SBC Solutions

Comprehensive Consulting Solutions

"The bigger the dream, the more important the team."

— Robin Sharma

Centralized Technical Assistance

It’s that easy?

Yep, we get asked that a lot. Imagine all of your technical assistance referrals are directed to one location, all your clients receive assistance, all the outcomes are documented, and all the notes and records are entered into your CRM system, supporting a single invoice. SBC Consulting offers centralized TA solutions for small business support organizations, providing extra capacity and specialized services through a single channel.

Our team is flexible and can provide support to your organization in any capacity that suits your needs, whether it's short-term, long-term, or on a project-to-project basis. We're here to help however much or little you require.

With SBC Consulting, small business support organizations have access to a ready-to-work team of experienced business consultants who understand the importance of dependability, workflow, data collection, and reporting in large projects.

Mostly importantly, we want to enable your organization to reach and help more small businesses.

  • Click here to download our SSBCI Services Menu

    Accounting Services & Financial Advisory Services

    SBC consultants take a step by step approach to organizing business finances. They will set up, train and assist clients start to finish with QuickBooks software implementation. They also provide financial literacy assistance and training so clients can feel confident in areas such as: Preparing audits, reviewing financial statements, maintaining business records, digitizing financial records, developing presentations for potential investors and creating financial models.

    Capital Acquisition, Loan Document Preparation & Grant Application Support - Federal, State, and Private

    SBC consultants will assist clients with the establishment of banking relationships or other financial services, assisting with applications for government small business programs (including preparing financial analyses), identifying sources of credit, capital, grants, and other financing. Clients will receive advising on factors that may impede access to financing for the business and best practices for financial management.

    Business Plan Creation with LivePlan (Pre- and Post-Funding) Our business consultants utilize LivePlan software to walk clients through the process of creating and utilizing a business plan from start to finish. Clients will be provided with a LivePlan account and when they are finished they will have a plan ready for SBA or private funding.

  • Our QuickBooks consultants focus on teaching financial literacy and sound financial decision-making as part of the QuickBooks training. We serve clients through the set-up and training process; often meeting with clients regularly to review their books for progress and errors.

    SBC has a QuickBooks accountant profile so we can log in and see the actual books of our clients to provide them with real (not conceptual) information on an ongoing (sometimes bi-weekly) basis.

    Our consultants serve as accountability partners to review month reconciliations and assist with integrating apps, e-commerce, etc. with QuickBooks. The goal is to help clients succeed so that they can invest in their business and hire additional people.

    ● Full company financial health review and recommendations

    ● Financial statement creation, review and recommend improvements

    ● Financial literacy training for small business owners

    ● Understanding capital needs, products, and risks

    ● Accessing needed capital and informed product selection

    ● Payroll setup and training

    ● QuickBooks setup, implementation, and training

    ● QuickBooks weekly and monthly review and support

    ● Advanced QuickBooks topics

    ● Full company financial health review

    ● Cost reduction planning and recommendations

    ● Cost analysis (improving same-sales profits)

    ● Spending trends analysis

    ● Revenue and spending projections

    ● Pre-sale preparation and planning

  • Our advisors work with clients to create, or recreate professional websites using the Wix platform. More than just developing a website, our advisors work alongside the business owners (often using Zoom) to teach them to use the platform to develop and maintain the website on their own. Our goal is to help them build independence in maintaining their website and social media channels as a cohesive footprint and reduce reliance on outside web developers.

  • Our business planning specialists help pre-launch businesses, funding applicants, and pivoting businesses create a business strategy plan using LivePlan. It takes business planning from a vague, daunting uncertainty to specific educated guesses, and links them together. This exercise has proved especially useful, as our consultants help business owners organize their goals, processes, and financial projections to help ensure even ongoing enterprises have a plan. As a testament to our mission, SBC pays for the client’s subscription to the software during our work together. Even mature businesses benefit from LivePlan’s sophisticated financial planning and projections feature. Research shows that businesses with a plan tend to grow 30% faster.

