Penn State Small Business Development Center (SBDC)
Business Consulting and ServicesPennsylvania, United States11-50 Employees
The Penn State Small Business Development Center (SBDC) operates as a university-affiliated provider of business consulting and education in University Park, Pennsylvania. It offers free, confidential consulting to individuals seeking to start or grow a small business and serves four central Pennsylvania counties: Centre, Clinton, Lycoming, and Mifflin. In addition to consultations, the SBDC runs seminars and can help evaluate strategic decisions, such as expanding an existing operation or assessing the financial feasibility of purchasing a business, including a low-cost pre-business seminar titled The First Step of Starting a Small Business. Its consulting team comprises Penn State staff, faculty, and students, with access to a pool of off-campus consultants when specialized expertise is required. The center's mission is to grow the central Pennsylvania economy by providing education, information, and tools to help entrepreneurs start or expand businesses, through free, confidential advising and a broad schedule of educational programs across industry sectors.