Your Business Resource for Greenville Metro and Upstate South Carolina

The Small Business Development Centers' mission is to provide management assistance to current and prospective small business owners. The program is a cooperative effort of the private sector, the educational community and federal, state and local governments. SBDCs offer one-stop assistance to individuals and small businesses by providing a wide variety of information and guidance in central and easily accessible locations.

The SBDC network is the most comprehensive small business network in the US and its territories. The consultants help entrepreneurs realize the dream of business ownership and assist existing business to remain competitive in the complex marketplace of a global economy. Approximately 1,000 service centers are available to provide no-cost business consulting and low-cost training.

Not only does the SBDC provide services to the new business owners trying to weave through the maze of licenses, permits and business formation, but we also have knowledge and experience to offer established and growing businesses with needs in areas such as general management, administration, financial planning and inventory controls.

One on one confidential counseling is available to all business owners. Some clients require just a few meetings to help work out a new marketing strategy, while others need a long-term commitment to assist them with more complicated issues such as budgeting or cash flow.

The South Carolina SBDC is a consortium of four universities (USC, Winthrop, SC State, Clemson) which host offices in their areas. The South Carolina SBDC has 17 offices strategically located in both urban and rural communities throughout the state with 40 trained professionals who provide convenient, accessible services to all small businesses in any industry segment. The SBDC serves constituents in all 46 counties.

In the past five years, the SC SBDC has achieved tremendous results in economic development: Our Five Year Results include:

• Jobs created & retained: 6,304
• Government contract awards: Over $1 Billion
• Financing obtained: $382 million
• Businesses started: 506
• Small businesses served: 26,109
• 2010 Statewide Return on Investment: $89.2 million statewide

In 2010, for every $1 invested by the state of South Carolina, over $5.85 was invested by the federal government, universities and local partners.

Small business is the engine of economic growth. There are more than 22 million small businesses in America. Small business accounts for 99% of all U.S. businesses. Small businesses employ 53% of the private sector workforce and contribute over half of the nation's private gross domestic product. (Association of Small Business Development Centers)

IN SHORT…YOUR SUCCESS IS OUR BUSINESS!

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