Top 10 Places to Find Free Startup Help Looking for help getting your startup off the ground? Great advice doesn't have to cost you. Here's where to find it free.

Free. The word feels like a fantasy, or maybe a sick joke. Afterall, you can't make a move without spending money. Walk 10feet, and you're 10 steps closer to buying new shoes.

If you're starting your own business, the word"free" seems like an even more distant dream. Everypotential expense seems magnified because your startup funds areprobably pretty skimpy. If part of your business plan is to checkvending machines for uncollected coins in the change slot,you've come to the right place.

In these pages, "free" actually means something. Hereare 10 places to find aid for your business for free or next tonothing.

1. Chamber of Commerce
You don't have to be a member to get free help at your localchamber of commerce. Just ask Buddy Clark, executive director ofthe chamber of commerce in Camden, South Carolina.

"I'm talking to a young man now who wants demographicsof the community so he can locate customers," says Clark."I'm prepared to give him a leg up on starting hisbusiness."

Wow, and for free?

Clark says not to be too impressed. The data comes from the U.S.Census Web site. "But I'll tell him about all thedifferent neighborhoods," Clark says, "and explain whatthe numbers don't tell."

If you need free, immediate advice, go to your chamber. "Alot of the people who come in here don't know where tobegin," says Clark. "They just know they want to start abusiness." The Chamber of Commerce Association can provide moreinformation.

2. Small Business Development Centers
Lars Peterson wants to help you, and it won't cost a dime.He's the interim director for the Iowa Small BusinessDevelopment Center (SBDC). Of course, if you don't live inIowa, Lars can't help. But someone at an SBDC near you can.They're everywhere, and it's a win-win-win situation forthe center, the region and you.

The Iowa center's last impact study showed its clients havehigher sales and employment growth rates than the average Iowabusiness. Go to an SBDC for help with business planning, cash-flowprojections or whatever you need to know about starting a business.Locate an SBDC by going to www.sba.gov/sbdc.

"Many of [our center directors and business counselors]have been business owners," says Peterson, "and theyenjoy [helping] other entrepreneurs avoid the traps they may havefallen into."

3. The SBA
The SBA'sgoal is to help small businesses become big. "When you callthis office, the first thing we'll do is send you our start-upinformation package [with] the names, addresses and phone numbersof just about anybody you're going to need to know," saysRon Carlson, branch manager of the Cincinnati SBA office.

Then Carlson would probably direct you to the Service Corps ofRetired Executives (SCORE), which is just what it sounds like--veteranbusinesspeople volunteering to help. Or he might send you to anSBDC. But once you move on, don't forget your SBA. "Beyondstartup, other things are available," says Carlson."We'll help show people how to bid on federal contractsand how to find those contracts. And it's all free ofcharge."

4. Universities
These days, it's almost a given. Your nearest universityprobably has an entrepreneurial center, and not just for thestudents. For instance, the MasonEnterprise Center at George Mason University in Washington, DC,provides plenty of free help: one-on-one counseling, seminars, andlegal and financial advice.

And many universities have Small Business Institutes (SBIs),where professors choose businesses to help teach their students.Typically, you should have a business and a few customers first,but if you have a company that's even a few months old with agenuine need, you could have some free help coming your way.Graduate students or bright seniors will be your consultants. Ifthey do a good job, they get an A, and you profit.

5. Incubators
OK, incubators usually aren't free, but they belong in thisstory because plenty of free help is available in them:receptionists, training facilities, high-speed networks. Everyincubator is different, but they all provide tools and resources ifyour business will bring dollars into the community and hire fromthe area.

Many incubators are located on university campuses. Theaforementioned George Mason University has two. But you're notlimited to colleges. Type your city's name and"incubator" in a search engine, or contact the National Business IncubatorAssociation.

More Help Is on the Way

6. Help for Women
If you feel it's a man's world out there, there's helpfor you. Springboard Enterprises, for instance, is anorganization that coaches women entrepreneurs and puts them beforeinvestors.

For inspiration and advice, look to the National Association ofWomen Business Owners (NAWBO). This 8,000-member organization has dues, butmost chapters allow you to attend three meetings before requiringyou to join, says Suzanne Pease, NAWBO's president-elect.

7. Technology Centers
The Oklahoma Technology Commercialization Center (OTCC) in Oklahoma Cityis on a mission to help create technology companies. "Thereare similar organizations across the country," says BillGrissom, OTCC's director of operations and finance."We're all similar in that we're helping entrepreneursmake an economic impact." Most such centers exist to helptechnological start-ups, admits Grissom, because that's wherethe money is.

Some organizations are free, and some charge a "nominalfee," says Grissom, who says OTCC asks for $750 "just tomake sure [entrepreneurs are] serious." The money goesdirectly to a market research firm to look at theentrepreneur's product or service. "And then all the otherservices we provide [are] free," says Grissom, whoseorganization helps start-ups test technologies, develop marketingplans and hunt for venture capital.

8. Ethnic Help
Whether you're Native American, African American or AsianAmerican, you likely have a group of peers that wants to help you.The Oregon NativeAmerican Business and Entrepreneurial Network, for instance,offers classes for $10 to $100 to Native Americans in Idaho,Northern California, Oregon and Washington.

Also check out the Minority Business Development Agency, a federal agencythat's available to numerous minority groups.

9. Business Community Centers
Your local business center is another place to turn to. They'renot everywhere, but many states and towns have them. It's worthgoing to a search engine and typing in "business communitycenter" or simply "business" and the name of yourtown or state. Look at it this way: If nothing else, by the timeyou've gone to everybody looking for free help, everybody'sgoing to know you.

10. Friends and Family
After all, they do count, and they do care about you and your newbusiness. You can turn a mass-mailing project into an assembly lineof helpful parents, cousins and friends, and treat everybody topizza. If you have a friend or relative who owns a business, youcan barter services. Or just ask for help without them expectinganything but your gratitude. If they're last on your list, theyreally should be first.

Geoff Williams is a full-time freelance journalist inLoveland, Ohio, and a frequent contributor to Entrepreneur.