Need to Know

• Asking for help is not a weakness.  It is the first and most important step a small business owner can take toward sustainable growth.

• Before pursuing any type of capital, whether bank loans, grants, or CDFI funding, it is essential to understand your personal credit score, cash flow, and overall financial health. 

• TAP provides free financial coaching, marketing guidance, and relationship-based mentorship so that small business owners can build stronger, more resilient businesses.

  
  

Sustainable small business growth rarely starts with capital alone. It starts when entrepreneurs seek trusted guidance, understand their numbers, and build the foundation needed to use capital effectively. 

At the 2026 KNOW Summit, our CEO, Jane Veron, joined a powerful panel discussion, “The Capital and Growth Catalyst: Funding, Mentoring and the Path to Scale,”  focused on what women entrepreneurs across the United States need most to grow with confidence, clarity, and resilience. Her message was direct, practical, and deeply connected to the work we do every day at The Acceleration Project: asking for help is often the first step toward sustainable business growth.

Listen to Jane’s full KNOW Summit panel below

We work with small business owners across the country, and we know how much pressure entrepreneurs carry. They are often expected to be the strategist, operator, marketer, bookkeeper, salesperson, and visionary, all at once. For many founders, especially women entrepreneurs, one of the biggest barriers is not lack of ambition. It is the fear of admitting what they do not know.

That belief is central to our work. Small business support is not only about technical advice. It is about creating a trusted space where entrepreneurs can ask questions, face their numbers, understand their options, and move forward with greater confidence.

Understanding Small Business Funding Options: Capital Is Not One Size Fits All

During the panel, Jane spoke about the many types of capital available to small business owners, including grants, bank loans, Community Development Financial Institution loans, friends and family funding, angel investment, and venture capital. But she also emphasized that the hardest part is not always finding capital. It is understanding what kind of capital is right for your business at the right moment.

But before evaluating which type of capital fits, business owners need to understand their own financial starting point. Preparation helps the small business owner understand their goals and should begin well before a business owner is ready to pursue capital. That preparation includes understanding not only the business’s financial position, but also the owner’s personal financial health, especially in the earliest stages when the two are often closely connected. Jane underscored the importance of personal credit, particularly for early stage and small business owners. A strong FICO score can influence access to affordable lending. Without that access, entrepreneurs may be pushed toward high cost or predatory loans, creating a negative cycle that affects both the business and the owner’s personal financial health. 

Making Numbers Your Friend: Move from Uncertainty to Action

One of Jane’s most memorable points was that many business owners avoid looking closely at cash flow because it feels stressful. We see this often. Numbers can feel intimidating, especially when a founder is already stretched thin.

But avoiding the numbers does not make the pressure go away. It makes decision-making harder.

That means helping entrepreneurs understand cash flow, pricing, profitability, operations, and growth planning in a way that feels manageable and actionable. With the right support, founders can move from avoidance to understanding, from stress to strategy, and from uncertainty to informed action.

From Doer to Leader: How Entrepreneurs Build Beyond Themselves

Jane closed with a powerful message for entrepreneurs: build an asset outside yourself.

For many small business owners, the business begins with their own skill, service, product, or reputation. That is often the spark. But long-term growth requires the founder to move beyond being the only doer and become the leader who grows the business. 

To build wealth, independence, and resilience, entrepreneurs need systems, structure, and support that allow the business to grow beyond one person.

That shift from doer to leader is not always easy. It requires confidence, discipline, and a willingness to ask for help. It also requires trusted advisors who can walk alongside the business owner, ask the right questions, and provide guidance that is practical, compassionate, and tailored to the realities of running a small business.

Our Commitment to Small Business Owners

We built TAP to bring high-quality business expertise to under-resourced small business owners nationwide who might not otherwise have access to it. Through coaching, mentorship, and customized consulting, we help entrepreneurs strengthen their financial health, understand their growth options, and build more sustainable businesses.

Jane also highlighted our EDGE program, which supports personal and business financial health through clear modules and hands-on guidance. Programs like EDGE reflect what we know to be true: business growth is not just about access to capital. It is about readiness, confidence, behavior change, and trusted support over time.

For small business owners, Jane’s KNOW Summit message was clear: you do not have to figure it all out alone. Ask the question. Look at the numbers. Find the right support. Take the next step.

Sustainable business growth begins when business owners feel supported enough to move forward.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

If you are a small business owner seeking no-cost services, or if you know an entrepreneur who could benefit from TAP’s support

We offer tailored mentorship programs, free financial coaching, free marketing coaching, and practical business guidance to help entrepreneurs strengthen their financial health and grow with confidence.

How to Apply for Free Small Business Consulting: link here

If you are interested in becoming a TAP consultant

Use your expertise to support under-resourced small business owners through our entrepreneurial development programs and hands-on consulting model.

How to become a TAP Volunteer Consultant: link here

If you are a partner, donor, funder, or community organization

Partner with us to expand access to small business support and help more entrepreneurs build stronger, more sustainable businesses.

How to explore partnership opportunities here: link here