    ● Full LivePlan business plan writing for new and pivoting businesses

    ● Financial projections in LivePlan for funding opportunities and financial planning

    ● Existing business plan review and recommendations

    ● Conversion of the existing business plan document to LivePlan

  • Our credit repair consultants specialize in helping small business owners improve their credit rating to increase their chances of qualifying for small business loans and securing favorable interest rates, ultimately helping their business thrive.

    Our consultants can review the client's credit report to identify any errors or inaccuracies and work to dispute these items with the credit bureaus. They can also provide guidance on debt management strategies, such as negotiating with creditors and setting up payment plans.

    Additionally, they can offer personalized advice on improving credit utilization and building a positive credit history.

  • A majority of the businesses we serve are owned by women and minorities. We assist business owners through the complex application and submission process to apply for a WBE or MBE designation.

    Our team breaks the process down into five steps so that it does not seem so arduous, and we guide them every step of the way. The Clients understand the documentation that they need to bring for each step so that it is an efficient yet not cumbersome. The consultants explain the advantages of having the designations so that they stay involved with the process.

    ● MBE/WBE/EDGE certification and research

    ● Government grant research, recommendations, and application support

  • Our consultants collaborate with clients to help them understand how to responsibly use loans as a tool for growth. Consultants collaborate with clients to understand financing options, shop for the most advantageous loan rates and terms, compile the required financial, tax, and personal documents, and chose a lender and accept a loan.

    We help clients avoid predatory lending practices and discuss the financial risks and realities of taking on loans to fund a business. When possible, we leverage existing relationships with lenders to ensure clients are referred to trusted sources of capital.

    ● Conduct diligence and business valuation

    ● Better terms and conditions

    ● Capital structuring, raising, and planning

    ● Consolidation options

  • More than just marketing, our consultants find the root cause of revenue decline or stagnation and create a plan for the client to improve top-line performance. Market analysis, product, and service pivoting, B2B and B2G networking, and similar ideas are explored to be sure clients are offering a viable product at a competitive price to the right market.

    ● Exploring B2C, B2G, and B2B opportunities and markets

    ● Finding, understanding, and responding to RFPs and RFIs

    ● Corporate and government customer research, identification, and acquisition

    ● Connecting with corporate and government buyers

    ● DUNS and SAMS registration

  • Our legal team includes expert attorneys who can assist clients with specialized legal services such as—review and drafting of business contracts, legal liability assessments, formation of business entities, trademarks, commercial leases, drafting and negotiating stock purchase and transfer agreements, asset purchase agreements, employment compliance, notarization and more.

    *Currently for Ohio organizations only.

  • SBC offers real-world guidance for small and medium sized manufacturers to improve the quality of their products and overall business performance. In addition to developing production quotes and responding to RFPs, our manufacturing consultants assist with manufacturing process improvement efforts, production scheduling, critical path analysis, preventative maintenance planning, and many other tactical improvements in production.

    SBC’s manufacturing consultants also assist with revenue generation, contract acquisition, and organizational planning to foster growth and expansion as well as production efficiencies.

  • Several of our consultants live in rural communities and act as a resource for farmers on a range of topics. They can contribute valuable data, opinions, and suggestions for improving their client's products, services, and/or business practices regarding Flat Based and HTA contracts, have an understanding of how the Chicago

    Board of Trade works, Beef and Hay production, Row Crops and Crop seeding obtaining contracts at harvest time, government set-asides, and tax write-offs.

  • Many of our discussions begin with a review of the client’s website and social media channels. Most of the time, our clients need significant support in this area, and this is something SBC is enthusiastic about as a website can help small businesses increase flexibility, control, branding, and credibility in their market.

    Consumers are more likely to buy from a business with a branded website than one that only has a social media page (or nothing at all). A well-designed website is the destination for all conversions online. Marketing, advertising, and social presence all need to lead somewhere, and that place should be a website.

