UpDate - Vol. 14, No. 21, Page 8
February 23, 1995
Business center tells success stories of entrepreneurs

     I am writing to thank you for the assistance provided to me
     by  your  group at the Small Business Development Center at
     the  University of Delaware.. [It was} the most  timely and
     reliable source of business information. It was just what I
     needed  as I transitioned from large business management in
     DuPont to small business management on my own.

     The above letter from W. Barry Baker, president of Precision
Machine & Development Co. in Wilmington, is just one of many
expressions of appreciation received by the College of Business and
Economics' Small Business Development Center (SBDC).
     In fact, to encourage Delawareans to use its services, the center
has published a booklet, Success Stories, giving brief histories of
flourishing small businesses, and it features endorsements by owners
who have been assisted by the center.
     Small businesses are the core of the economy, with corporate
downsizing a reality in Delaware and across the nation, according to
Clinton Tymes, SBDC director. Some of the keys to success in running a
small business are experience, education, training and objective
advice to help entrepreneurs make informed decisions.
     Headquartered in the College of Business and Economics, with sub-
centers in Dover and Georgetown, the center offers a three-pronged
approach to assisting small businesses, according to Tymes.
     "We answer questions and offer information and literature on most
small business and management issues; we offer one-on-one, free
counseling; and we offer training and education programs at very low
cost. Our clients range from small business owners who wish to expand,
to those considering investing in a franchise, to those who have an
idea they want to turn into a reality by starting a business of their
own," Tymes said.
     Training courses range from "Starting Out in Business Basics,"
which is a foundation course offered monthly at the University and
other center locations throughout the state, to "Where's the Cash?"
and "Writing a Successful Business Plan."
     "Our goal is not to do things for our clients but to show them
how to do things for themselves-such as getting a license, applying
for loans, meeting government regulations, bookkeeping and accounting,
advertising and other business concerns," Tymes said.
     Honesty is the cornerstone of counseling at SBDC. "When we
counsel a client, we are frank and realistic," Tymes said. "Some of
our success stories are the untold stories where we have advised
people not to embark on their own businesses until they have more
experience or are up to speed, and we probably have saved them money
and disappointment."
     During the past year, SBDC has offered 109 seminars to 1,700
individuals and has counseled 582 clients (299 men, 182 women and 101
couples) for 2,100 hours. Personal service businesses, such as
consulting, which require less capital, are the most popular
enterprises, followed by retailing.
     The center is supported by the University, the Small Business
Administration, corporations, banks and the state of Delaware.
     One measure of SBDC's success is that the state has included the
center as a part of the Delaware Economic Development Office and has
increased its support in the past few years for more staff, especially
in Kent and Sussex counties.
     SBDC clients, in turn, help the state's economy. A 1993 survey of
SBDC clients showed that 401 new jobs were created, and that between
June 1993 and May 1994, $1,093,905 in net new tax revenues were
contributed to the state.
     The SBDC staff all have run small businesses of their own, so
they have firsthand experience in the field, Tymes pointed out.
     The University staff includes Barbara Necarsulmer, assistant
director; Tim Bristow, business analyst, John Osoinach, training
coordinator; and Rebecca Hardy, office coordinator.
                                                   -Sue Swyers Moncure