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Home » Counseling » Local assistance » Resource Partners

Resource Partners

Get counseling, training, mentoring, funding recommendations and other small business help from our nationwide partners. This includes dedicated centers for veteran-owned and women-owned businesses.

Small Business Development Centers (SBDC)

Find an SBDC in your area

SCORE Business Mentors

Find a SCORE business mentor in your area

Veteran Business Outreach Centers

Find a Veterans Business Outreach Center in your area

Women’s Business Centers

Find a Women’s Business Center in your area

Small Business Development Centers (SBDC)

Find assistance and counseling in your area to start, run, or grow your business.

Small Business Development Centers provide counseling and training to small businesses including working with SBA to develop and provide informational tools to support business start-ups and existing business expansion.

SBDC Programs deliver professional, high quality, individualized business advising and technical assistance to existing small businesses and pre-venture entrepreneurs. SBDCs provide problem-solving assistance to help small businesses access capital, develop and exchange new technologies, and improve business planning, strategy, operations, financial management, personnel administration, marketing, export assistance, sales and other areas required for small business growth and expansion, management improvement, increased productivity and innovation. 

Find your nearest SBDC

District offices provide small business counseling, training, and the tools you need to start or grow your business.

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SCORE Business Mentoring

Connect with an expert through the nation’s largest network of small business mentors.

SCORE, the nation’s largest network of volunteer, expert business mentors, is dedicated to helping small businesses plan, launch, manage and grow.  SCORE is a nonprofit organization that is driven to foster vibrant small business communities through mentoring and educational workshops.

SCORE mentors offer area-specific advice at no cost (financing, human resources, business planning) via email, telephone and video. SCORE mentors, all experts in entrepreneurship and related fields, meet with their small business clients on an ongoing basis to provide continued advice and support. SCORE provides a wide range of services including training, webinars, online workshops, courses on demand, and a library of online resources.

Find your nearest SCORE

Use our local assistance tool to find a SCORE business mentor or other Resource Partner in your ZIP code.

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Veterans Business Outreach Centers (VBOC)

The Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC) program offers resources to veterans, service members, and military spouses who are interested in starting or growing a small business.

The Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC) program is designed to provide entrepreneurial development services to service members, veterans, National Guard and Reserve members, military spouses, and family members interested in starting or growing a small business. SBA has 31 organizations participating in this cooperative agreement and serving as VBOCs.

SBA’s VBOCs offer workshops, training, counseling, and mentorship opportunities in your area. VBOCs can also help you navigate SBA’s extensive resource partner network and refer you to a community partner, lender, or SBA program.

Transition assistance programs

VBOCs work closely with SBA district offices and Transition Service Managers at military installations to conduct Boots to Business classes for service members and military spouses. VBOCs also help conduct B2B Reboot classes off installations for veterans of all eras, National Guard and Reserve members, and military spouses.

Pre-business plan workshops and preparation

VBOCs conduct entrepreneurial development workshops dealing specifically with the major issues of self-employment. Each client is afforded the opportunity to work directly with a business counselor.

VBOCs assist clients in developing and maintaining a business plan. The business plan includes such elements as the legal form of the business, equipment requirements and cost, organizational structure, a strategic plan, market analysis, and a financial plan. VBOCs provide assistance in identifying and analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of the business plan to increase the probability of success. 

Mentorship

VBOCs conduct, as appropriate, on-site visits with clients to ensure adherence to their business plans. Additionally, VBOCs review monthly financial statements to determine whether a revision of the business plan is warranted or that desired results are being attained.

Other business developmental-related services

VBOCs also provide assistance and training in such areas as manufacturing, international trade, franchising, internet marketing, accounting, and more.

To learn more about SBA’s resources for veterans, visit our Veterans page.

To find a VBOC in your area, look up your state by region below.

