Southwestern College wants people to mind their own business.
Any kind of business.
San Diego County’s Small Business Enhancement Program awarded a $24,000 grant to the SWC Small Business Development Center (SBDC) to provide expanded assistance to start ups.
SBDC has been providing workshops, training and one-on-one counseling to start-up businesses for 17 years. With the new grant it can continue to provide technical assistance to even more people trying to start, expand or maintain a small business.
Aleta Wilson, regional director of the San Diego-Imperial Valley Small Business Development Center Network, said the grant will be used to enhance small firms, defined as businesses with $40 million or less in annual sales.
“Most (entrepreneurs) say their biggest problem is getting access to capitol they need to grow their firm or to start their firm,” she said.
There are many groups focusing on financially supporting biotech and technology companies, Wilson said.
“We are going to use this money from the city to financially support non-biotech and technology firms,” she said.
SWC spokesperson Lillian Leopold said the grant will also be used for workshops to empower small business owners to succeed. About $15,000 will be distributed to personnel expenses, including a project manager, senior consultant and trainer.
Another $3,300 is set aside for workshops and training expenses. There is $1,900 budgeted for a subject matter expert in small business financing.
SBDC plans to use its Business Success Model, based on a successful model called Connect, which helped participants raise more than $18 million for coaching and mentoring of developing businesses.
Another aim of the project is to bring more jobs to the region through small businesses. Training and counseling will be provided to 250 local companies, including start-up businesses seeking small business certification, companies with 11 or more employees, firms seeking loans for working capital, and veteran and woman-owned businesses. Information sessions will begin in November. Applicants will be accepted through December. Workshops and mentoring for the 250 applicants selected will initiate in January 2014. Training will be completed within eight months.