[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]On Your Mark, Get Set. . . Grow!

Designed specifically for new business owners (within 2-3 years in business) and serious entrepreneurs ready to start a business, SBDC StartSmart provides the resources and support to put your dreams within reach. StartSmart will help you build a business for today’s challenging times!  To get the ball rolling, please complete an application or contact your local SBDC office.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_btn title=”Apply for StartSMART” style=”custom” custom_background=”#004e60″ custom_text=”#ffffff” align=”center” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.georgiasbdc.org%2Fstartsmart-application%2F||target:%20_blank|”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_btn title=”Find a Location” style=”custom” custom_background=”#b7bf10″ custom_text=”#ffffff” align=”center” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.georgiasbdc.org%2Fstartsmart||target:%20_blank|”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_custom_heading text=”Why Choose StartSMART?” google_fonts=”font_family:Oswald%3A300%2Cregular%2C700|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][vc_column_text]If you can dream it, we can help! Building a business takes the right tools—and a lot of hard work. SBDC StartSmart™ will show you the way.

SBDC StartSmart™ Provides the Tools to:

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]SBDC StartSmart™ Graduate Takeaways:

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_custom_heading text=”StartSMART Graduate Success: Buona Caffe” google_fonts=”font_family:Oswald%3A300%2Cregular%2C700|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][vc_column_text]Newspaper veterans John and Pat Curry love a good cup of coffee. So when they ran across a book on home coffee roasting several years ago, they purchased it and a small home roaster. Soon, John was spending Saturday afternoons roasting on their front porch in Athens.

In 2009, John and Pat were laid off from their media jobs within weeks of each other. Fortunately, John quickly found work, so they packed up their house — and their tabletop roaster — and headed to Augusta. As interest in their freshly roasted coffee grew, they envisioned an Internet-based company shipping coffee nationwide. They bought a one-pound roaster on eBay, built a website and launched Buona Caffe Artisan Roasted Coffee(the name means “good coffee” in Italian).[/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiCOb7DhCMw”][vc_column_text]After attending the UGA SBDC’s “Starting a Business Course” and purchasing a larger roaster in January 2011, John was encouraged to take SBDC StarSMART to work on strategies to build a solid foundation for growth. With the knowledge learned from SBDC StartSMART and continued business consulting from the SBDC, Buona Caffe expanded their business to a new location and by the end of 2013, the company had grown from a husband-and-wife team to a staff of seven (including themselves and their adult daughter Elisabeth) and was named by Fodor’s Travel as one of America’s 15 best indie coffee shops. They finished 2013 with more than a 100 percent increase in revenues over the previous year — and numerous requests to expand in Augusta.[/vc_column_text][vc_btn title=”Learn More” style=”outline-custom” outline_custom_color=”#c32031″ outline_custom_hover_background=”#c32031″ outline_custom_hover_text=”#ffffff” align=”left” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.georgiasbdc.org%2Fbusiness-planning-leads-to-smooth-operations-for-augusta-coffee-roaster%2F||target:%20_blank|”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]SBDC StartSmart™ programs include 24 hours of instruction delivered over a period of several weeks and covers eight modules that include critical issues for businesses in their “formative years.”

The program will be delivered in either 1) a three-hour, 1 module, per week class, or, 2) an 8-hour (full day including lunch), 2 modules, per week class, or, 3) a combination of full and half days. Check your preferred location for details.[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Have more questions? Contact your local UGA SBDC office and learn if StartSMART is right for you.” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:center|color:%23c32031″ google_fonts=”font_family:Oswald%3A300%2Cregular%2C700|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.georgiasbdc.org%2Flocations%2F||target:%20_blank|”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_btn title=”Apply for StartSMART” style=”custom” custom_background=”#004e60″ custom_text=”#ffffff” align=”center” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.georgiasbdc.org%2Fstartsmart-application%2F||target:%20_blank|”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_btn title=”Find a Location” style=”custom” custom_background=”#b7bf10″ custom_text=”#ffffff” align=”center” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.georgiasbdc.org%2Fstartsmart||target:%20_blank|”][/vc_column][/vc_row]