“Show me the Money,” a phrase made famous in the movie Jerry Maguire, could easily describe an upcoming class for small business owners.
Registration is open for “Unlocking Capital: An Owner’s Guide to Funding a Small Business,” sponsored by the UGA Small Business Development Center (UGA SBDC) in Augusta.
Program coordinator Shelby Carl told ABD that this class is specifically for small business owners and entrepreneurs who are trying to understand different funding options.
“Especially for anyone who’s considering approaching the bank, but they don’t know exactly what type of loan type that they should be pursuing or how they should be preparing,” she said. “It goes through different types of loans, traditional funding. People who come in with a solution of, ‘Oh, I think I can make this happen this way or get this funding that way.’ We kind of help these people see the reality with this class.”
The class will be led by Brent Skelley, a UGA SBDC business advisor who works with the offices in Augusta and Athens.
“The reason why we do it is because we’re in contact with banks. We’re in contact with different community partners,” explained Carl. “This is just some steady feedback we have and questions we get from a call-in process. One thing that people call and ask about all the time is small business funding.
The course will explain the assorted types of funding options that are available, from SBA guaranteed loans to traditional bank loans. There will also be information about non-traditional funding sources, such as equity, and little-known specialty lending programs.
The goal is to teach attendees the financial management strategies that are available. It will help them think like a lender and take steps to guarantee they are ready to meet with a lender. They will leave the session with tangible reminders of the lessons taught.
“If you attend the class, we’ll send you an email with a PDF of the presentation and any resources afterwards,” said Carl. “We tend to be pretty prepared with any pamphlets, and anything read will have a couple of handouts just to have in-person examples.”
Topics will include:
- Evaluate the various types of financing available for small businesses
- Determine the advantages and disadvantages of the different forms of capital as it relates to your business
- Implement financial management best practices
- Create the BIG three financial statements and analyze them from a lender’s perspective
- Become familiar with Georgia’s State Small Business Credit Initiative lending programs
Carl said this class is one of many topics offered by the Augusta office. Locating a funding source or helping to market a business are just two of the offerings.
“If you’re looking into selling your business or purchasing a business, we assist with that. If you come to us and you’re thinking about purchasing a business in this county, we can help you analyze the market to see what the best next step and what the best approach is,” she said. “It really depends on the needs of individual business owners. We also help with team building and team training.”
The class will be on April 27 from 9:00-11:00 a.m. It will be at the UGA SBDC office at 2907 Professional Parkway in Augusta. There is no charge to attend.
More information and registration are at https://georgiasbdc.org/training-program/
That webpage also lists all the other upcoming events.
