No Cost Business Consulting | Small Business Development Center
Ready to become a client?
About the SBDC
The Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of North Florida’s no-cost consulting, low-cost training, and extensive information resources offers entrepreneurs access to the business solutions that help them grow and succeed. By helping businesses grow, we create a better community for all.
The Florida SBDC at UNF
Economic Impact
Business Owners Consulted 
2,429
All metrics are reported by clients through our SBDC, APEX, and CARES programs unless otherwise noted.
Jobs Impacted
1,252
Based on the 2022 Economic Impact analysis completed by Dr. Jerry Parrish
Sales Increase
$208.5M
Data recent as January 2024
Check out our latest success stories
Guanabana Ice Pops
“We contacted the SBDC…a lot of people don’t speak two languages like we do, and it’s very difficult if you don’t have that asset with you, Jaime is that asset for the SBDC and he’s helped us a lot in different areas of the business – how to grow it. We feel more comfortable speaking Spanish, and Jaime, as a bi-lingual consultant at the SBDC, has made this process easier.”
Oliver and Julieta, Owners - Guanabana Ice Pops
Wicked Bao
“I started by doing the STARTUP class, then met with my consultant on a five-year plan and started looking for locations. Working with SBDC, what I really enjoy is the encouragement, someone there to tell you that you can do it. I think the biggest benefit is the connections and resources they provide to us, the small business owners. To have an SBDC consultant with you, is to have someone guiding you along the way – I would recommend to any potential business owner, from concept or idea, to see if it’s a marketable idea, to success.”
Ming-Yu Wu, Owner - Wicked Bao
Want to see more success stories?
FAQ's
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How can the SBDC help?
SBDC programs deliver up-to-date management advice, training, and information to help business owners make sound decisions and to assist potential owners in getting started on the right foot.
Start-up assistance begins with a menu of SBDC workshops. Practical, convenient, concise, and affordable, these group training programs cover topics from STARTUP basics, to marketing, accounting/record keeping, financing, and taxes.
Business plan assistance walks start-ups and existing business owners through the process using tools and templates designed to get your plan down on paper. Review of draft business plans and feedback on the plan’s strengths and weaknesses is just one of the consulting services available in the SBDC at no charge.
One of the critical issues potential and existing business owners face is financing the start-up or growth of a business. Access to capital is part of the consulting process our consultants provide to our clients.
The SBDC offers existing business owners interested in reviewing strategic business processes, increasing sales, and/or improving the bottom line access to the latest information needed to succeed including market data, financial analysis, business planning tools, and specialized programs.
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Why choose the SBDC?
More than 90 percent of all businesses in the U.S. are small. Small businesses are truly the backbone of our economy, employing more than 60 percent of all workers and creating 80 percent of all new jobs. (For more stats on the importance of small business, check out the U.S. Small Business Administration. Yet small business owners face some tough challenges. The primary causes of small business failure are undercapitalization and management inexperience. If small businesses are the engine driving our economy, we can’t afford to have them stall. As a result, Congress created the Small Business Development Center program in 1980 to provide this much-needed management assistance that many small businesses could not afford in the private sector. The Florida SBDC at UNF actually started in 1976 as part of an eight-state pilot program, giving it the distinction of being one of the longest-running SBDC programs in the nation.
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What counties does the SBDC at UNF serve?
Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Clay, Citrus, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Levy, Marion, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, Suwannee, and Union counties.
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How to become a SBDC client?
If you have not worked with the SBDC at UNF, please complete our Request for Consulting Form. After completing the form, our client intake specialist will contact you to schedule an appointment with a knowledgeable business consultant.
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How much does a consulting session cost?
Our consulting services are 100% no-cost and 100% confidential.
A Testimony to the SBDC
“The SBDC helped put us in a good direction – our consultant was always there advocating for us. And especially in the last year with the pandemic, it was a no-brainer that I called the SBDC!”
Antonio & Arleen Mazzela, Owners - Antonio's Made in Italy
