This program offers personalized support in Marketing & Sales, Finance & Accounting, Legal & Compliance, HR & Workforce, and Leadership & Strategy — with up to 10 hours of services subsidized by Loudoun County — to help small businesses grow and thrive. 

The Technical Services Pilot Program is provided thanks in part to American Rescue Plan Act dollars. The program will run until all available funds have been expended, or until December 1, 2026, whichever occurs first. 

• All applicants must be an existing Loudoun County business that has a valid, up-to-date Loudoun County Business License OR a business license from one of Loudoun’s townships, if applicable.
• Start-ups or businesses not yet engaging in commerce are not eligible.
• Must have already engaged Launch Loudoun via office hours or an individual meeting with staff before project approval.
• All applicants must be 18 years of age or older.
• All applicants must be for-profit businesses.
• Non-profits are not eligible for this program.

While an applicant may have a project that covers multiple areas or have more than one phase, the Technical Services Pilot Program will provide funding towards ONE area where there is a defined need for service from a technical services provider. The goal of the program in this regard is to subsidize the payment of services that get at the heart of the five key areas of Launch Loudoun: Sales & Marketing, Finance & Accounting, Legal & Compliance, HR & Workforce and Leadership & Strategy. Payments will not be made for fees associated with the everyday cost of doing business (e.g. interest payments, application fees, debt), one-time events or actions that are not working towards stability or growth for the small business, or for ongoing services (like payroll administration or website hosting/maintenance).  

Examples of projects:  

• A new restaurant owner could apply for support with setting up a new Point-of-Sales system with inventory tracking that connects directly to their accounting system. The Technical Services Pilot Program could support payments to the vendor setting up the sales and inventory systems and/or the accountant/bookkeeper for setting up the new accounting system. The program would NOT support the ordering of the inventory, uniforms for employees or the fees associated with operating a Point-of-Sales system or the monthly subscription for the POS software or equipment.   
• A tech company has created a new widget and is getting ready to market their new product. The company could apply for support in getting their widget’s intellectual property protected as well as the creation and/or protection of a logo through and Legal & Compliance application. The program would NOT support the ordering of the boxes or labels for said widget or ongoing or monthly maintenance fees for the website.   
• A small medical office is getting ready to hire its first employees and applies for support in creating job descriptions, drafting appropriate interview questions, and reviewing resumes received through an HR & Workforce application. The program would NOT support any salaries or compensation of employees of the business.   
• A government contracting business is entering the market and is looking to grow their sales pipeline. The program would support the consulting hours to create a sales strategy or the creation of a social media campaign to introduce the business to its targeted market. The program would NOT pay for ongoing marketing services or long-term business development services.  

If the work you’re interested in having done is not covered by this program, there are many other opportunities through the Launch Loudoun program and other community groups to help you meet your small business goals. We recommend starting by reserving time with one of our Small Business Development Managers to discuss your business needs and also checking out LaunchLoudoun.com for information on our Lunch and Learn series, our 1 Million Cups program, our Foundations of Finance classes, our annual Small Business Summit, or to learn about our partner organizations that offer regular networking events. 

Loudoun County subsidizes 10 hours of your technical service project at no cost to you. Additional time required to complete the project will be the responsibility of the applicant. Because most projects extend past the subsidized hours, we strongly encourage applicants to budget for the remaining balance. Allowing your service provider to complete the full scope of work ensures the greatest impact, aligning with our goal of helping small business owners implement meaningful, business-improving solutions.

No. This program is meant to help local small businesses connect with valued service providers. Almost every single small business will, at some point, need to hire an outside service provider to help their business move forward. Learning how to vet these providers, how to clearly articulate your needs, and then work with a selected provider is an important skill that all small business owners can benefit from learning and practicing. This program helps take a piece of the financial burden of that process away while still respecting the process.  

We encourage you to think holistically about the project you’re applying for and not solely about what could be accomplished in just 10 hours. The service providers in the program have been encouraged to meet with you, listen to your needs and then, in their professional opinion, scope the project in its entirety. This will give you a realistic estimate of what it will cost you to complete the work you’re requesting. This program is meant to help you accomplish this work by matching you with trusted providers you may not already know and by subsidizing a portion of the cost. 

All applicants must complete a brief 5-7 minute form that you can access from the link below or from any ”Apply Now” button on this page.

Apply Now

You will receive an email confirming your submission. All applications will be reviewed by the Launch Loudoun team. Those approved will receive an additional email with next steps. Please be patient with staff as they take the time to review all applications. All applications, whether approved or not will receive confirmation of their status at some point before program closure.

You will be paired with up to three service providers using the information provided in your approved application. You will have the opportunity to choose from among those providers and to work with Launch Loudoun staff throughout the selection process.

You will be sent the names and contact information to the service providers you’ve been matched with. Each provider should reach out to schedule an initial consultation within a week. If you don’t hear from a provider please feel free to reach out to them to get the ball rolling. Our hope is that you will be able to select your provider and approve their scope of work/cost estimate with a signature within 10 business days of receiving your matches.

While a business could work with Launch Loudoun staff on more than one application in the process to get to an approved project, only one project can be approved per business.

The Launch Loudoun team is here to help you talk through your business needs and craft an appropriate application. One of the requirements of the Technical Services Pilot Program is to meet with the Launch Loudoun team first. If you are new to the program, please click here  to sign-up for office hours. If you have already met with a team member and still need help, we recommend looking at the categories and subcategories listed in the application and identifying the area that you need help with most. Think about the area of your business you are LEAST comfortable doing on your own. Think about the area you are most likely to put off working on. Think about the area where you’ve received direct feedback from partners or clients. Once you have identified that focus area, think about one tangible thing that would help make your day-to-day business operations better. Do you wish you had a better understanding of where your money is going? Focus on Finance& Accounting. Did you rush to put up your initial website and haven’t had time to go back and update it because now you’re too busy running the business? Focus on Marketing & Sales. Do you find yourself overwhelmed with managing a team of people? Focus on Leadership & Strategy. Focus on a task that can be given to an outside vendor, write that up and then we can work on refining the project with you from there.  

Please reach out to Launch Loudoun at loudounbiz@loudoun.gov or 703-777-0426 Toll-Free: (800) Loudoun

To join the Launch Loudoun Technical Services Pilot Program as a service provider, simply complete our short online application form here:

Click Here

You will be paid for your services. Approved service providers agree to accept the reduced hourly rate of $100 for 10 hours of all approved projects. This reduced rate is provided by the County using American Rescue Plan Act dollars. Any hours above that agreed upon amount can be charged to the client at the service provider’s regular hourly rate. The full scope of services and cost estimate must be provided to Launch Loudoun and the client before a project receives final approval.

Clients and service providers are matched based on the information provided by each party. This process is automated to increase equitable matchmaking. If your business is matched with a client, you will receive an email notifying you to begin the appropriate process to meet with the client.