Small Business Enterprise - SBDC February 2022

Work smarter, not harder

Resources for building business resilience, restructuring your current business model

Helping small businesses start and grow is the goal of the Illinois Small Business Development Center at the Rockford Chamber of Commerce, or Rockford SBDC. We accomplish these goals by providing resources and tools to small business owners and people looking to start a business. From creating a business plan to financial advice, we can connect you with the resources and people to move your business project forward.

We had the privilege of assisting more than 400 clients in 2021, among established firms, growth companies and start-ups to meet their challenges in today’s evolving global marketplace. We are focused on delivering business advising and management training to small businesses in the following counties: Boone, Ogle, Stephenson and Winnebago.

Our confidential business advising services are provided at no cost to the client by our eight counselors in all five of our locations. Advising sessions are tailored to help our clients address their new business challenges in areas like digital marketing, business planning, financing, accounting, cybersecurity, human resources and emerging technologies.

We are happy to announce that we began providing in-person and live trainings on 3D FDM Printer for Beginners & Intermediate (classes 1 and 2) on Jan. 26 and 28 at the Rockford NIU Campus. In February, the classes will be hosted by the Rockford Regional Hispanic

Chamber of Commerce in its tech center (with assistance in Spanish available for participants). This class will be live broadcasted on our Rockford SBDC Facebook & YouTube channels.

In addition, our business advising services are offered in English, Spanish and Arabic.

As we continue dealing with COVID-19, please use the free resources that we provide through our website at www.rockfordsbdc.org to prepare your business resilience or restructure your current business model. Adaptability is necessary for business success, and we are here to help you maneuver in this new challenging business landscape.

We wish you the best of success with your entrepreneurial efforts and appreciate the opportunity to help you along the way.

Edward Caceres is SBDC director, business planning & business sustainability, at the Rockford SBDC.