Consulting,
Education and Information Services
Consulting
To succeed, all businesses require both sufficient capital and the knowledge to use it
wisely. SBDC consultants help entrepreneurs develop the planning, management, and financial
skills necessary to make their business thrive.
The
SBDCs'
one-on-one management consulting emphasizes education and guidance in finding
practical solutions to business problems. Consulting is confidential and provided at no
charge by a staff of skilled professionals. Consulting areas of expertise include:
Accounting and Bookkeeping
Business Plan Development
Capital Acquisition
Computing Applications and MIS
Customer Service
Environmental Issues
Feasibility Analysis
Financing and Loan Packaging
Financial Analysis
Franchising
Government Marketing
Homebased Business
International Trade
Internet Marketing
Legal Issues
|
Management
Manufacturing
Marketing and Advertising
Market Research
Minority Business Development
OSHA/Workplace Safety
Personnel
Engineering Development
Services
Public Relations
Retailing
Regulatory Assistance
Strategic Planning
Taxes
Technology Commercialization
Women's Business Issues |
Specialized
Consulting Services
The
SBDC is responding to the rapidly changing economy with new and specialized programs.
Examples include:
Government Marketing - The Government Marketing Assistance Program (GMAP) system
provides government contract leads for firms that want to sell their products or services
to government agencies. GMAP saves businesses time and money by matching a firm's goods
and services with bids and leads published in the Commerce Business Daily and The
Pennsylvania Bulletin, as well as requests for small bids from the Defense Logistics
Agency and various other government agencies.
International Trade - If your company is looking to grow, the international
marketplace offers a world of opportunities. The Pennsylvania
SBDC's specialized
international trade services can help small firms take the steps to becoming a successful
competitor in foreign markets. If your company is already engaged in international trade,
the SBDC can help you take advantage of new opportunities.
Engineering Development - The
Engineering Development Services offered at the Bucknell University
SBDC helps firms design, construct and test products with commercial potential and offers
assistance in conducting patent searches.
Profiting from Prevention - The Environmental Management Assistance Program offers
information on how reducing pollution can result in increased profits and competitiveness
through increasing energy efficiency and reducing waste. The SBDC can help identify
commonsense and cost effective conservation opportunities and provide guidance on
environmental regulations.
Technology Commercialization -
The Pennsylvania Small Business
Development Center’s Technology Commercialization Assistance services
are designed to assist technology entrepreneurs with the necessary
skills to develop a corporate strategy that will assist them in taking
their technologies to market.
Education
SBDC courses, seminars and conferences provide up-to-date, practical information on a wide
variety of business topics. Programs teach basic business skills as well as more advanced
and specific business management. These low-cost workshops feature experts and leaders
from industry, government, higher education, and professional associations. See the
Calendar of Events for information
on upcoming University of Scranton
SBDC events.
Information
Access to information is essential to maintaining a competitive advantage. The Worldwide
Information Sources for Entrepreneurs -- WISE - program utilizes a wide variety of
resources to help entrepreneurs obtain the timely, relevant, and detailed information they
require to make sound business decisions.
WISE reaches well beyond the Web and provides subsidized access to other valuable
resources including hundreds of commercial online and CD-ROM databases. Our SBDC also
maintains a library of key print directories, periodicals, and government publications.
The SBDC provide guidance in conducting research and analyzing the information. The
University of Scranton SBDC also offer workshops on market research and its application to
business growth.
SBDC Clients
The University of Scranton
SBDC services are available to all small businesses and
prospective entrepreneurs in our
eight-county area of Northeast Pennsylvania in all
industry sectors.
In 2007:
-
Over 3,600 hours of consulting were provided to
585 clients
-
564 individuals received
1,714 hours of training
-
Over 1,100 telephone calls for information were
answered
-
$3,650,720 million in capital was raised on behalf of
SBDC
clients
SBDC Partners
The SBDCs are a public - private partnership and are funded with investments from
the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the U.S. Small Business Administration,
and the University of Scranton. This support enables consulting services to be provided
at no charge.
If you are interested
in meeting with an SBDC counselor,
click here to access our online
Request for Counseling Form.
