If you would like to do business with Miami-Dade County, you may register and look for solicitations online with the Department of Procurement Management.

The Miami-Dade County Department of Small Business Development (SBD)  works to increase the participation of small businesses on County contracts.

Below you will find procedural resources to assist you with the process of starting both your own non-for-profit business and for-profit business.

• Activity/Task Log for the Formation of a Not-for-Profit Business 
• Activity/Task Log for the Formation of a For-Profit Business 

Additional not-for-profit resources may be found on the Tools for Nonprofits webpage on the Office of Grants Coordination website.

Miami-Dade Enterprise Community Center (ECC) conducts Emerging and Expanding Business Seminars, offers a Small Business Resource Library and daily one on one business counseling to entrepreneurs and small business owners in Miami- Dade County. The ECC also houses non-profit organizations, public and private lenders and Government Agencies like the Minority Business Enterprise Center, a component of the U.S. Department of Commerce - Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA).

The Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) is an advocacy and advisory office responsible for promoting the use of small, small disadvantaged, 8(a), women-owned, veteran-owned, service-disabled veteran-owned, and HUBZone small businesses within the U.S. Department of Commerce's (DOC) acquisition process.

Similarly, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has its own Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) which provides resources and post contracting opportunities for both small businesses and large business. This website also provides users the opportunity to subscribe to HUD's contracting opportunities email notification list.

The Florida Resource Directory is a one-stop source for learning about the latest state and federal programs and resources for local communities. "Financial Assistance - Business" is a drop-down menu option under Category.

Additional online resources for small business owners are:

• Count Me In For Women's Economic Independence
• Women's Chamber of Commerce 
• Tools For Change

The following Miami-Dade County programs offers grant funding opportunities to small businesses in Miami-Dade County.

• Miami-Dade County's Office of Community and Economic Development (OCED) Commercial Revitalization Grant Program
• Miami-Dade County's Urban Revitalization Task Force (URTF)
• Miami-Dade County Mom and Pop Grant Program

The Miami-Dade County Office of Community and Economic Development (OCED) also offers several loan programs and financial assistance programs for starting new or expanding existing small businesses.

• OCED Micro Enterprise Assistance & Peer Lending
• OCED Community Development Revolving Loan Fund (CDRLF)
• OCED Tax Programs
• Brownfield Programs

The Miami-Dade County Department of Business Development has the Small Business Enterprise program aimed at providing contracting opportunities to small firms. This program incorporates two business sectors, micro enterprise and small business.

Federal business/contracting opportunities, financial assistance and loan programs, as well as a vast array of information and support services, can be found on the U.S. Small Business Administration (in Spanish and English) and the FedBizOpps.gov websites. The Small Business Administration (SBA) offers a wealth of useful information on their website for those interested in starting a business and accessing information on establishing a business plan, as well as obtaining capital funding.

• U.S. Small Business Administration
• U.S. Small Business Administration en Espanol
• FedBizOpps

Federal funding and contracting opportunities for minority-owned small businesses can be found on these websites.

• U.S. Small Business Administration
• U.S. Department of Commerce Minority Business Development Agency
  

Eligibility for federal grant opportunities is sometimes directed toward small business and can be found on the Grants.gov.

The Miami-Dade County Mom and Pop Small Business Grant Program provide financial and technical assistance to qualified for-profit small businesses that are approved for funding. It is administered in collaboration with your Miami-Dade County Commissioner's Office. The grant application cycle varies across commission districts but is generally announced between December and February of each year. For an application please contact Neighbors and Neighbors Association at 305-756-0605 or your respective commissioner's office. Some commissioners provide additional information about the program on their websites.

As a new business owner you will need to understand your federal tax responsibilities. To learn more about federal tax responsibilities, visit the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).