Money Smart for Small Business (MSSB) provides an introduction to topics related to starting and managing a business. MSSB was developed jointly by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). The materials are available for immediate download at Money Smart – Teach – For Small Business.
This instructor-led curriculum consists of 13 modules in English and Spanish that can be downloaded or ordered in CD format.
MSSB trainings for aspiring and existing entrepreneurs are conducted by the members of the Money Smart Alliance. A list of members may be helpful to find available training and assistance near you, although the list does not include all of the organizations that use Money Smart.
MSSB is designed to be delivered to aspiring or existing small business owners by staff from financial institutions, small business development centers (SBDCs), women's business centers, city/county economic development offices and others. The curriculum is a tool for bank-community partnerships. No certifications are required to use the curriculum. Ideally, MSSB instructors have experience in the delivery of training, technical assistance or coaching to small businesses.
Download (catalog.fdic.gov) the Top 10 Reasons to use MSSB flyer.
Training Modules
MSSB is free of copyrights and can be edited by users to meet the needs of any audience. The modules are:
Click column headings to sort in Ascending or Descending order.
| Module | Focus | Docs/ Videos |
|---|---|---|
| Guide to Presenting | SB Guide to Presenting | |
| Is Owning a Business a Good Fit for You? – know your strengths | Internal values and goals, external influences, and their relationships to financial decisions. | Instructor Guide (Owning) Participant Guide (Owning) PowerPoint Slides (Owning) |
| Planning for a Healthy Business – start-up: from plan to reality | The Planning for a Healthy Business module encourages participants to focus on planning as an essential competency of business ownership. | Instructor Guide (Planning) Participant Guide (Planning) PowerPoint Slides (Planning) |
| Banking Services – available for small business (Last update 01/20/2020) | The Banking Services Available for a Small Business module provides an overview of business banking services. | Instructor Guide (Banking) Participant Guide (Banking) PowerPoint Slides (Banking) |
| Organizational Types – pros and cons of business structures | The Organizational Types and Considerations for a Small Business module provides an overview of business organizational types and is designed to help participants to understand how selecting the correct organizational type can benefit their business. | Instructor Guide (Organizational) Participant Guide (Organizational) PowerPoint Slides (Organizational) |
| Time Management – tips to make you more efficient | The Time Management for a Small Business module provides an overview of time management and is designed to help participants to understand how time management can benefit their business. | Instructor Guide (Time) Participant Guide (Time) PowerPoint Slides (Time) |
| Financial Management – understanding this critical practice | The Financial Management for a Small Business module provides an overview of business financial management and is designed to help participants to understand how financial management can benefit their business. | Instructor Guide (Financial) Participant Guide (Financial) PowerPoint Slides (Financial) |
| Recordkeeping – as a managerial tool | The Record Keeping for a Small Business module provides an overview of record keeping and is designed to help participants to understand how record keeping can benefit their business. | Instructor Guide (Recordkeeping) Participant Guide (Recordkeeping) PowerPoint Slides (Recordkeeping) |
| Strong Business Credit – demystified (Last update 01/20/2020) | The Credit Reporting for a Small Business module provides an overview of credit reporting and is designed to help participants to understand how reporting their credit can benefit their business. | Instructor Guide (Credit) Participant Guide (Credit) PowerPoint Slides (Credit) |
| Risk Management – planning for what you can and cannot control | The Risk Management for a Small Business module provides an overview of risk management and is designed to help participants to understand how risk management can benefit their business. | Instructor Guide (Risk) Participant Guide (Risk) PowerPoint Slides (Risk) |
| Insurance – choices for business | The Insurance for a Small Business module provides an overview of insurance and is designed to help participants to understand how insurance can benefit their business. | Instructor Guide (Insurance) Participant Guide (Insurance) PowerPoint Slides (Insurance) |
| Tax Planning and Reporting – understanding taxes and your business | The Tax Planning and Reporting for a Small Business module provides an overview of tax planning and reporting and is designed to help participants to understand how taxes can benefit and affect their business. | Instructor Guide (Tax) Participant Guide (Tax) PowerPoint Slides (Tax) |
| Selling Your Business and Succession Planning – developing an exit strategy for your business | The Selling a Small Business and Succession Planning for a Small Business module provides an overview of selling a small business and succession planning and is designed to help participants to understand how selling a business can benefit their business. | Instructor Guide (Selling) Participant Guide (Selling) PowerPoint Slides (Selling) |
| Managing Cash Flow – practical problem solving | The Managing Cash Flow module encourages the participants to focus on cash flow management as an essential competency of business ownership. | Instructor Guide (Cash) Participant Guide (Cash) PowerPoint Slides (Cash) |
Money Smart for Small Business Train-the-Trainer
This serves as a self-help resource for organizations that want to train their Money Smart Small Business instructors. It includes an Instructor Guide, Participant Guide, and PowerPoint slides.
Contents are designed for a three-hour class including the following features:
- Overview of all MSSB Modules.
- Deep-dive into the MSSB Cash Flow Module.
- Money Smart Small Business Modules Matrix
- Tips to help instructors design their Money Smart Small Business program, and
- How to combine Money Smart Small Business modules.
- Event agenda and invitation templates.
Documents (catalog.fdic.gov):
Instructor Guide
Participant Guide
PowerPoint Slides
Alliance Members Town Hall Meetings
FDIC facilitates collaboration between Money Smart Alliance members who use Money Smart for Small Business (MSSB) through a Quarterly Town Hall Webinar. Joining the Money Smart Alliance is highly encouraged but not a requirement to participate in these one-hour events. Webinars are hosted by FDIC and SBA representatives and usually feature at least two speakers. This program is free but registration is required.
Other FDIC Small Business Resources
- The FDIC encourages bank lending to creditworthy small businesses. Small businesses that may have an inquiry or concern about the availability of credit can contact the Small Business Hotline: 1-855-FDIC-BIZ (1-855-334-2249)
- The FDIC Small Business Lending web page provides information that may be of interest to organizations and financial institutions working with small businesses, for example research on small business lending.
Additional Links
Money Smart Alliance
Learn, collaborate and grow with FDIC’s recognized organizations that use Money Smart.
Teacher Online Resource Center
Here you will find tools to help you teach financial education including lesson plans, videos, and other resources
Train-the-Trainer Program
Provides guidance with videos, workshops, and webinars
Training & Events
Announcements of upcoming Money Smart events for Train-the-Trainer and Small Business events