Do Small Businesses Really Need the SBA's Help?

My wife and I have day jobs. I have a 4 year business degree, but had never started or owned a business until May 2012, Ramsey's Metro Market in uptown Marion, Iowa. As I was taught in college business courses, every business should not only have a business plan, but also a group of advisors. The SBDC provided advisors and advise in a multitude of areas that was extremely helpful. I would not have wanted to start the business without the help of the SBDC. The SBDC critique of the business plan that was presented to the city, review and assistance with the startup financial plan and suggestions related to the type of SBA loan to secure, plus the advice in the website and social media areas were a blessing. The SBDC is a valuable asset that supports small business.

JJ Richa of SBDC, has been instrumental in assisting with our analysis of our business operations.  We are Small Denatl laboratory located in Orange County and been in operations now going over 16 years.  We new we were making money each year, however until JJ was able to assist with the cost analysis of products, we really did not know what our real profit margins have been and where the break even point was.  Following the excercise and also reviewing our business model and plan, we are now able quantify  our business to the Smallest component of our opertions.  Thank you JJ, the lesson did not only help our busihness, it has also assisted us in contributing to PopWarner Program with budgeting and cost analysis.  It is great that we have SBDC on our team to asisst with our business objectives.  All business owners should take advantage of the services SDBC  has to offer.  KL

For years I have taken advantage of the SBDC. Marketing plans, collection policies, mission, vision and value development, best practice hiring policies, employee handbooks and sales development to name a few. A national account we manged owed us $90,000 some of which was 120 days late. Frightening to say the least. With the help of our SBDC consultant we collected all but $700.00 of it within thirty days of going to work on the problem. He was innovative and persistent in coaching me to successful collections. We have not had a problem since we implemented his strict policies.

SBDC resources are incredible.  As a small business owner, I had no idea these services were available to me at little or no cost.  It's helped me really take a look at my business, find our niche, and cultivate our marketing efforts toward our target client.  I sincerely hope that these services will continue to be available.  So many starting entrepreneurs would benefit from the knowledge and resources available for them.

As a SBDC Business Advisor I shutter think what challenges our start-up business client would face without our guidance.  Many have no idea where to begin; how to register their business, what licences and permits are required.  Most if not all of the clients I assist have no idea about the SBA Self-Certifications available to Women Owned Businesses and Minority Owned Businesses.  For sure, we the SBDC provides valuable services and we need to promote these services better....unfortunately, the SBDC is still a well kept secret.

As the COO of HappyFamily, I have to say that the SBDC is a wonerful resource. Small businesses are a vital part of our nation's economy, and the SBDC aids in the growth of this valuable sector; I would hate to see their efforts thwarted by lack of funding.

The Small Business Development Center has been a great asset to me as I have grown my business over the last seven years. At each stage of growth my couselor has provided me with insight that has allowed me to avoid learning the hard way. Often times it is not capital that is the most scarce resource, it is advising and mentorship. Way to go SBDC!

I have been meeting with my SBDC counselor for almost 3 years now and he and his office have been instrumental in moving a radically disruptive financial technology from an intriguing idea to a functional business model ready to create jobs and begin reliquidating the economy.

The SBA has been very helpful to me as an entrepruer staring my own business (www.MosaicArchive.com)

The SBDC gave me the ability to start my own business.  Without the guidance and support from the entire team at the SBDC I would not be sitting in my own office right now.  I owe the SBDC a huge THANK YOU and will continue to utilize the wonderful skills the program has to offer. 

The NH SBDC has been an invaluable resource for Recycled Asphalt Shingle Technology, LLC. The SBDC was very influential and helpful in getting us an introduction to an Angel Investment group as well as helping us navigate thru the application process for the Green Launching Pad grant application. Both efforts were very successful and would not have happened without the advice and counsel of the NH SBDC. We couldn't be more pleased with the level of pro business support we have received all the way up to the governors office.

The SBDC has been an invaluable resource in helping to grow my business.  I hope that the SBDC will continued to be funded to help support the growth of local businesses.

