Oakland County - Small Business 2010 Scorecard
 | Does Oakland County have support services for its small business community? |
Yes, it does through the Oakland County Business Center which focuses on assisting small for profit businesses. Ninety eight (98) percent of all businesses in Oakland County are defined as small businesses employing fewer than 500 people. The Oakland County Business Center has been helping people start, manage and grow their small businesses since 1985.
| | Does Oakland County fund the Oakland County Business Center? |
Yes, funding is primarily from the Oakland County general fund but is supplemented by federal and state funds. Up until October 13, 2009 the Oakland County Business Center was a standalone entity and funded strictly through the Oakland County general fund. Effective October 14, 2009 when it joined the Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center (MI-SBTDC) network it started receiving additional funding indirectly through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and the Small Business Administration (SBA). Funds have provided for additional consultants and continuing education during a period when Oakland County has experienced a hiring and wage freeze.
The Oakland County Business Center (MI-SBTDC) is now an integral part of Michigan's most comprehensive small business assistance network.
| | Do the types of services the Oakland County Business Center provides to its small businesses compliment and enhance what they can find in the private sector? |
Most definitely and in many instances superior even though we do not compete with the private sector. The Oakland County Business Center staff consultants are mainly recruited from the private sector and have hands on small business experience and varied functional expertise including brand management, marketing, finance, human resources and accounting. The three core business services we offer are customized business counseling/coaching, education and referral services. The business counseling/coaching services are no charge because they are covered by tax payer funds. Our workshops range from low cost to no cost with collected funds going toward defraying the cost of materials, food and beverages, subject matter experts who teach the workshops and other workshop related items. The referral services involve referrals to other Oakland County business service departments including our One Stop Shop, Business Finance Corporation, Oakland County Microloan program, Market Research, Workforce Development and Purchasing departments. External referrals go to external service providers such as lenders, business attorneys and other related advisory service providers.
Experienced business consultants are available by appointment to help clients refine their business and/or marketing plans, financial management strategies including cash flow budgeting and loan preparation. These consultants are also available to discuss other business related concerns. Small for profit businesses interested in this no charge confidential service, can engage us by completing our online request for counseling.
In addition to business counseling and training services, the Oakland County Business Center offers a variety of business planning tools on its website. Examples include SBA format monthly cash flow projection templates, marketing and business plan formats.
During a recent one year period, the MI-SBTDC held 1,408 counseling sessions with Oakland County entrepreneurs totaling over 2,471 hours.
| | Is Oakland County proactively working to inform small businesses about the services available through the County? |
Yes! We are rapidly changing this fact through increased awareness and collaboration with a number of different Oakland County partner organizations, social media vehicles and especially through the Business Assistance Team (BAT) concept. The BAT is an Oakland County initiative that dates back to 2003 and is modeled after an SBA program promoted along the Woodward corridor. The BAT involves a group of experienced volunteer members who help existing businesses resolve issues and generate new ideas.
BATs are coordinated visits to small business owners in Oakland County communities. The group members include an Oakland County Business Consultant, Banker, Chamber of Commerce, City, Downtown Development Authority and Service Corp of Retired Executives (SCORE) personnel. As a small business owner you should contact one of the aforementioned stakeholder groups in your community to encourage them to set one up.
| | Is workshop attendance down, stable or up from previous years? |
In 2010, a total of 75 small business workshops were held attracting 1,188 attendees. 2010 workshop attendance is up four (4) percent over the previous year despite a fifty two (52) percent decline between May and September 2010 as a result of construction on Telegraph road. Even more impressive is workshop attendance has increased one hundred and fifty one (151) percent since 2007 and the number of workshops have also increased. Our workshops are educational in nature and cover topics from pre-business research, how to start your business, how to write your business plan, the fundamentals of marketing to how to prepare for a lender. Our workshops serve as an efficient way to reach a larger audience and educate them prior to meeting one-on-one.
Our small business workshops have been gaining momentum and January, April and October captured the highest number of class attendees for the year ending December 31, 2010. (Refer to the chart below).
