Starting or growing a Utah business? Free and low-cost help, and what each program does

Utah has a long list of public and nonprofit programs for people who run or want to start a business, and they overlap on the surface. The useful question is what each one actually does for you. Here is how six of them describe themselves, in the order a new owner is likely to need them.

Talk to an adviser first

The Women's Business Center of Utah says any adult in Utah interested in starting or growing a business is welcome, whatever the industry. Its advising sessions are free, its trainings are often free or low cost, and its templates and tools are always free. It has offices in Salt Lake City and Cedar City, with remote access statewide. ^[1]

The center is explicit that it does not lend or award money: "We don't directly provide funding," it says, but it helps people understand their options and strengthen applications. To start, you sign up as a client and book an advising session, or begin with a training. ^[1]

USU Extension's food-business page also lists the Utah Small Business Development Center, which it describes as having 12 locations with training and consultants, and an Entrepreneur Academy for people planning to start a business. ^[5]

Selling to the government

The state's APEX Accelerator program offers individual counseling on government contracting, mainly with the Department of Defense and other federal, state and local buyers. Its page lists help finding bid matches, marketing to government, preparing solicitation documents and registering in the federal System for Award Management (SAM). It says in-person one-on-one counseling is free and that the team can help with SAM registration at no charge. ^[2]

One warning from the page is worth repeating: SAM registration itself is free, and the program says private companies that charge for help registering are not necessary. Whether a business qualifies for federal set-aside programs such as 8(a) is decided by the Small Business Administration, not by APEX. You apply through the program's sign-up form and choose your county. ^[2]

Free classes and a loan orientation

The Utah Microloan Fund says its classes are always free and open to the public, held online, with past sessions in a class library. It lists upcoming classes on a calendar on its site rather than in a fixed schedule, and holds a virtual loan orientation on Tuesday mornings at 9 for people who want to apply for a loan. The page does not say how far ahead dates are posted. ^[3]

If you already have employees: Custom Fit

Utah's Custom Fit program pays for training for a company's current employees: technical skills, safety certifications, computer skills, leadership and similar needs. For-profit Utah companies are eligible, and nonprofits can be if they get special approval for significant economic impact. The company contributes at least 40 percent, depending on regional funding and priorities. ^[4]

There is no single application. You contact the provider for your county, and it works with you on a training plan. The Utah System of Higher Education lists the providers below. ^[4]

A food business has its own path

USU Extension collects the steps for a food startup in one place: guidebooks for a home-based food business that cover permitting, regulations and labeling, a seven-module business management curriculum, counseling through the programs above, and commercial kitchens that can be rented by the hour, week or month. It lists an incubator kitchen in Smithfield and another at the Bridgerland Technical College hub in Logan. The page does not list the permits you need, so read the guidebooks and check with the regulators. A kitchen's FDA and USDA approval describes the facility, not your license. ^[5]

If you would rather have someone else make the product, the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food publishes a co-packer directory covering categories from bakery mixes and beverages to sauces, jams, supplements and skincare, and services such as blending, bottling and labeling. The department says the list is not exhaustive and that it does not endorse any business on it, so contact each facility and confirm what it can do before you commit. ^[6]