Small businesses represent the heart-beat of America.  Large corporations lobby government to get all sorts of special interest dollars.  This is the one bit that is done for the little guy.  AND it's highly effective and valuable stuff these guys are doing to keep local economies humming and buzzing. 

The SBDC helped us to get our business started.  They helped with our brochure and marketing ideas.  They continue to be available to answer questions and to help us develop growth strategies.  We are so glad that this agency is in existence.  We tell other small business owners about them.

As a counselor in an SBDC, I can categorically say that we benefit small businesses in many ways. One of the least discussed ways is talking people out of wasting their resources when they do not have a viable business model, a marketable product or the skills and tenacity to make their venture a success. Mature businesses, having hit a wall, come to us for a fresh look at their situation. Our center is near the creative nexus of the universe and as such attracts many creative types who need extra care in turning their genius into a viable business.

I am a business owner and contractor for the past 20 years. I met with a counselor to try and figure out the paper work to get an Arc Loan. If it had not been for the counseler at SBDC I would never have gotten the loan due to the extensive loan application. With the SBA's help I was able to get the much needed loan to keep my doors open.

OMG!!! SBDC's are great. The field of expert counselors is amazingly helpful and you could not get this kind of info FOR FREE anywhere. They assist you with Business Plan, Loans, Marketing, Quickbooks, Website, Human Resources, you name it. You will be paying thousand of dollars for this kind of advice and consulting and being a small business is impossible to afford it, while SBDC gives it to you for free. I hope they keep supporting and helping small businesses forever!!!

As a business owner and contractor for over 25 years. It has been refreshing to meet with my counselor with the SBDC. He has provided me with insights that either I had forgotten or hadn't thought of. This service from the SBDC is invaluable to any new or old business person. We don't have all the answers, so sourcing to those who have the cross cultural business climate expertise is like having a bank of counselors at your beck and call. The guidance I have received isn't always related to money or how to get it. But how to better communicate with my clients, vendors and staff. The purpose fo this agency is to help small business. What is America? Small business people who take the risks to be independent with their future. Most of of these entrepreneurs to succeed must seek advice. Most of the advice costs more then most start ups have capital for. This agency, the SBDC is a crucial resource for small business. Small business pays the brunt of taxes to our government, so it seems right that small business is repaid in a helpful way to continue the growth and sustain our economy. Keep the SBDC alive and well and our American way of life will benefit.

The counselor I have been working with for the last 9 months at the Orange County SBDC has been instrumental in getting me to look at my business from a more logical and less emotional perspective.  I sought his advice initially to help me build a sales/marketing program.  He has since urged me to peel back the layers of my business to expose areas that needed improvement:  knowing exaclty where our revenue comes from, re-writing a very old business and marketing plan, and getting full value from my franchisor.  It's been a very positive experience for me, and has taught me skills I can use to expand my business in the future.   Kris Hanna, Camp Bow Wow Anaheim

As for any entrepreneurs, starting a business is not easy, even if the product or service idea is potentially viable for success. More often, the risks are high for entrepreneurs but the contribution of small businesses play a significant role in society. However, these risks are reduced when government funded programs such as SBDC's provide resources that help starting companies identify goals to avoid or reduce risks. So the question asks, "Do Small Businesses Really Need the SBA's Help?" Of course it does!  Without this program, risks for small business to failing are greater than businesses who sought guidance.  In essence, long term success of small businesses reflect higher return of investment for the government and growth for communities.

To anyone looking for help with small business I would suggest they call and talk to Kevin Anderson business-development specialist. Kevin has went out of his way to try and help me with the project that I have going on and has been trying to help my daughter as wellThey will answer any question you might have and will continue to look for better ways of helping you please feel free to call them as they certainly do the best they can to help

My wife and I purchased a business about five years ago and did so in thinking about what we would like to do after retirement.  The business has held its own over the years, but has the potential to do what I would consider quite well relative to return on investment.  Included in my plan relative to future development is my intention to contact our local SBDC of the SBA, and I would hope that in this economic landscape, the economic importance of development and growth of the small business sector of the economy would be recognized by those in the position to continue funding of the program.  The program funds itself by generating business development that in many cases would not exist without the assistance of the SBDC’s.  The businesses that are developed bring in governmental revenue through employment practices and profits that are taxed.  As stated, I plan on using the SBDC as a consultant to assist my business in the near future and would hope to do so as time goes on.

