(Sept. 8, 2016) As entrepreneurial interest in Snow Hill and Pocomoke City grows, those thinking about opening or expanding a business should know that they don’t have to reinvent the wheel or go it totally alone unless they choose to.
“The main focus is on one-on-one, no-cost counseling from the pre-start phase, which includes things like feasibility, business planning or financial proposals, to directing people to one or more other sources,” John Hickman, regional director of the small business development center at Salisbury University’s Perdue School of Business, said.
Hickman said one of his counselors, Tim Sherman, is working out of the county economic development office on Market Street about once every two weeks, or by appointment.
The SBDC is administered nationally, with state offices generally operating out of institutes of higher learning, Hickman said.
“Our goal is to assist businesses as they start to grow, create jobs and accumulate wealth,” he explained. Locally, there are offices playing host to SBDC officers in Berlin, Snow Hill and Cambridge.
Importantly, Hickman said, is that these services do not come with opportunities for direct funding, just referrals to existing resources.
During the pre-start phase, he said, the center will help determine if a business proposal is worth taking to the next step.
“We don’t want people to go out and borrow money without a chance for success,” he explained.
After opening, the focus tends to be on marketing plans, Hickman said.
But not every business wants to focus on the general public for its revenue, and with the area’s proximity to Wallops Island, pursuing state or federal grants can also be explored, but via the Procurement Technical Assistance Center through the university.
Existing businesses that require expansion might also want a second opinion of that expansion, and the development center offers proposal review and can link owners to financing, if necessary. The final piece of the SBDC puzzle, Hickman said, is to take some of the sting out of a sole proprietorship.
“A sole proprietor has no board of directors to lean on for advice,” or other types of trusted, professional support within their industry to depend on, he said.
“We can help with those resources, and because we’re part of a statewide network, we can contact our peers,” he said.
All of these services, Hickman said, remain confidential unless and until explicit permission from the business owner is granted.
“We’re not going to tell anyone if you’re having trouble,” he said.
Part of the reason the SBDC is able to offer these services in Worcester is through a grant match provided by county administration.
“From my perspective, business in the southern portion of the county has picked up in the last four months, but we don’t specifically track locations. I know we’re busy when we’re down there,” Hickman said.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, call the SBDC at 410-548-4419 or visit www.marylandsbdc.org/eastern.
“The main focus is on one-on-one, no-cost counseling from the pre-start phase, which includes things like feasibility, business planning or financial proposals, to directing people to one or more other sources,” John Hickman, regional director of the small business development center at Salisbury University’s Perdue School of Business, said.
Hickman said one of his counselors, Tim Sherman, is working out of the county economic development office on Market Street about once every two weeks, or by appointment.
The SBDC is administered nationally, with state offices generally operating out of institutes of higher learning, Hickman said.
“Our goal is to assist businesses as they start to grow, create jobs and accumulate wealth,” he explained. Locally, there are offices playing host to SBDC officers in Berlin, Snow Hill and Cambridge.
Importantly, Hickman said, is that these services do not come with opportunities for direct funding, just referrals to existing resources.
During the pre-start phase, he said, the center will help determine if a business proposal is worth taking to the next step.
“We don’t want people to go out and borrow money without a chance for success,” he explained.
After opening, the focus tends to be on marketing plans, Hickman said.
But not every business wants to focus on the general public for its revenue, and with the area’s proximity to Wallops Island, pursuing state or federal grants can also be explored, but via the Procurement Technical Assistance Center through the university.
Existing businesses that require expansion might also want a second opinion of that expansion, and the development center offers proposal review and can link owners to financing, if necessary. The final piece of the SBDC puzzle, Hickman said, is to take some of the sting out of a sole proprietorship.
“A sole proprietor has no board of directors to lean on for advice,” or other types of trusted, professional support within their industry to depend on, he said.
“We can help with those resources, and because we’re part of a statewide network, we can contact our peers,” he said.
All of these services, Hickman said, remain confidential unless and until explicit permission from the business owner is granted.
“We’re not going to tell anyone if you’re having trouble,” he said.
Part of the reason the SBDC is able to offer these services in Worcester is through a grant match provided by county administration.
“From my perspective, business in the southern portion of the county has picked up in the last four months, but we don’t specifically track locations. I know we’re busy when we’re down there,” Hickman said.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, call the SBDC at 410-548-4419 or visit www.marylandsbdc.org/eastern.