Services

Serving Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin and Berkshire 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 counseling, satellite or outreach office within 30 minutes of any potential client in the state. View a list of Western Massachusetts outreach sites.

Management Counseling Services
A full-time staff of counselors provide free and confidential counseling 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 a counselor, 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 (pdf*, 310K) and bring form with you to your first counseling session.

Areas of assistance include, but are not limited to:

	Start-up Business Assistance
	Business Plan Development
	Financial Plan Development
	Marketing and Sales Strategies
	Cash Flow Analysis
	Organizational and Personnel Issues

Our services are further augmented by the Procurement Technical Assistance Center. Counselors are dedicated to providing assistance in bidding, managing and performing on government contracts. Much of the counseling 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 counseling center of the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center Network and a counselor 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 counseling center of the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center, the Massachusetts Export Center has a counselor 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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