By Darlene Brace
The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in Jamestown is in the Carnahan Building of the Jamestown Community College Campus, located at 525 Falconer Street. The director of the Jamestown SBDC is Courtney Curatolo. Courtney Curatolo stated that the Jamestown SBDC opened in 1986, and that it assists small business owners in Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, and Allegheny counties. She went on to say that since 1986, it has helped over 12,700 businesses, has brought in over $171 million dollars into the area economy, and has helped to create and/or save over 9000 jobs.
The Jamestown SBDC have a trained, experienced, and knowledgeable staff that will provide one on one expert counseling and training. The basic premise of the SBDC is to assist new business owners with startup information, as well as helping existing businesses to grow and develop. They can assist small business owners with financial planning, cost analysis, marketing, the use of social media, permits and licensing, and rules and regulations. All the services are free and are kept confidential.
In addition to the Jamestown location, there are two satellite offices located in Olean and Dunkirk. An appointment for the Jamestown SBDC is appreciated, and it is required for the satellite offices.
Currently, the Jamestown SBDC is offering their Financial Literacy Series, and these are free to the public. Each session will be held on a Wednesday in the Carnahan Building at the Jamestown Community College campus from 10am-11:30am. You can register for them on the SBDC website. There are five sessions left in 2023:
- October 18-Budgeting –monthly income and expenses budgeting, your financial debts, assets and goals
- November 1 Making Budget Work- setting goals, discretionary income, the 50/30/20 budget rule
- November 15 Identity Theft – identity theft scams, red flags, protecting yourself against identity theft
- November 29 Mortgages – applying for a mortgage, calculating down payments, budgets, preapprovals
- December 13 Retirement- planning and setting goals, and different types of plans that are available
Also on the Jamestown SBDC website, there is a tab called Online Business Academy. The Online Business Academy consists of other courses that are available. Some of the courses are Entrepreneurship Essentials, Social Media Marketing, and Basic Financing. Some of the courses are free and some have a fee. Examples of other resources on the website are the Business Basics Start -Up Guide and the SBA’s Small Business Guide of WNY. On the website, there is also a registration form to fill out, if you want to receive the SBDC’s newsletter.
There is another tab on the Jamestown SBDC website titled, “Women in Networking” (WIN). The WIN program is provided by the Jamestown SBDC, to help and encourage women in the small business world. The WIN meetings are open to any local women that are interested in gaining information. These meeting occur the second Thursday of every month from 11:30am-1pm, in the JCC Carnahan Building, and a lunch is provided. Each month these meetings have a different topic and presenter. The next WIN meeting will be on October 12th and the topic will be Estate Planning Issues. After the presentation, there is usually time for questions and answers, as well as for networking. There is a registration form to complete online, along with a 15$ registration fee to participate.
The Jamestown SBDC is a great resource for local small business owners. If you are interested in finding out more information about the Jamestown SBDC, there are several ways to do so. The easiest way to find information would be to go on their website sbdcjcc.org. You can also email them at sbdc@mail.sunyjcc.edu or call 716-338-1024. Information can also be found on their Facebook page called NYS Small Business Development Center at JCC.