This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The U.S. Department of Labor and the Small Business Administration have launched a website at https://sea.workforce3one.org to help support Utah and other states in their efforts to encourage unemployed workers to start their own businesses.
In May, the federal government gave $35 million in grants to states to help them implement Self-Employment Assistance programs that were made possible by the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012.
"Small businesses are the country's economic engine, and programs like Self-Employment Assistance will encourage more Americans to pursue their dreams of becoming entrepreneurs," U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis said in a statement. "This new website will expand access to Self-Employment Assistance so that those who are unemployed today can become successful business owners tomorrow."
A key component of the new website is an SBA toolkit, which contains several free, online resources available through the SBA to support new entrepreneurs.