The 8a designation is a coveted federal certification for small business owners. Everyday there are hundreds of business owners seeking advice about the 8(a) program and how to get certified. By doing thorough research, you can literally save thousands of dollars in preparation fees.
So what is fact or fiction about the 8a program? You can do to the source, the SBA website, but unfortunately it is really difficult to navigate and find the exact information you need.
So then you start with a Google search and you find articles.
Just because an article appears on the Internet does not make it fact or even truth. Take for example, the flurry of poorly written articles I have seen on SBA 8(a) certification.
I find it interesting that many of the articles that are written by "Internet Experts" who have NO - that is zip, zilch, nada - experience in owning an 8a business.
In addition to the poor grammar and sentence structure, they are writing articles that are simply not factual. One recent article that I read stated there are "millions of 8a companies". In reality, there are less than 10,000 certified SBA 8a companies currently. If you were researching the 8a program and learned there are millions of companies versus thousands of companies, how would that affect your perception? Would you decide it was too easy or too difficult to even apply for certification?
How do I know how to distinguish between fact and fiction? Here are three tips to help you sift through the fiction and find facts.
1. When you are seeking advice about 8a certification take time to look at the author's credentials and determine if they are credible or not. Check out their website and see how much they reveal about themselves as individuals and as a company. Take time to learn about the writer and their experience in the 8a program, if there is any.
2. Do a Google search of the person's name and see if there are any relevant websites associates with that author. Put the writer into context and determine for yourself if they are truly qualified to be making statements about a very complex program.
3. Call the author, ask them questions, get to know them as a person. Reputable authors are more than happy to email and speak with you on the phone about specifics regarding the 8a certification process.
Don't be duped by "experts" who simply copy other people's work, add in some filler words and pass themselves off as 8a experts.
Karen Miller is The 8a Mentor. She has assisted business owners for the past five years to prepare their social and economic disadvantage narratives, a critical part of the SBA 8a application process. Get the facts about SBA 8a certification and the narrative requirements at: http://www.The8aMentor.com
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