Small Business Development Centers
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From the HPAlumnipedia (www.hpalumnipedia.com) on Friday, November 21, 2008 at 05:16 • Page last modified: 2/1/2008
HPAlumnipedia > Career > Small Business Development Centers
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Mabel Esteves , December 2007
When your next career step is starting your own business
When I took a business course on small businesses at Sierra College, we did a field trip to a Small Business Development Center (SBDC), in this case, the Sierra College SBDC in Auburn, CA. They have many offices in Northern CA. These programs are funded in a combination of resources from universities and the US Small Business Administration (SBA). So check in your state for similar programs.
Why is this an excellent resource for small businesses owners or those planning a new business?
- First, it is free to participants.
- Second, the consultants are experienced professionals who are motivated to help small businesses become successful.
- Third, it does not matter what stage you are in your business, they can help. Whether you need a business plan or help in financing, they can help.
So if you are interested in starting new businesses so this is a wonderful way to get started. You would call for an orientation class and later make an appointment with a business management counselor to assess business needs and create a plan to meet them. They can guide you to do research on your business idea, develop business plan, etc, etc.
The main office is in Auburn, CA. Phone number is 530-885-5488 and their website is [www.sbdcsierra.org]
They are affiliated to the Golden State SBDC which you can google for other offices and programs.
[Here's the directory of Small Business Development Centers http://www.sba.gov/sbdc/
There's lots of info on on topics like business law at http://www.sba.gov/
--cg, moderator ]
