The Florida Small Business Development Center Network (FSBDCN) helps businesses start, grow and succeed, and is the only statewide organization that offers small business assistance. It boasts an infrastructure of 36 centers that are supported by 60 circuit-rider locations strategically placed to benefit Florida's business community. The Florida SBDC model, one of the original eight funded by the SBA in 1976, has become Florida's largest statewide service provider to entrepreneurs.

Partnered with universities, colleges, economic development organizations, chambers and others dedicated to Florida's economic prosperity, the Network successfully links higher education resources, professional mentors and certified business analysts with businesses offering training, confidential counseling and research information.

On average, these efforts help entrepreneurs annually create/retain 11,000 jobs; win contract awards worth $270 million; acquire $120 million in capital; and increase sales by $125 million, producing millions in tax revenue for Florida.

The Network also developed specialized programming over the years to better meet the needs of its clients. The Network's Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) program offers procurement specialists ready to make the process of selling to the government easy by helping clients from start to finish in dealing with policies and procedures.

Or you might be interested in seeking advice on risk management or knowing about available resources following a disaster. The Business Continuity and Risk Management (BCRM) program, added in 2006, serves as this very resource. Key features of the BCRM are the two MACs - Mobile Assistance Centers - that stand ready to quickly enter a disaster area (such as a Florida region that has been devastated by a hurricane) to assist businesses in post disaster operation. Once the MACs are deployed, they are immediately operational with a self-contained office and sleeping quarters for the FSBDCN consultants.

For businesses interested in innovative commercialization, the Network has a Business Technology Commercialization (BTC) program that is designed to support new and expanding businesses engaged in the commercialization of innovative products and processes. Two other specialized programs, Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC) and Defense Economic Transition Assistance (DETA), provide management and technical transition assistance for military Vets and their dependents.

Of course, the Network helped to develop the Small Business Resource Network (SBRN), which, through partnerships with local business and service professionals, serves as an extension of the core SBDC program with a more detailed locus on growth and expansion.

The Florida SBDC Network receives no state funding and the baseline budget that supports all FSBDCN efforts has not increased in 10 years. Yet FSBDCN provides an excellent return on investment for Florida's taxpayers. A new business is opened in Florida by an SBDC client every 15 hours; a new job is created every hour; $15,911 in sales growth is generated by clients every hour; $15.543 in capital is secured every hour; and $54,257 in contract awards are obtained by clients every hour. Perhaps the most notable figure however, is that 92% of SBDC clients surveyed annually indicated they were pleased with their assistance and would recommend the FSBDC to others. A satisfied and successful FSBDCN customer represents an increase in revenue for Florida and an opportunity for that client to realize the American Dream.