I started a new business in Orange County, CA, shortly before I learned of SBDC.  Having failed at my last business venture, I was very pleased to have SBDC as a resource.  We do not meet that frequently.  Yet, the advice, referrals to community contacts, and support in general have provided me with the structure and support needed establish a healthy foundation.  I know my current business will be a success, partly due to the guidance I receive from SBDC. I have even referred other small business owners to SBDC so that they may receive the necessary 'leg up' for their own new ventures that I received.  While I appreciate that government funded programs need to be scrutinized in these difficult times, I believe it is beneficial to salvage SBDC.  The more they help businesses thrive, the more tax revenue is brought back into the economy.  I meet many business owners at meetings who have received assistance from SBDC, and wonder how many would currently be in existence without such help?

I have worked with Small Business Development Centers around the country as a previous Chair of the SBA SBDC Advisory Board. They are a real asset to the small business community and if their program were cut would be a serious blow not only to small businesses but job creation  in this country. Small business owners put all their assets at risk   starting a  small  business and growing their business. Most of us certainly are not part of the 1% so frequently talked about and in this downturn many have been forced to drastically reduce their income and  in some  cases don't receive any income and further invest in their business. Thje SBDCs are one of the few resources that help us to survive and grow. Scott Hauge President Small Buiness California Owner CAL Inurance

The Small Business Development Center is the cornerstone to the success of my business. Their unbiased, no agenda perspective on business direction and decisions as a whole is priceless.  In the last year; my taxes are going up at a rapid rate, all my expenses are going up, my customer base has reduced and/or pay at a slower rate. This is the perfect time for a business to get the help from the SBDC.     In a time when the economy is so bad and the government officials say they are trying to "Stimulate Business Growth" I would think that the Small Business Development Center would not be an option for the chopping block of budget cuts. Is our government really trying to save small businesses or is it just a good slogan? 

After years of working in the not-for profit sector, I entered into my own small business venture 4 years ago & would not still be in it if not for the SBDC in my area (RI).  Having no business savvy in this very new environment, I found great resources at my disposal that were & still are invaluable to the business - as well as the commitment to minorities & women business owners that comes from the SBDC.  I was able to get in touch with experts in the field who provided superb information & guidance.

OCTANe, the local SBDC in Orange County, CA has been an incredible resource for our company.  We had developed a very powerful product, but our engineering oriented team needed significant help developing a concise business plan and "go to market" strategy.  OCTANe met with us numerous times to clean up our business plan and presentation deck.  They also assembled a volunteer group of marketing experts to help us formulate our go to market strategy.  Filling in that piece of the puzzle was the final piece for our business plan which is now in the process of being funded.  We would not be where we are without them.

Great article! To find the SBDC nearest you, please visit www.asbdc-us.org. If you are in California, please visit www.californiasbdc.org

The SBA has helped my business secure a Grant to purchase needed equipment to keep me competitive in my business. I continually take small business classes from them and they have helped me with my business plan. I was chosen Small Business Manufacturer of the year by the SBDC, a great honor. My business would not be doing as good as it is know with the SBDC.

Every time we think of expanding our business or going to the bank for anything, I first contact our local SBDC office for advice.  They always give me invaluable advice that I could not afford to pay for on my own.  Their advice has assisted me in taking our business to the next level.  I think for anyone starting a business or growing their business, the SBDC is an invaluable resource!