    Our consultants map out and identify the correct social media channels for the client’s target audience and assist in creating digital marketing campaigns to ensure effort and resources are effectively expended and that the efforts are driving sales. These include:

    ● Social media setup and implementation

    ● Social media audit, recommendations, and implementation

    ● Logo creation

    ● Creation of a full marketing plan

    ● Market research and analysis

    ● Competitive landscape analysis

    ● Pricing analysis (compared to the market)

    ● Google My Business setup and management

  • Our consultants work with business owners to help with strategic staffing, hiring, promoting DE&I in recruiting, and hiring practices, developing employee handbooks, developing, and implementing policies and procedures required to scale, and many other aspects of finding, acquiring, and managing the company’s human resources within the financial realities of a small business.

    ● Employee contact review

    ● Employee handbook creation

    ● Employee handbook review, recommendations, and implementation

    ● Compensation package creation

    ● Compensation market research

    ● Employee recruiting

    ● Employee retention programs

    ● Succession planning

    ● Employee training

SBC Consulting's comprehensive TA team offers a range of consulting services, including:

Small Business Success Workshops

Alone we learn, together we excel.

SBC Consulting offers specialized consulting workshops that provide small business owners with access to skilled consultants who offer informative workshops on a range of popular consulting topics. Whether in-person or virtually, SBC's small business success workshops offer business owners the unique opportunity to learn from highly skilled consultants who work with small businesses daily. The workshops offer a patient and tailored approach to learning to ensure that small business owners receive the guidance they need to achieve demonstrable improvements to the success of their business.

  • This workshop is designed to introduce participants to the process of building a business plan. Participants will be instructed on why it is important to have an accurate and up-to-date business plan for the growth of their business and to apply for SBA or private funding.

    Our business plan consultants will utilize LivePlan software to walk clients through the process of creating and utilizing a business plan, as an example of the type of software that can be used.

    Participants will be guided through the sections of a business plan - executive summary, overview of products and services, market and industry research, marketing and sales strategy, operational details, and financial projections - and how to write each section effectively.

  • This workshop is designed to introduce participants to creating a professional web presence for their business. Our marketing consultants will guide participants through the process of creating a website for their business, designing a logo, and securing a domain name.

    Our consultants will demonstrate creating a website using Wix software as an example of the type of program the participants can use to design their website.

    Participants will also be instructed on how to become active on social media networking sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn and how to set up business directories such as Google My Business to build an online community around their business.

  • The Small Business Credit Repair workshop is specifically designed to assist small business owners in improving their credit profile and navigating the complexities of credit repair. Throughout the workshop, participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of the factors that influence their business credit score and learn strategies to effectively repair and rebuild their credit.

    The workshop will cover topics such as identifying and addressing credit issues, developing a credit repair plan, managing debt and payment obligations, and establishing positive credit habits.

    Participants will receive practical guidance on disputing inaccuracies on their credit reports, negotiating with creditors, and implementing credit management strategies to strengthen their business credit.

    By the end of the workshop, small business owners will be equipped with the knowledge and tools necessary to take proactive steps towards repairing their credit and positioning their businesses for future growth and financial success.

  • The Social Media Marketing workshop is designed to provide small business owners with a comprehensive understanding of utilizing social media platforms to enhance their brand presence and reach their target audience effectively. Throughout the workshop, participants will learn essential strategies, starting with defining their brand and creating customer personas to establish a strong foundation for their social media marketing efforts. The workshop will cover the importance of selecting the right platforms, with a focus on Facebook and Instagram, including the basics of marketing on these platforms. A brief introduction to other relevant platforms will also be provided.

    Participants will gain insights into how their website can play a pivotal role in their social media strategy and will be guided on avoiding common social media mistakes made by small businesses.

