CONSULTING

The SBDC offers free confidential professional business consulting.

Our primary purpose at 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 hoping to realize 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 90 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 improved management skills so that small businesses 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. SBDCs seek to provide equal services without regard to race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, or disability.  This policy extends to all programs and activities supported by the BV SBDC.  A small business is generally defined as a for-profit entity with fewer than 500 employees. Most small businesses that take advantage of free SBDC services do not have the resources to hire professional services to help ensure their business success.  However, it is our hope that by providing services in the beginning phase of a business or helping to solve problems that arise, the businesses we work with will be able to afford private professional services as they become more established.

SBDCs are available to assist small businesses 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

CONFIDENTIALITY/CONFLICT OF INTEREST

Because we are a part of the University of Houston Small Business Development Center Network, each staff member of the BV SBDC 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 agrees 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 there will be no conflict of interest.

GETTING STARTED

If you have never owned a business before, please sign up for our course, "Starting Your Own Business." This course begins your learning process on 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 to evaluate 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.