Between school and work? Build something that’s yours.

• Advice & support

  SBDC, SCORE and Women’s Business Centers

  Free business advice and mentoring near you: Small Business Development Centers, SCORE volunteer mentors, Women’s Business Centers and Veterans Business Outreach Centers.

  • Free or low-cost, before you start and after
  • SCORE mentors by email, phone or video
  • Veterans and military spouses: Boots to Business
  Official siteChecked Sep 25, 2026
• Loan

  SBA Microloan

  Loans of up to $50,000 (about $13,000 on average) through nonprofit lenders, repaid within 7 years, often with business training.

  • Up to $50,000; about $13,000 on average
  • Up to 7 years to repay; the lender sets the rate within SBA caps
  • Not for existing debt or real estate
  • SBA gives no start-up grants: treat “free government grant” offers as a scam signal
  Official siteChecked Sep 25, 2026
• Advice & support

  SNAP and Medicaid work rules when self-employed

  Hours on your business count towards the new SNAP and Medicaid work requirements, so log them. Medicaid expansion adults need 80 hours or $580 a month of net income, from 1 January 2027 at the latest.

  • SNAP adults without young children: 80 hours a month, now up to age 64
  • Medicaid expansion adults aged 19–64: 80 hours or $580 net a month (earlier in some states, e.g. Nebraska from May 2026)
  • CMS counts starting or running a business as work
  • Property essential to your self-employment doesn’t count towards SNAP resources
  Official siteChecked Sep 25, 2026
• GrantCheck first

  State Vocational Rehabilitation: self-employment

  If you have a disability and self-employment is your goal, your state VR agency can fund business planning, equipment and start-up costs. Caps and rules vary by state.

  • Federal rules count self-employment as an employment outcome
  • Market analysis and business plan help, then purchases under your Individualized Plan for Employment
  • Caps, matching and waitlists vary by state
  • Veterans with a service-connected disability: the VA VR&E Self-Employment track
  Official siteChecked Sep 25, 2026
• Keep an incomeJob search required

  Unemployment insurance while you look for work

  Your state pays unemployment insurance while you look for work. You search for work every week and report any earnings. In most states, starting to run a business ends your eligibility, so use this time to plan, and ask about Self-Employment Assistance if your state has it.

  What is this, and what do I have to do? →
  • Weekly work search is required; how many contacts depends on your state
  • Report all earnings every week when you certify
  • In most states self-employment means you are not unemployed: Pennsylvania counts the “first positive step”, such as advertising or buying equipment
  • Fraud adds a penalty of at least 15% on top of repaying the overpayment
  Official siteChecked Sep 25, 2026

Summaries are simplified. Always check the official source before you apply.