Customer Story

Meghan Wood: SBC Consulting

SBC Consulting by the numbers

>$10 million

Sales increases and capital infusions secured for existing businesses and startups

402

Jobs created or retained through consulting services using LivePlan

Background

SBC Small Business Consulting is a firm based in Columbus, Ohio, that provides guidance and support to organizations that assist entrepreneurs, particularly Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) and Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs). With a focus on helping women, veterans, and minority-owned businesses, SBC Consulting's team of over 15 consultants offers services in business coaching, lender support, and more.

"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."

Meghan Wood

Consultant, SBC Consulting

Problem

SBC Consulting needed a versatile and user-friendly tool to guide entrepreneurs through the complex process of business planning and financial forecasting. They required a solution that could help business owners understand their markets, project potential growth, and generate financial statements based on various scenarios. Additionally, the tool needed to be accessible for entrepreneurs at different stages of their business journey, from startups at the idea validation stage to established companies seeking to expand.

Solution

SBC Consulting adopted LivePlan as their primary tool for business planning and financial forecasting. The platform's easy-to-use interface and comprehensive features allowed consultants to guide clients through inputting numbers and understanding financial statements, without overwhelming them. LivePlan's forecasting tools enabled SBC to make the planning process more approachable and concrete for entrepreneurs, helping them focus on exploring different scenarios instead of just making a single guess about their financial projections.

Outcome

Using LivePlan, SBC Consulting has significantly enhanced its ability to support entrepreneurs and the organizations that assist them. The tool has become an integral part of their consulting process, helping clients uncover new opportunities and make informed decisions about their operations. SBC Consulting credits LivePlan with improving small business owners' ability to demonstrate improvements in job creation, job retention, sales growth, and capital infusion. The tool's business plan template and forecasting features have proven particularly valuable in helping women and minority entrepreneurs strategize and launch their businesses effectively.