New England Region

  • Veterans Business Outreach Center of New England

Atlantic Region

Mid-Atlantic Region

  • Old Dominion University Veterans Business Outreach Center
  • University of Maryland Veterans Business Outreach Center
  • VBOC at Pennsylvania State University
    • Coverage: Pennsylvania
    • Address: 200 Innovation Blvd., Suite 113, University Park, PA 16802
    • Website: https://vboc.psu.edu/
    • Telephone: 814-863-9120

Southeast Region

  • Veterans Business Outreach Center at Gulf Coast State College
    • Coverage: Florida
    • Address: 5230 US Hwy. 98, Student Union West, Rooms 326-330, Panama City, FL 32401
    • Website: www.vboc.org
    • Telephone: 800-542-7232 | 850-769-1551, ext. 3327
    • Email: bpeacock@gulfcoast.edu
  • Veterans Business Outreach Center at Fayetteville State University
  • Veterans Business Outreach Center at Pathway Lending
  • Veterans Business Outreach Center at Mississippi State University
  • VECTR Center (Veterans Education Career Transition Resource Center – CGTC)
  • South Carolina Veterans Business Outreach Center

Great Lakes Region

  • ECDI’s Veterans Business Outreach Center of Ohio
    • Coverage: Ohio
    • Address: Allyn Hall 131, 3640 Colonel Glenn Hwy., Dayton, OH 45435
    • Website: ecdi.org/vboc
    • Telephone:  1-888-210-3039
    • Email: vboc@ecdi.org
  • VetBiz Central, Inc.
  • Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation (WWBIC)

South Central Region

  • Veterans Business Outreach Center at University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
    • Coverage: Central, West & Southern Texas
    • Address: 1407 E Freddy Gonzalez Dr., Ste 1200, Edinburg, TX 78539
    • Website: www.utrgv.edu/vboc
    • Telephone: 956-665-8931
    • Email: vboc@utrgv.edu
  • Veterans Business Outreach Center at University of Texas Arlington College of Business
  • New Mexico Veterans Business Outreach Center

Great Plains Region

  • VetBiz
    • Coverage: Kansas, Missouri
    • Addresses:
      • 4220 Duncan Ave., Suite 201, St. Louis, MO 63110
      • 1000 Walnut St., 5th Floor, Kansas City, MO 64101
    • Website: www.vetbiz.com
    • Telephone: 314-531-8387
    • Email: Info@vetbiz.com
  • Nebraska Veterans Business Outreach Center

Rocky Mountain Region

Pacific Region

  • NorCal Veterans Business Outreach Center
    • Coverage: Northern California (all counties north of Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, and San Bernardino)
    • Addresses:
      • 1792 Tribute Rd., Suite 400, Sacramento, CA 95815
      • 808 4th St., Clovis, CA 93612
    • Website: https://norcalvboc.org
    • Telephone: 916-527-8400
    • Email: info@norcalvboc.org
  • SoCal Veterans Business Outreach Center
  • Arizona Veterans Business Outreach Center – A New Leaf, Inc. AWEEc
  • Veterans Business Outreach Center of the Pacific
  • Los Angeles Regional Veterans Business Outreach Center
    • Coverage: Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties
    • Address: 4900 E. Conant St., Bldg. O2, Long Beach, CA 90808
    • Website: https://lavboc.org
    • Telephone: 844-595-8262
    • Email: info@lavboc.org
  • Nevada Veterans Business Outreach Center

Pacific Northwest Region

Find your nearest VBOC

Use our local assistance tool to find a VBOC or other Resource Partner in your ZIP code.

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Women’s Business Centers (WBC)

WBCs provide free, to low-cost counseling and training and focus on women who want to start, grow, and expand their small business.

Women’s Business Centers (WBCs) are a part a national network of entrepreneurship centers throughout the United States and its territories, which are designed to assist women in starting and growing small businesses. WBCs seek to “level the playing field” for women entrepreneurs, who still face unique obstacles in the business world.

SBA helps women entrepreneurs launch new businesses and compete in the marketplace. There are a number of resources for women-owned businesses including business training, counseling, federal contracts, and access to credit and capital.

Find your nearest WBC

Use our local assistance tool to find a WBC or other Resource Partner in your ZIP code.

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