In business 3+ years ready for operational and strategic planning, managing and financing growth.
All SBDC consulting services are offered at no cost throughout our tri-county service territory. The list below contains services commonly offered to growing businesses. Our services are tailored exclusively to your business needs; if you do not see a specific area of need listed below, please make an appointment to speak with a consultant. Expand the menus below for more information on some of our services.
Permits and Licenses: For relocation, expansion and the like, the SBDC will define the permit project scope, identify the required permits for the project, provides contact information for the correct agency.
Succession Planning: The SBDC assists the client with an evaluation of the business, identification of key positions in the organization and potential successors as well as any necessary training and support planning. In addition, the SBDC can help the client pland and develop talent pipelines for the future.
Franchise Development Planning: The SBDC will assist the client develop a franchise strategy and business plan, guide the client with any necessary market research, competitive benchmarking, gap analysis or financial modeling.
Tax Planning: The SBDC works with the client and his or her needs and objectives to develop a tax strategy that identifies incentives and rebates for the client’s business while complying with regulations. Resources and referral partners are also suggested to the client.
Hiring Employees: The SBDC will consult the client on creating/improving the organizational structure, any recommendations on possible management positions, and effective delegation. The SBDC will also recommend available employee subsidy programs, relevant training programs, and related services.
Managing Employees: The SBDC mentors client’s strategic plan for scheduling, professional development, and team development within his or her business, assisting and providing feedback where necessary.
Lease Negotiation: The SBDC will analyze potential client lease agreements to determine advantages and disadvantages of each option when relocating or expanding to multiple locations. The SBDC will develop a cost analysis based on the targeted leases and review with the client to determine the best opportunity.
Patents, Copyrights, and Trademarks: The SBDC leads clients to develop a project scope that defines each type of intellectual property (IP) protection that is needed for his or her market offering. The client then receives assistance researching and choosing free and fee-based services needed to implement his or her IP strategy.
Rebranding: The SBDC assists clients with envisioning how consumers may value his or her brand, reevaluate the purpose and meaning of the brand as it may have grown, and repositioning the brand based on the new competitive environment. A strategy for brand redevelopment, customer communication and rebrand launch is then designed to allow clients to monitor customer feedback. Resources to implement the new brand strategy are also shared with clients.
Market Identification: If the client’s market has expanded to include new clientele, changed focused or in need of identifying new opportunities in the market, the SBDC assists clients in redeveloping a marketing strategy and execution plan based on a market segmentation analysis and industry research.
Advanced Analytics/Search Engine Optimization: The SBDC consults clients on how to analyze and develop a comprehensive strategy to maximize SEO, AdWords, and website promotion strategies.
Advanced Web Development/Content Development: The SBDC works with clients to create an action plan with timelines and budgets for improving the client’s web presence. Services can include: adding/improving a shopping cart, digital advertising consulting, content calendar and targeted email campaign strategy planning, and social media strategy campaign development assistance.
Bids: The SBDC will help define the requirements, due dates, and outcomes of prospective bids as well as evaluate the likeliness of the client attaining the bid.
8(A) Certification: The SBDC identifies key requirements for 8(A) certification. If/Once 8(A) certified, the SBDC then outlines the necessary steps for clients to apply for the 8(A) program.
Federal/Local, State, Private, Utility and Other Opportunities: The SBDC recommends various agencies that have bids to match your firm’s services. Criteria for bid selection are then analyzed in order to determine the client’s business’s probability of a bid award.
Procurement: The SBDC assists the client compile procurement needs for his or her business and/or the business the client wishes to sell products/services. Then, a RFP or RFI can be framed for purchases from and sales to business partners.
Product Quality/Market: The SBDC identifies the international markets for the client’s imported or exported products; performs market opportunity, segmentation, and industry analysis for the client’s important and exported products; and identifies critical product specifications for your imported or exported product in order to establish quality.
Negotiation: The SBDC prepares clients for negotiations with suppliers. The SBDC explains how to develop templates and formats necessary to facilitate negotiation dialogue.
Agreements: The SBDC develops an outline based on the client’s expectations, obligations, and other details necessary for international business agreements. The SBDC makes the client aware of different agreements and the potential risks within the legal frameworks of various countries. To further develop effective legal agreements, the SBDC suggests resources and legal references necessary to help develop effective legal agreements.
Compliance: The SBDC identifies the HTS, Schedule B, and other related identification codes necessary to research import or export compliance data. The SBDC helps clients research regulatory taxes, duties, fees, and regulations related to the client’s products or services. Additionally, clients receive assistance developing operational and documentation compliance procedures to reduce, manage, and monitor potential compliance risks.
Finance: The SBDC assists clients with accessing and identifying sources of capital for sales purchases, international pricing, reduction of payment risk and more.
Logistics: The SBDC and clients develop cost-benefit analyses for international logistics costs for each key trade lane. An action plan is created to address risks and opportunities to reduce logistics costs and increase value and efficiency in the client’s supply chain. Resource partners and vendors are recommended to support the client’s supply chain needs.
Process Improvements: The SBDC consults clients on the Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control process (DMAIC) and how it applies to the business. Lean identification and measurement tools are identified so the client can map and analyze critically. Clients are shown how data plans will refine defect measurements. The SBDC also analyzes the client’s business results and helps the client develop an action plan to implement and monitor improvements in efficiency.
