Small business resources guide.

• Position: PLANNING GUIDE - Buyers guide

Whether you're an entrepreneur looking to get your business off the ground or the owner of a small business working to survive today's tough economy, Utah has numerous resources to guide your small business to success.

SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

According to the SBA, Utah has more than 236,000 small businesses. The SBA's Utah District Office offers a wealth of information and resources to strengthen those businesses and help more entrepreneurs get their businesses up and running.

During 2008 Utah's SBA office approved more than 3,000 loans, a record number for the office and a great win for the Beehive State, especially considering today's economy. In fact, the only SBA offices in the U.S. that, approved more loans than Utah were Los Angeles, New York and Chicago--pretty impressive. The SBA's total impact on Utah's economy during 2008 was $908.7 million, according to the Utah District Office's annual report.

SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTERS

Another resource for entrepreneurs is the Small Business Development. Center (SBDC). Created through a partnership between the SBA, the state of Utah and local educational institutions, the SBDC are regional offices that offer no-cost, individual business management counseling, low-cost training and information about, business to business owners and managers.

Utah's SBDCs serve individuals who want to learn what it takes to start a small business, those who are already in business and need help with a specific problem, and business owners looking to expand their companies through specialized training in fields such as accounting, marketing and human relations. Entrepreneurs can find low-cost help writing a business plan, planning an operations budget or other startup functions.

SERVICE CORPS OF RETIRED EXECUTIVES

The SBA also sponsors the Service Corp of Retired Executives (SCORE), an association that provides free business counseling from the valuable perspective of those who have successfully started and led organizations.

THE REGIONAL SBDC OFFICES IN UTAH ARE:

Blanding SBDC

Serving San Juan and Grand counties

College of Eastern Utah

San Juan Campus

639 W. 100 South

Blanding, UT 84511

435.678.8102

www.sjc.ceu.edu/sbdc

Cedar City SBDC

Serving Iron, Beaver and Garfield counties

Southern Utah University

77 N. Main Street

Cedar City, UT 84720

435.586.5497

www.suu.edu/business/sbd

Ephraim SBDC

Serving Millard, Juab, Sanpete, Sevier, Piute and Wayne counties

Snow College

345 W. 100 North

Ephraim, UT...