The advice we have received from the SBDC office in Cedar Rapids, Iowa has been invaluable in helping us recover from the 2008 flood.  The counsel has always been direct, supportive and timely.  And the networking that has developed as a result provides an ongoing support for our growing business. Richard Marsceau

SBDC's are critical to growing & sustaining locally-owned businesses!  As a banker for 25 yrs., my clients depended on the help of the local SBDC for start-up, growth, & turn-around.  In most cases, the clients would not have sought the help of a traditional business advisor, would have gone without help, & would not have started, survived, or grown.  As a business broker over the past 4 years, I've seen SBDC’s encourage business succession planning, counsel on matters relating to positioning for future sale of a business, & help businesses with ownership transition strategies.  In addition to helping the client, SBDC’s contribute to small business loan quality for banks & provide an outstanding return on investment for the federal, state & local government, institutions, companies, & individuals that support them. SBDC's are a key part of economic development.

As a small business owner in California, I began my journey with much experience in my field, but not as much in the running of a business. The help, encouragement, and expertise the SBA provided from day one to today has been invaluable to our survival and growth. Rather than coddling, I have always felt that the SBA has given us the tools to more effectively lift our business by the bootstraps without incurring the financial debt that is commonly connected to receiving qualified advice. Tools that have enabled us to fill in the gaps in our knowledge of correctly conducting our marketing, online social presence and identity, financial foundation, and legal insights. To narrowly focus on short term budget savings by cutting such an essential resource that promotes business and the movement of money and creation of jobs, is an error with very long lasting and negative effects. The SBA has guided and encouraged so many businesses through some of the toughest economic times this country has seen, to limit that resource would be a massive step backwards in regards to moving our economy forward. The SBA is an investment in our future. One whose rewards are received and felt beyond just the owners and businesses themselves. 

 Thank you for your article regarding the SBDC.  I can personally attest to the validity of their service.  I am in the beginning stages of my business and needed help coming up with a workable plan.  So far I have met with my SBDC consultant once a month for 4 months.  I have progressed more these past four months than I have the past two years of trying to manage on my own.  The expertise I receive, and the "to do" list I have for in-between my appointments, have me on the fast track to launching my business.  I would HIGHLY recommend this free service to anyone looking for help in their small business.  It would be a great disservice to our community if this resource was no longer available.

Meeting Planners Plus I would like to add that my experience with the SBDCs has been more than positive. My counselors have been professional, knowledgeable, and always helpful.  I consider them an invaluable resource. They provide not only counseling but they educate you and provide tools you can use to grow your business. Because of their busy schedules it has become more challenging to make an appointment. I would say that is because other small business value them as well. As an advocate for small businesses I always encourage them wherever they are to tape into this wonderful resource.  I have certainly appreciated my experience!

I've had incredible support and been given invaluable advice by the advisers at the Orange County SBDC.  I can't say enough about the value of this service to small business owners.  Being able to afford a dedicated social media expert for my one man business, or pay for the expertise of an accountant with more than 25 years experience is not in my budget, and because of the OCSBDC program I've been able to benefit from two experts in these incredibly important fields and my business has thrived because of it.  I would support any legislation to keep these programs going.  These are highly trained professionals who are volunteering their time to help and we should do whatever it takes to keep this program alive. 

First of all the SBDC office is not a field office of the SBA. The SBA provides grant funding (American tax dollars) to support SBDC programs which are actually programs of univerisities. SBA funding at an SBDC office is typically less than 50% of the cost for a university to fund a SBDC. Also, who said SBDC funding is on the chopping block? Where in the world did that come from?  The proposal is for SBA to be consolidated with other federal agencies, not that all of their grant services are going away. Anything is possible, certainly, but let's stick to actual facts. This article is uninformed and sensationalist. To conclude, the SBDC programs are highly valuable, valued, and have the data to prove it. There is nothing like them (the SBA is especially not like them at all; SBA lacks business expertise) and I believe they will continue for a long, long time.

