The Louisiana Small Business Development Center network announces its SBDC CARES Act initiative. SBDC CARES is a program that allows the Louisiana SBDC to expand its small business technical assistance service to specialty consulting for existing small business owners and entrepreneurs who were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
SBDC CARES stems from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act that was passed by Congress with bipartisan support and signed into law by President Trump on March 27, 2020. The CARES Act economic relief package allows the Louisiana SBDC to provide no-cost specialty consulting in the areas of financial management, e-commerce, web development, Cybersecurity, and HR management.
Louisiana SBDC State Director Carla Holland said they’ve spent the better part of 2020 assisting entrepreneurs with their core services, but the CARES Act funding allows them to work even closer with clients in specialized areas.
“We know COVID-19 has forced so many entrepreneurs to change how they do business, and change is often a challenge in itself,” Holland said. “We’re glad to be able to look at specific areas of the business operations and provide a specialty consultant to help overcome the challenges that came with the change.”
Since 1983, Louisiana SBDC has broadened economic opportunities in Louisiana and fostered successful entrepreneurs by offering high-quality consulting to existing and new small business owners at no cost. The organization also specializes in market research, growth acceleration, international trade, government contracting, and emergency preparedness.
The SBDC CARES Act initiative is designed to serve only existing small business owners in the state of Louisiana who were in business prior to March 2020. As part of the initiative, the Louisiana Small Business Development Center launched a statewide marketing campaign to bring awareness to the no-cost services provided.
“It’s so important that small business owners know that there is help available to them,” said DeRon Talley, LSBDC Director of Marketing & Communications. “We’ve strategically distributed information to increase our chances of being found by those entrepreneurs who need our services. They need to know help is here and it doesn’t cost them.”
The no-cost confidential consultation will be conducted virtually.
