Business owners should know about the SBDC and their programs.

By: Brian Ford, President at Facet Technologies, Inc.

I have found over the years that most business owners have not heard of the SBDC.  The SBDC (Small Business Development Centers) is a partner program of the SBA (Small Business Administration).  The mission of the SBDC is as follows: “To help start and grow small businesses.”  The organization helps thousands of small and medium size businesses.  The local centers are hosted by universities, colleges, state economic development agencies and private sector organizations.

Over the years Facet has utilized SBDC’s services for business plans, marketing programs, regulatory education and other business advice. They have always been a great resource that is free of charge!

I have had the privilege to be a guest speaker at several of their educational conferences that help business owners with various aspects of running a business, navigating government regulation and the like.  I have been serving on the SBDC’s State Advisory Board since 2015. 

The Peoria area SBDC office is in Bradley University’s Turner Center for Entrepreneurship at 1501 W Bradley Ave, Peoria, IL 61606.  For more information on the Illinois SBDC at Bradley University, call (309) 677-2992 or email illinoissbdc@bradley.edu.

If you have questions about the SBDC and the type of help they provide, please feel free to call our office number, (309) 689-3900 or fill out our contact form.  I encourage you to take advantage of this little known resource.