I have found the SBDC to be extremely helpful.   As a small business with little evperience about using the social media to market and grow my business I was thrilled with the resources and guidance the SBDC provided.   I was able to get a great website developed for only $135 which would have cost a fortune any place else.    I learned a tremendous about about marketing my business via the socail networks.   THis information has been invaluable.   I'd never have been able to pay a business consultant for this information.   I have investigated hiring a social media consulting firm and it was cost prohibative!   They wanted to charge me several thousand dollars to do the same thing that the SBDC was able to do for me.   Plus with the SBDC they trained me on how to do it for myself and I am not contunually dependant on paying a firm to market for me.  There consultants are top notch.  The quality of the service they provide is excellent.   Don't let this invaluable resource  go awayl Thank you Manal and the SBDC for all your help. Lisa

Yes,it was a pleasure and with out them would be imposible to be here. Thanks SBDC'S for all your support and for all ideas and for your time, thank's Lisa Shimkat.

Our Local SBDC Center from SUNY Canton has assisted dozens of clients in our small community of upstate NY and provides excellent advice, technical support, training and guidance in addition to assisting several of our clients to prepare their required business plans as well as asissiting them in locating and mentoring them thru the process. We attribute the sucess of new business development to the many services our business community has received through our local SBDC Center.  I feel it is the best use of Federal and State Funding because it works and the results are obvious.  Withouut SBDC Centers, small inexpereienced small business owners would not make it through startup or get thru the many steps requrired to access the services, training, technical suppport or financing that they require. Small businesses create alot of jobs for people and diversify local economies. We would like to see these programs continued for the benefit of everyone. Steven B.Cook Director, Office of Economic Development St. Regis Mohawk Tribe Hogansburg, NY 13655

I am a new business owner. We have recently launched a startup dedicated to helping families with children with Autism. The SBA programs such as the SBDC were and still are very instrumental in the success of our business. Without it it would have been much harder for new business owner, such as myself to get my business off the ground. Thanks to SBDC and other organizations we are growing. Please help us grow by supporting SBDC. Don't make it yet more difficult than it already is...

What a pleasure it is for me to write about the benefits and impact of having SBDC'S help for my business. I came to SBDC at a time of great struggle for my business. No longer able to use the same business model that propelled my company to success in the 1990's, I had to reinvent and look for alternative ideas and strategies to keep my over forty vendors, who rely on my contracts for their business's. I've worked with two different people from SBDC, and through hearing our goals, they came up with a strategy that not only will impact the lives of hundreds, it will position me as the leader once again in my industry. Big thanks to Manal Richa for making a huge difference in my companies strategy on how to achieve and surpass my business goals. Why there are not more people using this service is amazing to me. Thanks SBDC

The SBDOC has helped me in so many ways.  The expert advice I have received and implemented has helped me focus on key activities for success which will help me take  my business to the next level.  The free service is needed to support and help grow new businesses that have limited resources.  The best use of government money is  to fund  programs like SBA which give people a "hand up"   not a hand out!

SBA programs are essential to helping grow entrepreneurism in the US.   There are organizations like OCTANe in Orange Country, CA (www.octaneoc.org) that aggressively support startups.  NudgeRx has benefited tremendously from their OCTANe's LaunchPad program.  It provides support, investor functions and resources, and startup guidance.  This is a fantastic organization that brings together resources to help propel startups into successful companies.  We need to keep the funding for the SBA programs!  

Yes!!! We need this program to help grow small business and this in turn will help the economy.

Unfortunately, most SBDC's operate under the radar.  I've been here 18 years and the only time we get fanfare or promotion from Washington is when they need us.  i.e., they (and the small business community) need us more than ever. The stories below are typical of what I see on a daily basis.  This is one of the best programs to ever come out of Washington, and I can truly say, the people are the most dedicated I have ever seen. 

Yes! The SBDC provide invaluable resources and information to help entrepreneurs start and grow their business. They are all a key asset to improving the economy: creating new jobs, starting new businesses, and helping to generate tax revenue.

We must continue to fund the SBDC and offer the resources to those individuals willing to venture into the world of business.  This is fundamentally important to the job market and the improvement of our nations' financial situation.  The SBDC has been a wonderful resource for me as well as a number of other business owner friends of mine. The expertise and guidance in marketing and business development has helped me make significant changes in my private preschool and kindergarten, as well as given me hope.  If the resource were not available to me without fee,especially now,  I simply would not be able to afford the service which quite possibly would lead to business failure and our inability to continue to offer an outstanding educational foundation to children in our area. 