    The workshop will conclude with actionable next steps for participants to implement in their own businesses and public resources to support their ongoing success in the realm of social media marketing.

  • The Advanced Social Media Marketing workshop provides small business owners with a comprehensive understanding of key topics to enhance their social media marketing efforts.

    Participants will learn how to leverage social media as a foundation for driving sales, refine customer personas and define target markets to effectively reach their audience. They will gain insights into the difference between precision ads and general branding techniques, and explore paid advertising and analytics on popular platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.

    The workshop will also cover strategies for measuring the success of social media campaigns and navigating the balance between building relationships and advertising on social media.

    Participants will gain a deep understanding of turning followers into revenue through a comprehensive exploration of the sales funnel. The workshop will conclude with actionable next steps and access to public resources to support ongoing success.

  • The Marketing Basics workshop is specifically designed for small business owners seeking to establish a strong marketing foundation. Through this workshop, participants will gain a clear understanding of their business identity by determining who they are and who they are not, while also defining their products or services.

    The workshop will emphasize the importance of building a strong brand and provide guidance on developing and clarifying customer personas to better connect with their target audience. Participants will learn how to define their target market and gain an overview of pricing strategies.

    The workshop will cover the essentials of planning a marketing mix, taking into consideration the realities of marketing budgets for small businesses. Participants will receive practical guidance on launching effective marketing campaigns and learn about common mistakes in small business marketing.

    The workshop will conclude with actionable next steps for participants to implement in their own businesses and provide access to public resources to support their ongoing marketing success.

  • QuickBooks 101 -This is an engaging, two-hour workshop led by a seasoned QuickBooks Pro, who works closely with small businesses on a daily basis. This workshop is specifically designed for non-financial business owners and aims to provide a basic overview of QuickBooks in a non-intimidating manner.

    The primary objective of this workshop is to demonstrate how utilizing QuickBooks can help business owners effectively manage their business finances.

    Our instructor will guide participants through the initial setup process of QuickBooks, ensuring a solid understanding of the software's fundamental concepts. Key terminology will be explained, and practical applications of QuickBooks will be demonstrated, highlighting its capabilities.

    QuickBooks 102 - In our Intermediate workshop, we invite business owners to embark on a comprehensive journey towards creating and maintaining meticulous bookkeeping practices.

    Through our hands-on and carefully paced instruction delivered by QuickBooks experts, participants will gain valuable insights into effectively managing revenue and expenses within the QuickBooks ecosystem.

    Our knowledgeable instructor will guide participants step-by-step through essential processes, including creating bills, paying bills, writing checks, and handling billable expenses.

    By mastering these techniques, business enterprises at the outset will establish a strong foundation for maintaining meticulous books, while existing business owners will discover strategies to enhance their record-keeping practices, ultimately leading to better financial management.

    QuickBooks 103 – In this comprehensive workshop, participants will continue the in-depth learnings on QuickBooks from a revenue perspective and they will delve deeper into the areas of Invoices, Unbilled Charges, Estimates, Sales Receipts and Journal Entries.

    Our expert instruction will not only cover the appropriate usage scenarios for each module but will also provide industry-specific activities and guide participants on how to effectively book transactions within these modules. While QuickBooks offers transaction entry options in most modules, we will shed light on specific adjustments that may require a journal entry and equip business owners with the knowledge to handle such circumstances.

    Furthermore, we will unveil a treasure trove of financial reports that often go unnoticed but hold immense value for business owners, empowering them with essential insights into their financial landscape.

  • The QuickBooks Payroll workshop is designed to equip small business owners with the knowledge and skills to efficiently manage their payroll processes using QuickBooks.

    Throughout the workshop, participants will learn the fundamentals of QuickBooks Payroll, including setting up and managing employee profiles, calculating wages, handling deductions, and generating payroll reports.

    The workshop will provide hands-on training on utilizing QuickBooks' payroll features to streamline payroll tasks and ensure accurate and timely payments to employees. Participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of payroll regulations and compliance requirements.

