How the Small Business Development Center Supports Entrepreneurs in Georgia – Mark Collier, Business Consultant

Today we speak with Mark Collier, Business Consultant at the UGA Small Business Development Center in Dekalb County. The UGA SBDC is one of 17 small business development centers around the state. Centers like this one provides support to entrepreneurs and small business owners by offering opportunities for business education, mentorship, and expertise from seasoned consultants. If you haven’t taken advantage of the resources yet, don’t wait any longer.

The UGA Small Business Development Center is a public agency that has been around for 41 years with 18 offices around the state. The agency has a singular mission; to help Georgia small businesses succeed and grow. Mark’s center is located in Dekalb County near the I-285 perimeter.

The business consultants all across the UGA SBDC network are faculty level members at UGA, all equipped with Master’s degrees or higher and several relevant years of business experience. The center offers technical assistance to all small business owners in three different areas:

• Confidential one-on-one consulting
• Market Research
• Continuing education classes

The UGA SBDC also serves a myriad of different types of businesses across different stages of growth, including pre-ventures. Their sweet-spot however, is established businesses that typically have employees, and have a capacity and willingness to grow. In terms of what size of businesses they can help, they follow SBA guidelines, which are under 500 employees and under $30 million in sales. The UGA SBDC’s services also come at no cost to small businesses. The programs and resources have already been paid for through taxes.

To learn more about the UGA Small Business Development Center, be sure to watch our entire interview with Mark above, and check out their website.

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