Business advice from the SBA - United States Small Business Administration

Home Office Computing, Nov, 1991 by Diane Wolverton

Bob Codner, owner of the Mathematics Criterion Center, which publishes math curriculum materials from Codner's Evanston, Wyoming, home, needed some help. "I was trying to do everything myself--then finally I realized I didn't have to," he says.

Codner discovered the Small Business Development Center (SBDC), a national program designed by the U.S. Small Business Administration to offer management and technical assistance to business owners. There he found assistance in marketing and publicizing his books. "The SBDC counselor offered a different perspective on how to promote my books," Codner says.

Most SBDC offices are located in community colleges or universities. Counselors are professionals who have business experience as well as business education. And, although Codner sought input only on publicity and marketing, SBDCs can also help with many other facets of business: accounting, financial analysis, personnel, finding capital, and more.

To find the SBDC located nearest you, call your local SBA office. It is listed in the government section of your telephone book.