Post on 12-Aug-2015
Electronic Media Project RSSW 291 | Spring 2015
Evan Schuldenfrei NY Small Business Development Center
Email | evanschuldenfrei@gmail.com Mobile | 516. 524. 8904
Student ID | #001066750 Thursday, April 23, 2015
Organization Overview
University at Albany Small Business Development Center (Albany SBDC)
• Serves Albany, Columbia, Fulton, Greene, Hamilton, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Warren, & Washington Counties
• Helps clients:
• Understand the importance of a business plan • Discover sources of funding • Prepare for e-commerce • Identify avenues for exporting goods and services • Develop marketing plans • Assess an invention’s viability • Comply with licensing and regulations
Importance of Organization
• Since 1984, the Albany SBDC has worked directly with over 22,000 businesses • Helped them to invest $362 million in
local economy • Has created or saved 11,200 jobs
• SBDC offers special programs, such as
their SEED Program which offers micro-loans to entrepreneur-applicants, based solely on the content of their character • Typical barriers to entry for obtaining a
loan are removed, including low/no credit
Services Provided • As an Intern for the Small Business Development Center, I rendered the following services:
• Composition of 10-15 page business plans for nine SEED clients: • Barber Shop • Hair & Nails Salon • Specialty Health Drink • Fitness Center/Gym • Pet Training • Specialty Party Supply Store • Local Thrift Shop • High-End Sneaker Consignment Shop • Contracted Delivery Service/Courier
• Organized and edited client presentations • Revised and improved SBDC Semi-Annual Report
• These business plans were drafted both from nearly scratch, and from existing documents that applicants filled out as part of their entrepreneurship training
• I was able to share my knowledge of marketing, specifically, digital marketing and social media, with these clients
Learning Objectives ü Learn how to properly construct and analyze client financial
statements (using Excel)
ü Result: A business advisor who has been in Finance for over 35 years taught me how to construct a brief Statement of Cash Flows, which is a valuable part of the business plan
ü Develop a deep understanding of the SBDC’s main programs
ü Result: After sitting in on several SEED client meetings, I was able to understand how the SBDC goes about screening applicants and the key traits they look for
ü Receive feedback on client business plans in order to strengthen writing capabilities
ü Result: With previous experience in writing business plans, my efforts were commended by the advisors whom which I assisted
Career Applicability • My time with the SBDC allowed me to work with many
different clients’ plans, which I enjoyed, since I’m looking to open my own marketing consultancy after graduation
• Writing business plans that span many industries allowed me to become comfortable with creating a cohesive plan that can be effectively implemented, no matter the topic or scope of business
• In the future, I would like to include providing free consulting to a few clients, in addition to my paid clients, to give back to the community