What Exactly Is The SBDC?

July 3rd, 2018

The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at UW-River Falls is part of a statewide network supporting entrepreneurs and business owners through no-cost, confidential consulting and targeted education training programs. Some programs will contain education in the following fields:

· Business planning and start up

· Management and strategic planning

· Finance and capital access

· Marketing and sales growth

· Financial management

Whether you are contemplating the start of a business or already own and manage one, the SBDC is an invaluable resource. Our consultants are paid professionals with extensive, practical experience and advanced training in areas such as marketing, finance, operations and business planning - plus many have been business owners themselves.

Did You Know?

The SBDC is part of the UW-System Division for Business and Entrepreneurship, which offers programs that can supplement and complement:

· Center for Technology Commercialization

· Food Finance Institute

· Center for Business Intelligence

· Business Dynamics Research Consortium

In Our State: Wisconsin

In 2016, the Wisconsin SBDC Network helped businesses start, manage and grow. By the numbers:

· 238 new businesses created

· 194 business education programs

· 2,567 clients receiving consulting (44% pre-venture, 56% existing businesses)

· $76M in capital investment

· 1,834 business education participants

· 890 jobs created and maintained

· 16,700 hours spent working with clients

· 3,046 Business Answerline requests served (800-940-7232)

In Our Center: UW-River Falls SBDC

Our center serving Polk, St. Croix, and Pierce counties contributed to the following in 2017:

· 19 new businesses created

· $3M in capital investments

· 122 clients receiving consulting

· 22 business education participants

Clients we serve:

· Pre-venture

· Startup

· Growth

· Expansion

· Maturity

· Ownership transitions

In Every State: Success You Can Trust

The Wisconsin SBDC Network is a nationally accredited member of the largest business support network in the country. SBDC clients:

· Benefit from job growth 1.9% greater than the national average

· Enjoy sales growth 4x the national average

Have a business idea or a relatively young established business but not know how to grow? Let us know how we can help.

UW-River Falls SBDC website: www.uwrf.edu/SBDC