SBDC Programs: What Can They Do for Your Small Business?

The government is full of acronyms, and sometimes it’s difficult to know which ones are most applicable and relevant to your business. One acronym you definitely want to familiarize yourself with as a small business owner is “SBDC.”

SBDC stands for Small Business Development Center. SBDCs provide a wide assortment of technical assistance and resources to small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs. The primary focus of SBDCs? To foster local and regional economical development through job creation and retention. How does it happen? Through SBDCs’ support of business growth, sustainability, and the enhanced creation of new business entities.

So what exactly is available to your business?

SBDCs offer no cost, one-on-one, long-term professional business advising, low-cost training, and other specialized services. The SBDC program is one of our nation’s largest small business assistance programs within the Federal government, made up of a unique mix of SBA Federal funds, state and local governments, and private sector resources. SBDCs are often hosted by leading universities and state economic development agencies, and are funded in part through a partnership with the Small Business Administration.

SBDCs serve all populations and many types of business owners, including women, minorities, and veterans – including reservists, active duty, disabled personnel, and those returning from deployment. They also assist personnel with disabilities, youth and encore entrepreneurs, and individuals in low and moderate-income urban and rural areas. Your local SBDC can connect you with professional business advisors who can help your business navigate:

• Business plan development
• Manufacturing
• Financial packaging and lending
• Importing and Exporting
• Disaster recovery
• Procurement and contracting
• Market research
• Healthcare information

The best part? SBDCs frequently modify available services based on client needs, local business trends, and individual business requirements. The centers constantly work to adjust services offered to meet the evolving needs of the hundreds of small businesses in the local community that a particular center serves.

SBDCs can help you realize the dream of business ownership or help your existing businesses remain competitive in a complex, ever-changing global marketplace – and assistance is available virtually anywhere.

Printed with permission from U.S. Small Business Administration: Original article.

In 1977, UNO was awarded one of only seven federal contracts to operate a University Business Development Center. In 1980, President Carter signed the Small Business Development Center Act, which changed the University Business Development Center demonstration project into the permanent Small Business Development Center (SBDC) program.