Services

The Illinois Small Business Development Center at Southern Illinois University Carbondale works to provide both prospective and existing business owners with a variety of business services including assistance with business planning and marketing, management issues, and financial counseling with assistance in both finding financing and understanding their business financials. In addition, low-cost financial management training classes are offered in our state-of-the-art computer lab. The ISBDC is funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (IDCEO) and hosted by Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC) as a service to Illinois small businesses.

Counseling Services Offered
A full-time staff of counselors, supported by the resources throughout the state, provide free counseling assistance to small businesses. Areas of assistance include, but are not limited to

Business Plan Development	Financial Plan Development
Financing Opportunities	Loan Structuring and Packaging
Cash Flow and Financial Analysis	E-Commerce
Accounting and Recordkeeping	General Business Issues
Legal Structure	Marketing and Sales Strategies
Organizational and Personnel Issues	International Trade Assistance
Minority Business Assistance	Government Procurement Assistance

The Illinois Small Business Development Center at SIUC is open to anyone currently in business or interested in starting a business. If you have not owned a business before or are in need of a refresher, we request that you attend our free introductory seminar entitled "How To Start Your Own Business." This informative three-hour session covers all the basics: legal structure; business registration; business plans; and financing. After attending the session, participants are welcome to meet one-on-one with a counselor.

To schedule an appointment, call 618.536.2424 or email SBDC.

To sign up for "How To Start Your Own Business," view our Class Schedule, or call 618.536.2424 or email SBDC.