Counseling Accomplishments

• Provided 381 business owners with one-on-one counseling for a total of 2,302 counseling hours.
• Provided counseling in the areas of: start-up 16%, business planning 24%, marketing & sales 24%, financing & loan acquisition 33%, accounting 13%, buy/sell 5%, management 24%, human resources 3%, procurement 3%.

Learn more about our counseling services.

Training Accomplishments

• Offered a total of 82 small business courses
• Attended by 1856 business owners
• Collaborated to develop and present the Santa Cruz Library Brown Bag Seminars and the Monterey Business Builders Program
• Developed & presented four Business Seminars for the Pajaro Valley
• Developed and presented two Technology Bootcamps
• Collaborated with Your Future Is Our Business to develop and present 20 business classes to 356 young entrepreneurs

Learn more about current special events, and ongoing seminars.

Special Projects

• City of Watsonville Restaurant and Retail Rejuvenation Program
• Layoff Aversion Program for 2 Workforce Investment Boards
• Pajaro Business Outreach Program
• Business Matchmaking Procurement Expo
• Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour for Youth

Economic Impact - Loans

• Provided 26 local businesses with loan acquisition assistance resulting in $5,097,272 in funding through Conventional financing, SBA Guaranteed programs, municipal loan programs, and equity financing  

Economic Impact- Jobs

• With the help of SBDC Counseling:
•  247 jobs were created locally
•  457 jobs were retained

Economic Impact - Contracts / Awards

• Assisted 10 local businesses to become certified for government contracts, qualifying them to sell to local, state & federal governments

Economic Impact - Other

• Actively assisted 205 clients to accomplish business growth including: starting and expanding their business, creating and retaining jobs, increasing sales and e-commerce success, obtaining loans, financial analysis, buying businesses, implementing bookkeeping systems, hiring employees and turnaround strategies

Community Collaborations

• The SBDC enthusiastically collaborated with over 40 local, state and national organizations to assist in local Economic Development by providing workshops, training, and counseling and by participating on various committees.
• SBDC staff served on the Board of Directors for the Employer Advisory Council, El Pajaro Community Development Corporation, ChildCare Ventures, Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce, CalCoastal RDC Loan Committee, Marina Business Incubator and Your Future Is Our Business.

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