SPOKANE, Wash.—The Washington Small Business Development Center (SBDC) invites small business owners and entrepreneurs across the state to celebrate SBDC Day on March 20.
The Washington SBDC is a small but mighty network of more than 40 business advisors who provide one-on-one technical assistance to small business owners and entrepreneurs who want to start, expand or buy/sell a business. SBDC advisors are located in more than two dozen communities across the state, from Pullman to Port Angeles. SBDC services are also available via remote access to serve any Washington business owner regardless of location.
“The SBDC is here to help at all stages of business development, from starting business to expanding a business to planning for your business succession,” said Sheryl McGrath, state director of the Washington SBDC. “The SBDC is also here to help you recover from a disaster.” The SBA and FEMA recently opened a Business Recovery Center at the SBDC offices in Spokane to assist business owners who have been harmed by the wildfires in Medical Lake and Elk last August.
“Owning a small business is hard work, but the Washington SBDC provides no-cost technical assistance to help business owners meet whatever challenges they face,” McGrath said. “If your business has benefitted from the assistance of an SBDC business advisor, I invite you to send us a message on social media using #SBDC Day and tagging us at @wsbdc.”
SBDC Day was created in 2017 by the America’s SBDC, the national organization representing 63 statewide or regional networks and more than 1,000 community-based SBDC advising centers across the country.
In 2023, advisors with the Washington SBDC assisted more than 3,399 small business owners through on-going, no-cost, results-oriented assistance. Those business owners credited their SBDC advisor with helping them access more than $103 million in new capital, save or create more than 3,917 jobs and start 260 new businesses. The network’s three international trade advisors helped SBDC clients increase export sales by more than $12M. SBDC advisors also presented more than 205 webinars on a variety of topics that were attended by 4,861 business owners and entrepreneurs. Nearly a dozen SBDC advisors are native speakers of Spanish and are bilingual/bicultural, and translation services are available to assist speakers of other languages as well.
Third-party research has determined SBDC clients report a 97% satisfaction rate. In our Q4 client impact survey, we received hundreds of positive comments, including the following:
- [My SBDC advisor] has been a huge part of saving our business. Her guidance, insight, and access to tools have been beyond helpful.
- [My SBDC advisor] is absolutely amazing. She is so smart and easy to work with. I am so grateful for each meeting I have with her. Thank you so much!
- Having an [SBDC advisor] with experience that helps guide important business decisions is invaluable. Our business has grown each year as a result of this valuable resource.
- I would be lost without SBDC advising.
SBDCs have also supported small business in ways beyond business development. SBDCs are key partners in disaster recovery, working with SBA, FEMA, and state agencies to improve resiliency and speed recovery in disaster-stricken communities. A Business Recovery Center was recently opened at the SBDC offices in Spokane to assist business owners who suffered losses because of the August wildfires in Medical Lake and Elk.
The SBDC was created by Congress in 1980 to give small business owners access to expert business advising at no cost to the business owner. Each SBDC network must raise half of its funding from state and local sources, most often institutions of higher education, economic development agencies and other civic and business organizations. That funding is then matched with funding from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). The SBDC network in Washington has been hosted by Washington State University since it opened in 1980 and receives both funding and administrative support from WSU.
For more information about the Washington SBDC, go to www.wsbdc.org.
