Do take advantage of programs offered though your state government, including the Department of Commerce and Chamber of Commerce. A quick online search for “(your state) small business grants” may also prove to be fruitful.

Do not start searching through the U.S. Small Business Administration. The agency does not offer grants to start up or expand small businesses. However, it does offer a variety of loan programs for such financing.

Do remember to search for grants provided by private and non-profit institutions, especially if you are a woman or minority business owner.

Do not completely disregard the federal government in your search. Grants.gov acts as the clearinghouse for a number of small business grant programs, Just make sure to do an advanced search for “small business” to find them.

On a final note – do make sure, regardless of where you apply, that you and your business meet the specific grant program requirements. This may include but is not limited to location, sales revenue, purposes of funding. If the program is rather extensive, then consider hiring a professional grant proposal writer to help with your application.

And of course, there is The Mom Entrepreneur – an online hub of resources for women in any stage of trying to run their own business and family at the same time.

In addition to marketing and public relations consulting through her firm, Bisson Barcelona, The Mom Entrepreneur offers copywriting, sponsorship and advertising services.

But the heart of its operations is its support group, in which Bisson and others can speak freely on any issue regarding their business. While how-to topics range from potty-training to Twitter, the biggest discussion revolves precisely on what Bisson had started searching for years ago: how to achieve that ideal work-life balance.

Bisson first considered entrepreneurship after spending five years building up marketing and sales at Olde Port Candles. She left temporarily in 2000 to have her first son Jacob, only to find the company ready to collapse when she came back.

“I was expecting a commission check to be there waiting for me, and me being there for quite a few more years,” Bisson said. “Unfortunately, that was my last day there.”

With just $14.89 in her savings account, her 401k soon to be drained and no health insurance, Bisson considered freelancing, though instead she started a four-month contact at Converse Network Systems. But with its office located 60 miles away from her Barrington, N.H. home, she turned down a full-time position in favor of seeing her son for more than 30 minutes a day, before he went to bed.

“Being a first-time mom and not being able to be there, to see all of the different developmental changes that occur during the first few months, definitely became some of the biggest [issues] for me,” she said.

By August of that year, she had left her third job at Communications Management International and founded Bisson Barcelona. With the firm, she hoped to both build up the images of authors and entrepreneurs and spend more time at home. But for six years, up to five other women worked from Bisson’s dining room.

“It was hard on days when my kids were sick here with employees, when school was closed, when they were on vacation,” Bisson said. “I had to have the kids down in the playroom when I was upstairs working.”

And along with two two growing boys, the firm also faced one overwhelming list of clients.

“Basically we had people calling and e-mailing. There was no shortage of clients and we would just do anybody – on fiction, on poetry, didn’t matter,” Bisson said. “I continually threw bodies at the problem, more employees, without taking a closer look to see if they were the right client for us.”

By 2004, Bisson wanted help – but after searching online with keywords “mom entrepreneur” and “work life balance,” then poring through sources like SCORE and the Women’s Business Center, she could not find any.

But in 2008, after launching The Mom Entrepreneur blog to chronicle her successes, Bisson sought advice again, though this time via two local news channels. This time, she received over 1,000 tips via 400 e-mails sent in less than 48 hours.

Such replies have since become the foundation of the current Mom Entrepreneur. Bisson had also since hired a business consultant to analyze her firm, to figure out how it could hone its focus. With the discovery of these niches, both Bisson Barcelona and The Mom Entrepreneur have since grown.

In January, Bisson opened The Mom Entrepreneur’s co-op shop to the public, which offers special discounts on products and services created by its subscribers. The support group currently has over 600 subscribers, all of whom Bisson has even turned to for advice – most recently, on figuring out how a math teacher could rein Jacob, being “an intelligent child that was bored,” she said.

At the same time, The Mom Entrepreneur’s growth still demonstrates the stability Bisson has achieved in the eight years that has passed since she first became a mother and entrepreneur.

“I don’t think there’s any perfect formula, but I have found that wealth of knowledge off of our current members,” she said. And with a firm and family still thriving under her watch, Bisson appears to have learned some things of her own.

For more information, visit The Mom Entrepreneur.

However, there are more avenues available for financial help and funding for women and minorities in business, thanks to government agencies stepping in, as well as lenders that work with them.

Small Business Administration
One of the best options for any small-to-medium business owner has always been the Small Business Administration . This is just as true for women or minorities, and the SBA provides a great source of both financial help and advice in putting together business loans, proposals, which lenders to use, etc.

Minority Business Development Agency
Similar in structure and aim of the SBA, the Minority Business Development Agency , or MBDA, is targeted more at the minority-owned businesses. For anyone that falls into that category, the MBDA works with lenders throughout the country to offer you financial help that is relevant to your business. These include the Native American Business Development Centers, Minority Business Development Centers, and more.

Small Business Development Centers
In association with the SBA is the network of Small Business Development Centers . These can be found in every state across the US, and offer invaluable help and advice when it comes to starting up a small business. Once you have that behind you, then you can move onto the next step and look at either the SBA or MBDA for further help and financial backing.

Lending Services
As well as the government backed agencies like the SBA and MBDA, there are a few other options available for women and minorities looking for business funding. For example, certain lenders and financial institutes have dedicated services and advisors that deal solely with this area.