    By the end of the workshop, small business owners will be equipped with the necessary tools to effectively and confidently manage their payroll using QuickBooks, enabling them to focus on growing their business.

  • The Business Finance Best Practices workshop is specifically designed for small business owners seeking to enhance their financial expertise in a non-intimidating manner.

    Participants will gain a solid foundation in basic small business finance terms and concepts, enabling them to navigate financial discussions with confidence and ease.

    The workshop will provide a comprehensive understanding of key financial statements, focusing on the income statement and profitability, as well as the balance sheet and debt. Sales and expense forecasting will be explored, equipping participants with valuable tools to plan and project their business's financial future.

    The workshop will delve into cash planning and lines of credit, empowering participants to effectively manage their cash flow and explore financing options without feeling overwhelmed.

    Strategies for improving access to capital will be discussed, along with an introduction to QuickBooks for efficient financial management. Common mistakes in small business finance will be highlighted, ensuring participants can avoid pitfalls and make informed financial decisions.

    The workshop will conclude with actionable next steps and curated public resources to support ongoing financial success in a supportive and approachable environment.

  • The Small Business Start Up workshop is a comprehensive program designed to provide small business owners with the necessary tools and knowledge to successfully launch their ventures.

    The workshop begins by helping participants understand their motivations and "why" behind starting a business, enabling them to align their goals with a clear vision. Setting measurable objectives is emphasized, allowing entrepreneurs to track progress and ensure growth. A reality check is provided through SWOT and PESTEL analyses to assess the internal and external factors that can impact the business. Defining the target market and creating customer personas helps entrepreneurs tailor their products or services to specific needs.

    The workshop explores different business strategies, whether broad or narrow, and focuses on differentiation versus price. Participants learn essential selling skills to effectively market and sell their offerings.

    Additionally, the workshop addresses important considerations such as liabilities, taxes, and other legal aspects. Essential skills of a business owner, including leadership and communication, are covered to facilitate success. Common mistakes in business planning are identified to help participants avoid pitfalls.

    The workshop concludes with actionable next steps for participants to implement in their own businesses and provides access to public resources to support their journey towards entrepreneurial success.

  • Unleash the power of concise communication in our 2-3 hour workshop, "Elevate Your Pitch." Dive into the essentials, brainstorm your unique business angle, craft a compelling pitch, refine it through practice, and test your skills in a friendly elevator pitch competition. Walk away with a finely tuned pitch ready for immediate use—a game-changer for any business owner.

Small Business Success Workshops consulting topics:

Impact Aggregator

Success is sweeter when its documented.

At least we think so. We use proven processes to collect, document, and report impacts of economic development, ecosystem-building, and small business support programs for federal and state grants and programs, municipality and county programs, Americas SBDCs, and mission-based lending and investing organizations to more accurately show the true ROI to stakeholders and funders.

The Problem:

The true impact of economic development and small business support programs is grossly underreported. Impacts are difficult to define and collect, and already understaffed organizations cannot dedicate resources to impact collection. Human resources are often at capacity in fulfilling the mission of the program, leaving the extremely important process of documenting impacts neglected – a disservice to the efforts of those involved and a huge liability to those reporting ROI to stakeholders.

Our Solution:

We have had documented success in improving impact collection. We leverage outreach techniques, user-friendly electronic attestation forms, and dedicated professional staff to collect, document, and report economic impacts of our clients’ programs. In many cases, participants in such programs are not aware an impact exists – we help participants understand how client programs have improved their financial situation or created or retained jobs and collect signed attestation forms on behalf of our clients. As a dedicated impact collection service, we focus only on collecting more, and larger, impacts on behalf of the program – allowing program administrators and core service providers to focus on their important role. 

Need a customized solution for your organization or project?

We can help with that too. Reach out to Kara@sbcfirst.com or contact us here.