As part of its mission to connect members to the information, expertise and people that will help business succeed and grow, Rochester Business Alliance suggests the following additional resources:

LOCAL
City of Rochester: Provides a variety of business services to assist new, existing, and expanding businesses including permits and licenses, loans and grants.
Greater Rochester Enterprise: A searchable database of information on business incentives, grants and loans from New York state, the City of Rochester, and each of the counties within the Greater Rochester Region.
Monroe County: Offers a wealth of resources to assist new and existing businesses including information on licenses, permits, DBA filings, economic development, business laws.
SCORE:  A non-profit association that assists small businesses and those who want to start their own small businesses.  They offer services such as counseling, workshops, and also have a handy checklist with Steps for Startups. 

RBA's Small Business Assistance Center: Provides free counseling (by appointment only) at our State Street offices.  It is staffed by individuals from the Small Business Development Center and SCORE Rochester.


NEW YORK STATE
Business First: A business-focused portal to the wealth of incentives, programs and resources available to companies - large and small - within New York State and those that choose to relocate here.
http://www.nyfirst.ny.gov/

Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE): A state certification program, administered by Empire State Development, designed to assist the growth and development of businesses owned and controlled by women and minorities
http://www.esd.ny.gov/MWBE/Certification.html
NYS Online Permit Assistance and Licensing: Useful website for those who want to start a new business or expand their current business, as it will help you find the NYS business permits and licenses you may need.  They also publish a brochure on Starting a Business. 

NATIONAL
National Business Information Clearinghouse: Information on starting, marketing and managing your business, including capital, business and economic development resources and management training.
http://www.natbic.org/
The Small Business Administration: Provides planning, services, tools and local resources to small businesses, small business owners and prospective business owners.