California
Los Angeles
Above the Glass is an online resource center that provides the information, tools, and support to empower female entrepreneurs. In addition to articles offering tips and tricks, Above the Glass offers a variety of worksheets and checklists to help with the nitty-gritty of starting a business.
https://projectmplus.com/portfolio/above-the-glass
Jig + saw brings a creative community of female entrepreneurs together through coworking, resources, and events. The network hosts weekly talks, workshops and shows, including their innovative Track Series and most recently, How’d She Do It?, which highlights women and their infinite ability to build an empire
SCORE is a nation-wide non-profit that offers consulting, workshops, and mentoring for free.
https://www.score.org/losangeles
California Association for Micro Enterprise Opportunity (CAMEO)
California Association for Micro Enterprise Opportunity is an organization for micro-businesses, which are those with five or fewer employees and an initial capital outlay of less than $50,000. CAMEO offers assistance with training, credit and loans.
The Inland Empire Small Business Development Center
The Inland Empire Small Business Development Center provides assistance with business planning, marketing, financial analysis, accounting and access to capital. In addition to free training events, the SBDC offers one-on-one consulting services.
Defy Ventures will advance its Entrepreneurship Pathway for Formerly Incarcerated Minorities program, which offers executive mentorship, supportive peers, workshops, and training.
https://mbda.gov/business-center/grant-recipient-defy-ventures/
Los Angeles MBDA Business Center
The Los Angeles MBDA Business Center provides extensive business training, direct technical assistance (TA), specialized procurement assistance, and partnership resources including business expansion support tools: financing, insurance, and bonding for MBEs focusing on capacity building to foster and secure new opportunities in Southern California.
San Francisco
San Francisco Small Business Development Center (SBDC)
The San Francisco SBDC offers free one-on-one business counseling and series of workshops customized to help female entrepreneurs succeed in the local marketplace and learn more about submitting bids for government contracts.
San Francisco SCORE offers FREE business mentoring, low-cost or no-cost business training, and numerous templates and tools to help you start or grow a business.
https://sanfrancisco.score.org/
Sponsored by Google for Entrepreneurs, IBM Watson, and Pivotal Labs, Startup Grind offers several events for entrepreneurs in the San Francisco area. These events are a great way to connect and be inspired by other local entrepreneurs. A combination of no membership fees and top-notch speakers draw talented individuals interested or involved in startups. Events usually last three hours. Tickets go fast so make sure to sign up as soon as you find out about an upcoming event.
Full List of SBA Participating Lenders
When you’re looking for a loan of up to $5 million to start a new small business, expand your small business, or acquire another small business, you should shop around at SBA participating lenders. The SBA San Francisco district office keeps a list of close to 80 SBA participating lenders offering different loan programs, including the 7(a) guaranty loan program and the SBAExpress loan program. It’s a good idea to explore SBA loans because they are three to five times more likely to go to women than non-SBA loans.
https://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/files/LoanInformationBrochureAugust15.pdf
Renaissance’s Women’s Business Center, a partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), provides business training, access to capital and markets and support strategies that are essential to the successful growth of emerging and established women entrepreneurs in the San Francisco Bay Area. We offer the following small business development services specifically designed for women entrepreneurs:
https://www.rencenter.org/locations/wbc/
The San Jose MBDA Business Center is an entrepreneurially-focused program with a primary objective to assist the integration and participation of the minority-owned business community in the nation’s economic growth. The group is partnering with private/public, multi-industry-sector network of buyers, suppliers and service providers to provide added connections and resources for growing companies.
Riverside/San Bernardino
We help businesses succeed with free, confidential advice from local experts, interactive workshops, and a vast online library of templates, tools and resources.
https://inlandempire.score.org/
Inland Empire Women’s Business Center
Whether you are an aspiring or budding entrepreneur, we can help you create a small business that is profitable, sustainable, and successful in achieving your personal goals. We can walk you through the step–by-step process of turning your business idea into a reality.
FREE Entrepreneurial Professional Course Through CSUSB Entrepreneurship Program
Small business owners and professionals interested in entrepreneurship or starting a business can sign up for the FREE Entrepreneurial Professional course. The Entrepreneurial Professional Course takes attendees from idea to business launch with information on a variety of entrepreneurial and business topics.
Inland Empire Small Business Development Center
A program within California State University, San Bernardino, which delivers a wide range of programs and services to existing or aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners in the community.
City of Riverside-Community and Economic Development
Economic Development is the collaborative effort of community, business and government to grow the local economic base through actions to support the creation and expansion of businesses, develop new markets for goods and services and attract top talent into the workforce.
http://riversideoed.com/small-business/starting-your-business/
San Diego
San Diego SCORE is the premier source of free small business advice for entrepreneurs. We are a volunteer, non-profit organization whose mission is to promote the success of small business in both San Diego and Imperial Counties.
https://www.score.org/sandiego
California Association for Micro Enterprise Opportunity (CAMEO)
This one-of-a-kind small business administration group has been helping startups get the assistance that they need from training to credit and loans
San Diego Entrepreneur Meetup Group
The San Diego Entrepreneur Meetup Group strives to help startups and other businesses establish themselves.
https://www.meetup.com/san-diego-entrepreneurs/
San Diego Entrepreneur Center & Startup Society
Always on the move to becoming the ideal entrepreneurial role model for other cities in the United States to follow, the San Diego Entrepreneur Center & Startup Society has been helping entrepreneurs of all types figure out where to start and stand out from the crowd. Not only do they hold events and workshops throughout the year, but they also offer shirts that you can order to show off your San Diego entrepreneurial spirit.
Hera LABS is a safe place for women-led startups to test their ideas and grow their businesses. While most accelerators offer only one program, here at Hera LABS, women-led startups can choose from one of four programs to help them jump-start their business(es) according to their individual needs:
Sacramento
Sacramento Women’s Business Center
We are a non-profit organization located in Sacramento, CA providing FREE business start-up and development assistance for small business owners, with a commitment to meet the unique needs of women entrepreneurs and women in business. We can help grow your business through financing assistance, educational workshops, online business training, one-on-one assistance, networking and connection with local resources.
https://cacapital.org/business-assistance/womens-business-center/
Women’s Business Centers-California Capital Financial Development Corporation
Women’s Business Centers are nationwide programs established by the SBA to assist women in starting small businesses.
Sacramento Public Library-(SPL)
The SPL offers online databases in addition to books and articles to help you with starting your business. You can also schedule an appointment with a librarian who will help you get the most out of the library’s resources.
SCORE volunteers provide education and mentoring to help entrepreneurs create new businesses and small business owners take their existing business to the next level – all for free!
https://www.score.org/capitalcorridor
Sacramento Works Business Information Centers (BIC)
Sacramento Works Business Information Centers (BIC) help and/or strengthen entrepreneurial small business endeavors throughout the Sacramento County by providing access to information, tools and guidance needed to ensure success. Sacramento Works’ BIC services are provided free of charge or at low cost for employers.
https://sacramentoworks.org/employers-business/small-business-assistance/
Sacramento MBDA Business Center
The Sacramento Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Business Center helps minority-owned enterprises access markets, secure contracts, and pursue financing.