Yes! We should keep the women/minorities assistance programs! Without the SBDC my business would be dust. Every step of the way I have gotten not only sound "nuts and bolts" business advice about practices like pricing, bookkeeping and cash flow charts given in the increments I could handle and in the order my business needed them, but also encouraged me through the inevitable rough times. I could never have afforded the quality counsel I have gotten. And I could never have done this alone. "Bootstraps" may work for some; others of us find quality people to be far more effective tools.

The SBDC's are not "SBA field offices" as indicated in this story. They are independent organizations partnered with universities and states throughout the country.  The operate under much lower budgets than SBA and are much more effective.  Support for SBDC's should be increased with funding taken from reducing the SBA bureacracy.

I have been involved with the SBA and the SBDC's for a couple of years.  The Federal dollars that the SBA and SBDC uses are focused on training, mentoring, and business development.  This is exactly the key to our economic recovery - the formation and growth of small businesses that create jobs and stimulate our economy.  These are not hand outs, but rather a hand up.  In the past two years for every dollar that the SBA has spent with us, we have created 2X return in county taxes and fees and a 20X return in state taxes and fees.  It's hard to argue with the return on investment at a time when our country so desperately needs jobs!

I was on unemployment and unable to find any openings for a mid-50's man with arthritis. Thanks to my local SBA adviser, I am now running a business with two full time employees and providing necessary services to the community!  I find it strange that the government talks about trying to increase job creation, yet would stifle the agency which helps Small Businesses to thrive!

After 20 years at the same job, being let go found us at a complete loss 3 years ago.  We were led by the Lord to begin our own business, yet we did not know where to begin.  After reading a book about starting your own business, where we learned about the SBDC in our area, our first move was to attend an Orientation...it CHANGED our life!  We could NOT have started our own business w/out the support, classes, leading and counseling at the SBDC.  We are 2 years later, 2 years of profit in our business and STILL visit our counselor regularly...NO new business should begin without going to their local SBDC!

Quite honestly I don't know how in the world we would make it without our SBDC.  Kevin Anderson and I work together very well. There are a lot of people in our area that need help getting started in business.  Where else would they go?  If we don't make it easy for them they will get frustrated and give up.  This is a no brainer in my opinion; keep the funding coming for things that are MAKING A DIFFERENCE.  Thanks.

The counselors I used provided me with research and some specific resources for my franchise purchase efforts.  It helped steer us to a franchise purchase that the SBA and my banker wanted to work with.  Without them I would be just another hourly employee for someone else.  Now I'm my own boss and loving every day.  They are definitely needed in this world and their funding should be doubled as far as I'm concerned!

The SBA directly does not directly help many businesses.  They do not make the loans, they guarantee them.  The SBDC (or SBTDC) is the group. partially funded by the SBA, which offers the business coaching and assistance.  Try the SBDC.

SBA lending is needed now more than ever.  It promotes entrepeneurship and that is what this economy needs more than ever.  It creates jobs and supports communities.  It is so important that we reach out to the underserved communities.  So many people are unaware that these programs are available. 

Quite honestly I don't know how in the world we would make it without our SBDC.  Kevin Anderson and I work together very well. There are a lot of people in our area that need help getting started in business.  Where else would they go?  If we don't make it easy for them they will get frustrated and give up.  This is a no brainer in my opinion; keep the funding coming for things that are MAKING A DIFFERENCE.  Thanks.

The counselors I used provided me with research and some specific resources for my franchise purchase efforts.  It helped steer us to a franchise purchase that the SBA and my banker wanted to work with.  Without them I would be just another hourly employee for someone else.  Now I'm my own boss and loving every day.  They are definitely needed in this world and their funding should be doubled as far as I'm concerned!

