How Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) Can Help Your Business
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It's hard to be an entrepreneur, and it's easy to feel like you're on this journey by yourself. You have an idea — or maybe even a business that's been running for a year — and now it's time for a business plan. The business needs a loan, or you have something you believe can grow, but you need help. You don't know where to start, and it feels like a big homework assignment where you haven't learned the material yet.
That's where your local Small Business Development Center (SBDC) comes in.
What is an SBDC?
SBDCs are federally funded through the Small Business Administration (SBA) and hosted by local institutions — universities, community colleges, and economic development organizations. There are over 1,000 SBDC locations across the U.S., including every state and many territories.
They offer free (or very low-cost) business advising and training to entrepreneurs at every stage. Each year, SBDCs provide more than a million hours of business consulting — covering everything from writing a business plan and accessing funding to market research and scaling operations.
What kind of help does an SBDC offer?
Free, confidential advising, workshops, and classes. A typical SBDC offers free and confidential business advising, business management classes, and entrepreneurial workshops — on topics like financial forecasting, setting up business structures, and how to use bookkeeping tools.
Advisors who've been there. The advisors themselves are often entrepreneurs — many used their own local SBDC to get their businesses started. Either way, they bring real-world experience to every conversation.
Online and in-person options. Each SBDC offers a mix of web-based and in-person resources. Offices in densely populated areas tend to offer more face-to-face time; others lean toward online counseling for accessibility.
Check your local SBDC's website to learn more and bookmark it — you'll often find new classes and workshops. Find your local SBDC office here.
Is it just for new businesses, or can they help my existing company?
An SBDC can help whether you're just starting out or you've been up and running for years. The ASBDC's audience is roughly 60 percent existing companies and 40 percent brand-new small businesses — though the exact breakdown varies by state.
How SBDCs help brand new small businesses
If you're just starting, an SBDC advisor will help you get clear on what you need to put a business plan together. They'll walk you through every aspect of a plan, give you materials to learn from, and help you get it written so you can take the next step.
Beyond the plan itself, advisors can help new businesses identify their target markets and the size of those markets, think through how to scale, and decide when to hire their first employee.
How SBDCs help existing businesses
Existing businesses often come to the SBDC looking for expert insights on how to be more efficient as they grow. Advisors can help brainstorm strategies and address problem areas — from leaning up manufacturing processes to improving cash flow.
"They tend to have had a problem come up and it's usually, 'I'm doing more and more business but I don't seem to be making more money,'" says Charles "Tee" Rowe, president and CEO of America's SBDC.
When the plan is for a loan
This is where many owners get stuck the most. They don't know what they need, or how to actually qualify for a startup loan. SBDC advisors know what funders look for in a business plan and pitch, and they can help you prepare a presentation that speaks the lender's language.
When businesses are turned down for loans or investment, it often comes back to their sales forecast, their cash flow, or some other element of their financial plan. SBDC advisors can help with this — they know what funders are looking for and can teach clients how to "speak banker." They'll also give you a list of banks most likely to have the right kind of loan for your business.
Do I really need a business plan?
This question comes up a lot, especially with AI tools everywhere. The answer is yes.
AI can help you write faster. But AI can't tell you whether your numbers work specifically for your business. A good advisor will — a real person sitting across from you with the knowledge and experience to help your business.
An SBDC advisor will not only put you on the right track to write the best business plan for your situation, but they'll also help you be realistic, source the resources you need, and identify which banks have the kinds of loans most likely to work for you. And most of these services are completely free.
What's the measurable effect SBDCs have on small businesses?
In terms of economic impact, the average SBDC client sees about 15 percent job growth, whereas the national average tends to be around 2 percent. Every year, SBDCs create about 100,000 jobs.
The average SBDC client also sees better sales growth than the national average, and they tend to last longer than the average startup — what the organization calls greater survivability.
SBDCs conduct annual impact surveys with their clients. You can find the annual impact survey results on the ASBDC website, along with industry-specific annual reports on small businesses.
Build your plan with LivePlan and your SBDC
Many SBDCs use LivePlan with the businesses they work with. That means your advisor is already familiar with the tool — which makes working together even easier.
Ask your SBDC if they partner with LivePlan. Or start your plan now and bring it to your first meeting, so you and your advisor have something to work on from day one. LivePlan's financial forecasting and AI-powered planning assistant make it easy to build a solid plan — and iterate on it as your business grows.
To find your local SBDC, click here.
Frequently asked questions
Yes — most SBDC advising is completely free. Some workshops or training courses may have a small fee, but one-on-one business advising costs nothing. SBDCs are federally funded through the Small Business Administration, which is what makes this possible.
Visit americassbdc.org to search for your nearest SBDC office. There are over 1,000 locations across the U.S., including every state and many territories.
No — you can come with just an idea. If you already have a business plan started, bring it and your advisor can help you refine it. If you don't have one yet, they'll walk you through how to build it from scratch.
Yes. SBDC advisors know what lenders look for in a business plan and pitch, and they can help you prepare. They can also point you toward banks and loan programs most likely to work for your specific business — whether that's an SBA loan, a local community bank, or another funding source.
Many SBDCs across the country partner with LivePlan and use it with the businesses they advise. Ask your local SBDC if they're a LivePlan partner — if so, your advisor will already be familiar with the tool, which makes collaborating on your plan much easier.
Sarah Hovet
Sarah Hovet is a senior English and journalism major and creative writing graduate of the University of Oregon Clark Honors College. Her poetry has appeared in Z Publishing’s Oregon’s Best Emerging Poets, and The Rectangle, a publication through the Sigma Tau Delta International English Honor Society, of which she is a member.
