business is likely to be and when you will reach breakeven point.

Get your catering company off to the best possible beginning by following these ten steps before you start offering your services to prospects.

More more information on Catering Business Funding and Start up Costs and to read reviews of some of the top catering business start up kits visit – Start your own Catering Business

Doing Business with Health And Human Services When You’re a Small Business

In 1953 the Department of Health, Education and Welfare became a cabinet level department in the United States. In 1979 the Department of Education Organization Act split HEW into the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services. The Department of Health and Human Services is responsible for the health, safety and well-being of residents of the United States. This mandate also extends internationally for cross-border health and safety issues.

HHS administers over 300 programs with a budget of over $737 billion. The Department’s mission includes a wide range of human issues, including substance abuse, Medicare and Medicaid, childrens health, health disparities, disease prevention and health promotion. It is the largest grant-making department within the Federal Government.

In 1979, HHS first established the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization. Its intent was to implement and develop outreach programs to the small business community. This Office works mostly through procurement conferences, small business fairs, conventions, forums, and trade group seminars.

The Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization hosts bi-monthly Vendor Outreach Sessions that are designed to educate vendors on the small business program and to provide information on how to effectively market products and services to the Department of Health and Human Services.

At the present time, the Office of Small Business Development’s Director has Small Business Specialists report to him or her. Currently, this is the only executive agency whereby these Specialists report to the Director. HHS’ 11 agencies house these Small Business Specialists.

These Specialists work every day with staff from the Contracting and Program Office; these people work to decide what the best strategy for acquisition will be and also strive to unify their approach so that vendors dealing with HHS can benefit from this unity.

At present, Health And Human Services doesn’t give grants or loans to help small businesses start up, but it is the largest organization of the federal government to make grants. With over 300 grant programs today, it also deals with topics that are mission specific, and in turn these topics are spread out among the various operating agencies of the Health and Human Services Department. The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance profiles all Federal grant programs, which provide financial assistance. This includes Health and Human Services programs as well. Besides that described previously, additional information or specific points of contact for obtaining applications are also given here.

HHS does not require any special certifications for vendors interested in doing business with the HHS. The Small Business Administration certifies firms under their 8(a) Business Development Program, the Small Disadvantaged Business Program and the Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) program. Small, Women-Owned, Veteran-Owned and Service-Disabled Veteran Owned businesses rely on self-certifications. Self-certification is not questioned until a competitor or other interested party protests. A Contracting Officer with the Department may also request a size determination from the SBA.

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