As a former executive of a national retail/wholesale small business trade association, I know that Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) are invaluable to most small business owners who utilize their business management consulting and management training services.  I routinely recommended SBDCs to our association's members. Highly regarded studies for decades have documented that small businesses that utilize SBDC services experience greater increased sales, greater job growth and increased longevity than the average small business. Probably forty to forty-five percent of small business owners in the U.S. do not have formal education past high school.  This means they have minimal or no formal training in business management.  Many, if not most SBDC business consultants have Masters Degrees in Business Administration with specialties in finance, marketing, human resource management, international trade etc.  Many SBDC consultants have also been successful entrepreneurs themselves.. Others have been loan officers at banks, attorneys, etc.  Most of the reports I have received from small business owners nationwide who utilized SBDC services are highly favorable of the knowledge they gained from working with an SBDC consultant. The business owners readily acknowledge that working  with an SBDC consultant enabled them to manage their small business more efficiently and more profitably and often helped them successfully to put a loan package together that allowed them to successfully secure a needed loan, credit line etc..  Studies also show that as a result of increased sales and increased hiring, SBDC clients contribute more in income and sales taxes to federal, state and local governments than the governments put into the  SBDC programs.  Also, most SBDCs are connected to top universities with highly regarded business schools., but also have access to the resu A few of the comments I have seen in response to this article are from individuals who say they went to SBA and received no help.  I cannot speak for SBA offices although I know they have many capable people to assist small businesses particulalry with international trade, SBA loan progams and 8(a) certification.  I know from talking with some SBDC clients that they felt the SBDC was not helpful.  When I delved into why the SBDC had not been helpful, I discovered that most of the disgruntled had gone to the SBDC seeking federal grants to start a small business i.e. ( free money)  The SBA and SBDCs do not provide grants to start or grow a small business.  That is not what Congress established them for. SBDCs were established to provide small business owners who never had the opportunity for formal business management education to get access to knowledge critical to being able to manage their business better. The federal government's funding for the SBDC program is a rounding error in the overall federal budget.  And yet the program which exists in every state assists hundreds of small business owners nationally,  most of whom could not afford the services of big name management consulting firms.  If some people think SBDCs are costly, try ignorance and see what happens to small business job creation which has for decades been the engine of our economy

The SBA and SBDC's are great resources. And like all resources, it's up to us to navigate through them. Part of owning a business is assessing the landscape and figuring it out ... If you expect others to do it for you then you should not go into business, keep your current job.

I found my SBA advisor to be incredibly helpful and supportive, and I've proactively referred many of my friends and clients to him so they can benefit from his expertise as well. As with any other support program, you get out of it what you put into it. If you make an effort to find an advisor who's a good fit for you, and you ask questions and communicate regularly, these folks are invaluable. So, to answer the question: YES, the SBA should keep the assistance programs going. 

The SBDC in our community is a tremendous source of information for the small business owner.  From assistance with business plans, corporate structure and financing options, to answering quickbooks questions, many of the small businesses here would be lost without the SBDC.  Small businesses are the backbone of our countriy's economy and few can afford to hire consultatnts or advisors.  Community bankers, attorneys, accountants and educators all sing the SBDC's values here. Tell me, where else can you learn about so many different topics from FaceBook marketing to intellectual property protection for no cost?  We trust and value our SBDC counselors and

My local SBDC is invaluable for two main reasons: 1) They promote entrepreneurship and gave me the idea of starting a business instead of working for someone else. 2) They provide a service that there would be no other way for me to afford. If I was to use an accountant or a lawyer, I would have easily spent over $5,000 just on start-up advice. My accountant won't even answer a question on the phone without it being "billable". That's a big chunk of my budget! Without programs like this, where can the little guy turn to for help with starting a business?

I used the help of SBA resource partners while I was in college to assist a local business owner obtain a 504 loan and open a small business in Big Bear, California.  I later went on to open my own small business with that experience and I can say without a doubt that "had it not been for SBA resource partners I would not have been successful by any metric".

Private sector small business consultants, advisors, and coaches can readily perform these activities, albeit for a fee, and likely better.

