What is the UGA SBDC? That’s a great (and common) question!  You may even be wondering, “What does SBDC stand for?” Here are your answers:  UGA SBDC stands for  University of Georgia Small Business Development Center (SBDC).  We educate small business owners so that their businesses can grow and prosper.

All of our consultants have extensive private-sector experience and are well-versed in business management techniques. They have expertise in a wide range of business functions and industries, especially entrepreneurship, and are committed to helping grow Georgia’s businesses!

We have 17 offices throughout the state of Georgia with six of those offices hosted at other universities (Kennesaw State University, Valdosta State University, University of West Georgia, Clayton State University, Georgia State University, and Georgia Southern University).

The UGA SBDC began in 1977 as one of eight pilot SBDC programs, and there are now SBDC programs in every state and U.S. territory!  Over the years, our network of partners has created a national community that nurtures the spirit and success of entrepreneurs.  The footprint of our work can be seen in small towns, big cities, and virtually every industry.

While we do help Georgians start new businesses, most of our clients are already in business. They come to us for help with obtaining expansion capital, finding new suppliers, or marketing their products and services internationally – as a few examples.

The UGA SBDC is committed to educating Georgia’s small business owners across the state via consulting with about 4,000 clients, as well as providing over 200 training programs to nearly 3,000 participants every year.

The consulting is provided at no direct cost, and corporate sponsorships help keep the cost of training programs realistic. All in all, the services are a great value!

Careful Planning Gives Award-Winning Savannah Dessert Bar Owners Room to Expand

From their beginning, Janine Finn and Rebecca Radovich had the right ingredients for a successful dessert enterprise, LuLu’s Chocolate Bar. With help from the UGA SBDC on their business plan, financials and loan proposal for their space, as well as SBDC GrowSMART, they’ve manager to expand their kitchen twice, grow 25% on average (through 2012) and rising even higher in 2013, as well as grow from the two owners to over 20 employees.

Sound Business Practices Help Athens Medical Practice Expand Into Underserved Areas

Reddy Urgent Care started with four employees and have grown to nearly 90. They have frequently turned to the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center through the years for a broad range of assistance, from learning how to do financial projections to help with site location, marketing and employee satisfaction surveys. The UGA SBDC recently assisted with identifying a location for a new clinic by analyzing location demographics and traffic counts. After a location was selected the UGA SBDC also helped produce their business plan. The new location added nine employees and treat 600 patients a month. “It takes most medical clinics three years to break even. We are profiting within our first year, and we get great comments from our patients.”

Chef Doug Turbush Called on the UGA SBDC to Help Him Find the Right Ingredients

A 15-year industry veteran chef was finally ready to make his dream a reality and open his own restaurant. After putting together a business plan and financial projections and finding a lender he was told, “Your numbers look good, but they could look a lot better, so go talk to these guys (the UGA SBDC).” So he did and came back with the complete package. Turbush returned to the bank with his detailed projections and was able to secure an SBA-guaranteed loan. Seed Kitchen and Bar now employs 45 staff in 5,000 square feet. After successfully opening Seed Kitchen & Bar, Turbush went on to successfully open Stem Wine Bar as planned, and will soon be opening another new eatery called Drift Fish House & Oyster Bar.