Throughout America, business guidance organizations serve one purpose: Help people start and grow businesses. But sometimes those organizations need help too. When they do, they may turn to the team at SBC Small Business Consulting, also known as SBC Consulting. Based in the Buckeye State, SBC advises and assists with business coaching, lender support, and more, and most of their 15+ consultants are women or minorities with backgrounds in entrepreneurship.
The results come through: From July 2021 through April 2022 alone, SBC Consulting facilitated over $10 million in sales increases and capital infusion for existing businesses and startups. Their efforts led to either the retention or creation of 402 jobs.
Yet even SBC needs the right tools to do its best work too. And that is why they turn to LivePlan.
“Each meeting starts and ends with LivePlan,” says Meghan Wood, one of SBC's small business consultants.
Drawing on an extensive background in marketing and business strategy for Fortune 500 corporations, Meghan both consults for SBC and runs her own small business. She has seen firsthand the challenges that companies of all sizes face, from startup to expansion. No matter an owner's passion or experience, the planning process can be daunting. Working with LivePlan though, Meghan has seen over and over how projections and forecasting can be more approachable.
Forecasting can be especially intimidating, especially when it comes to generating financial statements and understanding what they mean for the actual, day-to-day business.
“By having an easy-to-use tool, we can guide clients on inputting numbers and then work through the financial statements to help them understand what it all means for their business,” says Meghan. “LivePlan's forecast tool enables entrepreneurs to focus on items in the standard financial sheets without having them be overwhelmed.”
Working with CDFIs, SBDCs, and other local organizations fostering business development, the SBC Consulting team has seen firsthand how critical it is to meet business owners where they are. Whether starting a new business or planning an expansion, SBC starts the process by helping the business owner create a business plan in LivePlan.
The SBC team has designed their services to “bolt-on” to other organizations. With a sole focus on partner interests, they can focus on the business owner who needs to refine the vision and plan. In addition to business plan creation and advising, SBC supports organizations and entrepreneurs with QuickBooks training, website design, online marketing strategy, and loan document preparation.
Yet over and over, Meghan has seen how critical the entrepreneur's business plan is to the progress they can make.
“Small businesses greatly benefit from having a written business plan,” she explains. “We work with startups to help them understand their markets, forecast potential growth, and show potential financial statements based on the forecast we help them generate. We also use business plans as a vital tool to include when businesses look for capital infusion. Having a plan sets them up for success when lenders are evaluating their needs.”