Services
Serving Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin counties, the Western Regional
Office works with new and existing small businesses through a combination of
free and confidential one-on-one business advising, information and referral, and low cost educational seminars.
View a list of towns serviced by the
Western Regional Office.
The MSBDC Network is designed to effectively
service small businesses throughout Massachusetts. There is a advising,
satellite or outreach office within 30 minutes of any potential client in the
state. View a list of Western
Massachusetts outreach sites.
Business Advisory
Services
A full-time staff of business advisors provide free and confidential assistance to small businesses.
We provide assistance to individuals contemplating a business venture, along
with new, existing, expanding and troubled businesses.
When you meet with an advisor, please bring any relevant information you may have on your
business or new venture. Preparation for your appointment will help you to maximize the use of the counseling session.
Click here to see decisions that you should think
about before your first counseling session.
Please complete our SBDC Request for
Counseling and bring form with you to your first counseling
session.
Areas of assistance include, but are not limited to:
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Start-up Business Assistance |
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Business Plan Development |
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Financial Plan Development |
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Marketing and Sales Strategies |
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Cash Flow Analysis |
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Organizational and Personnel Issues |
Our services are further augmented by the
Procurement
Technical Assistance Center. Business advisors are dedicated to providing assistance in bidding, managing and performing on government contracts. Much of the
advising is performed at the client's firm location, making the technical support delivery available in a timely and cost effective manner. E-commerce, including registering, bidding and performing on-line, in a paperless environment is a vital part of federal contracting.
PTAC is a center of the Massachusetts Small Business Development
Center Network and an advisor is housed at the Western Regional Office.
Also, the
Massachusetts Export Center helps companies throughout the Commonwealth to achieve success in global markets through a
statewide network of international trade professionals by providing targeted, high-impact services for exporters, including counseling, training, research and technical assistance.
A center of the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center, the
Massachusetts Export Center has an advisor housed in Holyoke.
Please note that our counselors will not give legal advice, write business plans,
negotiate contracts or make decisions for clients.
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Training
The Western Regional Office conducts approximately 25 low-cost seminars, workshops, courses and conferences
annually addressing a wide range of concerns for both start-up and existing businesses.
Many of these programs are co-sponsored with local chambers of commerce, colleges and universities, community development organizations, banks and trade associations.
Click here to view the Western Regional Office's training schedule.
>>View the
entire
MSBDC Network's statewide training calendar
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Financing
Having sufficient financial resources to support your business may
make the difference between the success and failure of your business. The
Western Regional Office can help you negotiate the financial
challenges faced by start-up and expanding businesses. The SBDC does not provide
financing. We work with banks and other lending organizations (both conventional
and non-conventional sources) to assist in putting together financial projections, but the actual financing comes from outside sources.
The SBDC can assist with assembling financial statements, preparing loan
applications and securing the best financing options for your business.
>>View our Financial
Resources page
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