One such lender is Prosper.com , which can offer you business loans through a unique approach. Lenders actually bid to offer you the money you need – the lowest bid wins, and then you repay that lender over a three-year period. It’s an extremely useful way to get a short-term loan to help your fledgling business.

Non-profit Organizations
Another option open to you if you’re a minority or woman business owner are dedicated lenders and business advisory organizations, but from a non-profit viewpoint. The beauty of a non-profit company offering advice is that you know it will be generally impartial, as there’s nothing in it for them. Organizations such as the National Minority Business Council , the National Association of Women Business Owners and the National Urban League are all excellent sources of information and funding for minority and women-owned businesses.

The Small Business Association’s (SBA) Office of Women’s Business Ownership – For decades, the SBA has been helping entrepreneurs turn their dreams into businesses with education, financing and grants. Their Office of Women’s Business Ownership was created to specifically address the concerns and needs of women entrepreneurs.

WomenBiz.gov – Federal, state, and local government agencies purchase both products and services from companies small and large. WomenBiz.gov helps women-owned businesses win contracts with the government by using a five-step guide and in-depth information about applications, contracts, procedures and pricing. If you have ever thought about selling your company’s products or services to the government, then this is the absolute best website to help you win a government contract.

WomanOwned.com – Since 1998, WomanOwned.com has been one of the front-runners in providing information and networking opportunities to women business owners and entrepreneurs. You’ll find information on almost every small business subject, as well as plenty of online tools, resources and forums. This is one of the most information-rich websites available to businesswomen.

Digital-Women.com – With over 16,000 members, digital-women.com is a popular website for information on small business financing and grants, and home business ideas. There is also a busy forum full of chat-ready women entrepreneurs – a great place to ask questions and share ideas!

WomensFranchises.com – If you are thinking about buying a franchise , but aren’t sure where to start, then look no further. This is the site for women interested in franchise ownership. You’ll find a complete listing of the top and newest franchise businesses, as well as interviews with successful women franchise owners.

American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) – Founded in 1949, the ABWA is one of the oldest and most respected associations for women. The goal of the ABWA is to help businesswomen network, as well as grow professionally through education, leadership and national recognition. You’ll find plenty of in-depth information on how to become a successful business leader in your industry.

The above links are filled with information that can help your business all the way from start-up through maturity. Most of the information and resources available are free and designed to help women entrepreneurs become empowered through educational, financial and networking opportunities. There are also plenty of other resources for women entrepreneurs on the web, so if you haven’t found what you’re looking for from the links above, more information is just a click away!

• Nationally security and international affairs;
• Coating, engraving, heat treating and allied activities;
• Household and institutional furniture and kitchen cabinet manufacturing;
• Motor vehicle dealers.

Essentially, the proposal would allow contractors to give preference to women-owned businesses in those four categories with the idea being that they would be giving preference to these most underrepresented groups thus increasing the number of contracts granted to women-owned businesses. But this is also where the controversy comes in.

Women who own businesses that do not fall into those four categories are saying that they already have enough trouble landing government contracts only to be further pigeonholed by this proposal (despite its good intentions). The efforts to level the playing field in fact are thrown even more out of balance by singling out specific groups.

On top of it all, this effort began 8 long years ago and it doesn’t appear to be coming to fruition any time soon.

What are your thoughts?

(Click here to read the full SBA proposal )

* Starting an online business. This could be anything, and you can start from the smallest amount of income as well. Whether you become an affiliate marketer and sell other people’s products on your site, or even become an eBay Power Seller, the options are almost limitless here. Just make sure you don’t get caught up in one of the hundreds of scam businesses out there – a quick check on the Better Business Bureau website will help you find out. For more information, check out our article Avoiding Work At Home Scams.

* Become a scrapbook organizer. Although this may sound unusual, it’s precisely because of this that you will have a better chance of success. Artwork and design is always needed, and if you can provide a service where you help people gather all their precious photographs and memoirs together, you’ll find yourself in a niche area that pays well and has a lot of inquiries.

* Offer pet services. One of the reasons that many people are wishing they could work at home is that it would give them some of their home life back. This is especially true of pet owners, who find themselves with less time to walk their dogs or having to arrange pet sitters when they go on vacation. This is an excellent market for someone to get into, and pays reasonably well too.

* Run a day care center. This is another ideal home-based business for a work at home mom, since you’re already caring for your own children. You’ll need to pass certain requirements and meet strict regulations, including a police clearance check, but for those that are eligible, this is an excellent home-based business.

* Become a wine consultant. Perhaps the dream job for many people, and not just work at home moms, this involves organizing house parties for wine tasting, and selling specialist wines to friends and family. It’s harder work than it sounds (you’ll need to invest time and money into books and classes on wine-tasting, if you don’t already have expertise), but it is a lot of fun and is one of the more enjoyable home based businesses.

* Make gifts and accessories. If you look on eBay, you’ll see literally thousands of small items for sale, and many of these have been handmade by the seller. By taking this one step further and making unique gifts and gift baskets, or even bespoke presents, you can sell them though eBay and make a good profit. Additionally, open up your own webstore and sell them directly to the public.

As you can see, there are many varied options for setting up a home business for the work at home mom. These are just a few examples – there are many more, and it depends on your skills and creativity. One thing that can’t be denied is that there are more choices than ever before, making the opportunity to have a work at home business a strong one.