Vermont State Programs to Help Start and Grow Your Business

These resources are centered on providing businesses and entrepreneurs with the information required to successfully start and grow a business. For more information, please visit the BDCC’s Financing and Incentives and Development Services pages or contact us directly.

  • The Vermont Small Business Development Center (VtSBDC) is a non-profit that assists local businesses and start-ups through no-cost advising services. VtSBDC connects new and existing businesses to an advisor who assists them through one-on-one advising, which includes helping businesses grow, secure capital, find workers, etc. There is also an SBDC office located in the BDCC.
  • The Vermont Procurement Technical Assistance Center (VT PTAC) provides services to businesses such as one-on-one counseling, market research, training, and identifying government buyers with an overall mission to increase the number of federal contracts awarded to Vermont businesses (and particularly small businesses). Specifically, PTAC can assist businesses though complex processes such as government paperwork and helps businesses and individuals understand these processes. For more information, click here.

Regional VtSBDC and PTAC counselors are co-located with the BDCC at the Cotton Mill and available for remote consultation.

  • The ThinkVermont State Website provides assistance for businesses in terms of growth; specifically they provide access to different available resources and lending programs such as those seen below. There are also resources for workers looking to move to Vermont and information about what living in Vermont is like.
  • The Vermont Secretary of State Business Start-Up Guide is a checklist form the Vermont Secretary of State’s office that provides a detailed list of what is required to start a business in Vermont. This includes a detailed list with different helpful resources and forms. The broader Vermont Secretary of State website may also be a helpful resource.
  • The Vermont Business Assistance Network (VBAN) serves to connect businesses to one another as well as helping businesses with elements such as finding customers, vendors and suppliers. It is ultimately a pipeline for a business, consolidating resources that allows businesses to search for contacts, market your business, list products and services, etc.
  • Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR) is a statewide business association that exists to foster a business ethic of social responsibility in Vermont. That mission is realized through sustainable economic development, education, public influence, etc.
  • The Vermont Business Roundtable (VBR) is a non-profit, public interest organization that includes more than 100 CEOs of Vermont employers. VBR is dedicated to thoughtful, deliberative, analysis of public policy issues impacting Vermont.
  • Vermont Business Magazine Lists include lists of all food producers in Vermont, Vermont’s largest employers, VT tech companies, active VT trade names, and more. These lists are published by the Vermont Business Magazine which itself can be a helpful resource for business information in Vermont as well
  • The Vermont Small Business Administration (SBA) is the Vermont division of the US Small Business Association and serves a role in lending and connecting businesses to lenders. Centered in Montpellier, the Vermont SBA also has other partners such as the Vermont Small Business Development Center.

 

Industry Specialized Resources:

  • The Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center (VMEC) is an advisor to Vermont manufacturers that provides resources such as consulting, coaching, direct implementation support, and training and education programs for leaders and workers.
  • The Alliance for Vermont Communities (AVC) exists to protect forests, farms, and communities in central and southern Vermont. The AVC intends to promote responsible development that will allow Vermont to sustain its lands and communities for generations to come.
  • The Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund (VSJF) is a non-profit organization committed to fostering sustainable development in Vermont by developing creative approaches to growing the state’s economy through elevating the well-being of Vermont’s people, communities, and environment.
  • The Vermont Working Lands Enterprise Initiative is a state program designed to support innovative entrepreneurs interacting with Vermont’s Working Lands economy by providing technical and financial assistance so that growing businesses have the opportunity to thrive.

 

Workplace Equity and Inclusion Resources