Welcome to the Maine Small Business Development Centers (Maine SBDC) and to the Maine Small Business and Technology Development Centers (Maine SBTDC).

For over 30 years, the Maine SBDC has been recognized as a leader in the small business improvement and expansion arenas. The SBDC concept is a simple but effective one: assist small business operators and nascent entrepreneurs through business counseling, training services, information transfer, and resource linkages. Our objective is clear: create and save jobs throughout Maine.

To that end, the Maine SBDC provides a variety of services for Maine’s existing and prospective small business owners, covering such issues as business feasibility, business plan development, capital acquisition, financial management, marketing and sales, e-commerce, customer service, personnel management, and small business strategic planning. Our Maine SBTDC covers similar issues, although with a concentration on companies commercializing technology to launch or grow their business.

Since our inception in 1977, the Maine SBDC has grown from a small pilot partnership project of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) into a statewide system, comprised of a myriad of collaborations that support our dynamic network of service centers and outreach offices, and our statewide administrative offices headquartered at the University of Southern Maine. The Maine SBDC and Maine SBTDC are fully accredited by the Association of Small Business Development Centers (ASBDC). Our hardworking and creative counselors are certified by the New England Professional Development Group (NEPD), and supported by a cadre of dedicated staff.

Over the course of its years, the Maine SBDC and Maine SBTDC have provided individualized business assistance to tens of thousands of clients. Even more individuals have received management training through Maine SBDC/SBTDC-conducted seminars, workshops, and courses. And even more have been served through our Maine SBDC web services.

Small business success is our business - - how can we help you?

Vision:

A sustainable results oriented, performance driven Maine economy, grounded in traditional Maine values, yet open to change and new technologies; based in good part on the "can do" attitude of its business organizers, be they lifestyle proprietors, solid small firm owner/operators or true entre-preneurial go-getters; facilitated through well thought out and well planned economic development strategy, which includes public entrepreneurial education at all ages, pro business policy, coordinated and collaborative technical assistance, business life-stage and business owner lifelong training (classes - coaching - mentoring), substantial access to capital, well-developed networks, and consensus leadership that embraces social purpose in concert with wealth generation.

Mission & Focus:

The Maine Small Business Development Centers' mission is to engage itself and others in development activities that contribute to the improvement of the economic climate for and the success of micro, small and technology-based businesses in the State of Maine. The Maine SBDC's focus is to assist in the creation, growth and the maintenance of viable micro, small and technology-based businesses and the jobs these businesses provide.

Maine SBDC serves those seeking assistance who are willing and able to build, sustain, and/or expand their business. Maine SBDC/SBTDC services are provided on an equal opportunity basis with adequate notice. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made.

Purposes:

The Maine Small Business Development Centers' purposes are to:

• Provide high-quality, no cost to client, individualized business management assistance through one-on-one consulting and counseling.
• Coach and encourage micro, small and technology-based business owner/operators.
• Conduct and/or organize information and training programs that build small firm capacity to operate, compete and thrive.
• Navigate micro, small and technology-based businesses access to capital.
• Abet in the process of technology commercialization for new and existing small businesses.
• Draw on, link with and build awareness of the multiple resources of academic communities, federal, state and local governments, private enterprise and the non-profit sector that support the Maine SBDC's focus.
• Aid access to information, technology, markets and research that assists business owners in the profitable operation of their businesses.
• Facilitate network and mentoring opportunities for micro, small and technology-based business owner/operators.
• Offer targeted and customized programs for business and economic stimulation that are designed and managed on the basis of clearly defined, specialized business owner or prospective business owner needs.
• Support partnering and collaborating organization economic development programs in as much as they are "Good Business" for micro and small business firms.
• Recognize, advocate for and champion micro, small and technology-based business success.
• Preserve individual capital and self-worth as appropriate.

Priorities:

The priorities of the Maine Small Business Development Centers are:

• Job creation/retention.
• Capital formation.
• Business expansion.
• Business acquisition/start-up.
• Technology Commercialization.
• Market development
• Information/knowledge dissemination.
• Technology advancement.
• Small Business advocacy.
• Economic development.

Core Values:

The core values of the Maine Small Business Development Centers are:

• Organizational excellence.
• Client sensitivity.
• Service orientation.
• Professional people.

Commitments:

The twelve commitments at the Maine Small Business Development Centers to and for our selves are:

• Listen and communicate openly and candidly.
• Collaborate and embrace partnership.
• Respect others in and around the organization.
• Learn and be willing to change.
• Work with a sense of urgency.
• Maintain a positive attitude.
• Lead when needed.
• Be flexible and anticipate the future.
• Measure performance and be accountable for results.
• Value diversity.
• Take responsibility and focus on what's important.
• Act like a professional, think like an entrepreneur.

