By Rory Thomas
For over 30 years, the Tennessee Small Business Development Center (TSBDC) network has been empowering small business owners, entrepreneurs, and individuals with a business idea to innovate new products and services that compete in the global marketplace. TSBDC is a network of certified professional business counselors conveniently located in a community near you. TSBDC has 20 various locations; 14 of which are service centers, five are satellite offices, and one is an affiliate office.
TSBDC at Southwest Tennessee Community College assists entrepreneurs in Shelby and Fayette Counties in realizing the dream of business ownership and then helping those existing business in remaining competitive in this ever-changing global economy. Any current or future entrepreneur can come to the TSBDC at Southwest Tennessee Community College for unbiased business advice and high quality training at no charge.
Businesses can receive assistance with startup information, preparing business plans, basic accounting principals, loan packaging, acquiring financing and cash flow analysis, basic tax planning and Internal Revenue Services (IRS) requirements, basics in getting started in government contracting, market research, strategic planning for growth and expansion and business management.
With its training partners and subject matter experts, provide free training in areas such as business startup, business planning, strategic planning, business financing, marketing, social media, government contracting, business taxes, Human Resources management, bid proposals, exporting, importing, credit repair, developing great customer relations, growing your business online and managing risk.
Rory Thomas is executive director for Tennessee Small Business Development Center. He can be reached at 901-333-5085 or visit the website at www.tsbdc.org.