YES,YES,YES!!! The SBA NEEDS TO KEEP THE SBDC AND WOMEN/MINORITY ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS!!!! I am a woman, a mother of 4 struggling to start my own business and as a woman I have found that there is no hope on earth for me to get anywhere with my buisiness or any business for that matter with out the help of these services! AND i HAVE FOUND THAT THESE SERVICES NEED TO BE EXPANDED NOT WIPED OUT!!!! There are few services in my current area available, and I drive long distances to reach these services as it is! The last thing I need now after putting myself and my family into some substantial debt to forge a business for myself at a time when I desperatley need to get a business loan to keep this business from taking over my families personal finances anymore than it already has, is for it to no longer be available.  I have been running this business from my home with no loans , no working capital other than our personal credit, trying to gather and build as I go, now that the base of clientelle is there, (and the debt as well) I need these services more than ever! No bank or lending institution will talk to someone like me! Every bank I have been to and inquired about a business loan have all said the same thing...."We don't offer those types of loans, you need to put a substantial amount of collateral up towards a personal loan "or" We have never heard of an SBA LOAN, we only deal in personal loans, or home loans" , "You really need to speak with someone at the SBDC, they can help you more than we can. Now honestly , with out the SBDC,there are too many of us that would have no hope of ever having our own business! I pray that the cuts can be made elsewhere! Like the paychecks of over paid congressmen! and thier discrecionary "gifts of grandure" that are highly unneccesary and grossly expensive! That would cover alot of things that the "budget" seems unfit to cover these days!

YES!!!

Yes I definitely think the SBA should keep the SBDC and the Women/Minority assistance programs up and running. As a woman and single mother to three minoroty chidren we need these programs to be independent and to have a chance to become business owners. Without these programs the chances of having some state or federal program help support us is greatly increased. I am starting my own business soon and look forward to utilizing these services. Thank you for your time and consideration in this matter.

I like the article and hope that the programs aren't taken away.  When I was starting my business I sought help from the local SBDC with my business plan.  10 years later after running my business I became a consultant at the same center and also another local SBDC in another township.  People do visit and seek help, so I hope the SBA can appeal to the powers that Be and keep them open.

In response to Michael, we here in Cochse County are a lot like Maine, except without trees.  The Cochise College SBDC covers an area that is bigger than Conneticut and Rhode Island combined.  We are associated with the local community college but that college has facilities throughout the County.  We visit each of those facilities at least once a month and realize that we serve the whole community.  There are three of us in our office and we assist clients who have a range of needs including social media, ranching, farming and a host of other business models.  My boss answers the phone with the following greeting "Small Business Develoment Center - how can we help?" Cutting the funding for SBDC's would have a very bad inpact on our community.  Perhaps the critics of the SBDC would like to come visit us here in the West and see what we do and not make comments about "boot strapping." Bob Mucci Small Business Analyst

This is a great article.  I'm not so sure that the SBDC's need the support as much as the underlying SBA loan programs be made available to these entrepreneurs.   The Preferred Lender Program (PLP) offers many options to these business owners.  The entrepreneur can obtain a loan directly through the bank by participating through the SBA 7a, Business Express or Patriot Express loan programs.  They provide between a 50% to 90%, (90% export program) guaranty to the bank.  This is a strong inducement to the bank to make the loan provided all other credit criteria are met.

I've been to the SBA twice and received little help.

As much as they are 'on the block', these SBDC's really need to get out and go looking for those business's that are looking to get started. Up here in Maine, the SBD Center's are all huddled around the city's, not out in the smaller town's where supposedly the President has said, and Karen Mills, being from Maine should know, small business's are the heart of the country's economy. Were the SBDC folk's to go out once a month to the various Town Hall's and make themselves more available it might just save these same SBDC's a whole lot of pain. It also might just provide the 'kick start' that these same SBDC's are out their to provide the small business community and the start-up's that need help and advice.

Dump em. I've used my local SBA and they were a joke. I found better resources online and thru magazines. Tired of hearing minorities whine. Get a grip and figure it out or go to work for someone who does have it figured out already.

SBA are valuable - they especially help people who are considering going into business, by guiding them & advising them