Guiding Principles:

The guiding principles for the Maine Small Business Centers are:

• Maine SBDC is resolute to understanding the needs of those whom it serves and as such engages in active dialogue and research in need determination and corresponding satisfaction levels in its meeting those needs.
• Maine SBDC is resolute to partnering and collaboration and in as much recognizes, values and engages synergy in pursuing its mission, purposes and priorities.
• Maine SBDC is resolute to garnering public trust, recognizes the value of public money for public purposes, and strives to ensure its programs, conduct and linkages are without reproach.
• Maine SBDC is resolute to its people and is as much provides and encourages high levels of personal and organizational professional development and job satisfaction.
• Maine SBDC is resolute to collective guidance and in as much seeks input internally from staff and externally from an active advisory board, comprised of involved stakeholders.
• Maine SBDC is resolute to results and as such through frequent and consistent evaluation holds management and staff to superior performance standards.
• Maine SBDC is resolute to a caring culture and as such recognizes, affirms and celebrates the human element in who it is and whom it serves.
• Maine SBDC is resolute to aggressively pursuing funding to support its mission, purposes and priorities, in the form of fiscal backing from its partners as well as grants, contracts, fees, and other forms of financial and in-kind support from both the nonprofit and private sectors.
• Maine SBDC is resolute to its academic roots, understands the value of both faculty and student relationships, and shares a commitment to diversity, tolerance, and an active examination of the ideas that can provide a greater understanding of the richness and complexity of society.
• Maine SBDC is resolute to its governmental ties and as such maintains a proactive dialogue with state and federal legislators and administrators.
• Maine SBDC is resolute to agility, continuous improvement and the use of technology, "e", in the delivery of its programs and services, and as such encourages flexibility, creativity and innovation from its staff, partners and stakeholders.
• Maine SBDC is resolute to its statewide charge and as such strives to provide outreach to and be inclusive of all of Maine's business organizers. And to that end, aggressively markets itself.
• Maine SBDC is resolute to process management and as such thinks with a whole systems view.
• Maine SBDC is resolute to benchmarking and as such frequently compares itself to other state SBDCs and other organizations from which it can learn.
• Maine SBDC is resolute to quality, entrusting itself to the high standards of accreditation by the ASBDC, financial review of the SBA, and criteria challenges of the Baldrige National Quality Program.
• Maine SBDC is resolute to a leadership role as it relates to helping Maine's small businesses succeed and as such is a conductor and a catalyst to that end.

Long Term Goal:

The Long Term Goal of the Maine Small Business Centers is:

Within a sustainable and collaborative framework, the Maine SBDC be the most impactive, most responsive, and most highly regarded economic development/business assistance service provider to micro, small and technology-based businesses in and for the State of Maine.

Strategic Directions:

The strategic directions of the Maine Small Business Development Centers are to:

• Improve on what it is that the organization does. Engages in an ongoing, active examination of the who, what, where, how and, most importantly, why of the organization to produce a persistent and consistent improvement evolution toward positive result achievement.
• Become a process-oriented organization. Commonly develops mechanisms to offer a consistent, quality product/service/training delivery in all regions of the state, rural or otherwise.
• Become "e" driven. Recognizes digital destiny and opts into e-communication, e-counseling, e-training, e-learning, e-information, e-meetings, e-business, e-magination, e-…
• Increase access to technology for micro, small and technology-based business organizers.
• Marshals resources for technology transfer, resource attainment, and learning to help put micro and small business organizers on a reasonably level technological playing field.
• Brand the organization and create brand awareness. Clearly communicates identity, abilities, image, reputation and differentiation consistent with the organization's mission and focus; takes actions that reflect brand identity and reinforces brand recognition.
• Construct and maintain collaborative partnerships and networks. Enhances micro and small business growth and development through cooperate, coordinated and collaborated public and private relationships; increases business success capability by developing viable small business service provider association and business organizer access to each other.
• Open access to markets. Mobilizes activity directed toward micro and small business entrée into government, global and net markets.
• Increase self-sustainability. Develops additional resources that provide funding, staff, support or other assistance that fit the mission, focus and purposes of the organization.
• Become a learning organization. Continually increases organizational capacity, individually and collectively, to produce results, which are really cared about.
• Lead. Manages, guides, facilitates and inspires personal leadership awareness and development; creative, consensus, innovative and stylized leadership action; and teamwork to advance toward achievement of the organization's shared vision.

Memberships:

Association of Small Business Development Centers:
America’s Small Business Development Center Network
Your success is our business

Economic Development Council of Maine
Maine’s organization for professional economic developers

Maine Association of Professional Consultants
The leading resource for consulting expertise in Maine

Maine Business Works
Maine’s source for small business education resources

Maine Small Business Alliance
Raising the large voice of small business in Maine

Maine State Chamber of Commerce
The voice of Maine business

MicroNet MicroNet
Building awareness of microenterprise development in Maine