CONSULTING
BVSBDC Provides SBA Guaranteed &
Conventional Loan Assistance to New
and Existing Businesses.
LOANS
BVSBCD Provides Low-Cost Business
Seminars & Workshops to New and
Existing Businesses.
WORKSHOPS
BVSBCD Provides Low-Cost Business
Seminars & Workshops to New and
Existing Businesses.
CONSULTING
The SBDC offers free confidential professional business consulting.
The primary purpose of the BV-SBDC is to help your business succeed. Each year the BV-SBDC works with hundreds of existing business owners and potential small business owners who, like you, are trying to find answers to help their business grow or who are trying to find the "American Dream" of owning their own business. BV-SBDC consultants can advise you on everything from developing your business plan to analyzing your company's needs, at no cost to you. BV-SBDC consultants have extensive, practical experience in a variety of fields including marketing, finance, management, manufacturing, distribution, and retail. Even though the BV-SBDC has a small staff, the professional consultants have over 80 years of combined practical business experience, expertise and advanced degrees to assist you.
CONSULTING PHILOSOPHY
The Small Business Development Center program is designed to provide high quality business and development assistance to small businesses and prospective small businesses through education rather than providing clients with a finished product. The goal of the SBDC is to equip clients with the tools, professional advice and expertise necessary to allow them to make an informed decision based on the knowledge they have acquired. The SBDC program objective is to promote growth, expansion, innovation, increased productivity and management skills so that small business will continue to grow and be the driving force behind the country's economic growth and job creation.
SCOPE OF SERVICES
The SBDC's free comprehensive professional business consulting services are available to any small business owner or potential small business owner. SBDC's seek to provide equal services without regard to race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, disability, or any other constitutionally or statutorily impermissible reason. This policy extends to all programs and activities supported by the network. A small business is generally defined as a for-profit entity with fewer than 500 employees. Most small businesses that take advantage of the SBDC services do not have the resources to hire the professional services that are required to ensure their business success. However, it is our hope that through providing services in the beginning phase of a business or helping to solve problems for an existing business, they will be able to purchase professional services as their business becomes established.
The SBDC's are available to assist small business in every phase of their business cycle and to help entrepreneurs make sound business decisions. Some of the common areas of assistance are listed below:
AREAS OF SBDC ASSISTANCE
| Business Basics | General Business |
| Start-Up Assistance | Franchises |
| Business Planning | Insurance Issues |
| Developing a Marketing Plan | Workman's Compensation |
| Market Research | Policy Manuals |
| Marketing Strategy | Employee Regulations |
| International Trade | Marketing |
| Trade Leads/Market Research | Advertising/Promotion/PR |
| Foreign Agents Reps | Customer Service |
| Global Marketing | Sales |
| Export Financing | Developing Brochures |
| Trade Missions | E-Commerce |
| Finance | Selling to the Government |
| Forecasting & Budgets | Innovation/Research |
| Financial Statements | Bidding/Quotes |
| Cash Flow Analysis & Control | Certification |
| Ratio Analysis | Developing Proposals |
| SBA Loan Packaging | Procurement Methods |
CONFIDENTIALITY/CONFLICT OF INTEREST
Each staff member of the University of Houston SBDC Network is required to execute a Confidentiality/Conflict of Interest - Standard of Conduct document annually. By signing this document, which is a condition of employment, each employee is expected to live up to the highest levels of public trust and accountability. So as a client of the BV-SBDC, you can be assured your information is held in strict confidence and without a conflict of interest.
If you have never owned a business before, please sign up for our course, "Starting Your Own Business." This course begins your learning process of what it takes to start your own business. After you have completed the course, call and set up an appointment with one of our trained consultants so we can assist you on an individual basis of evaluating your business idea. If you are currently in business, please feel free to make an appointment so we can begin assisting you in meeting your objectives.
