YOUR INVESTMENT MATTERS.
Our region’s small businesses count on SBDC resources to start, grow, and sustain their businesses. In turn, providing a strong economic impact and building the communities we live in.
Sponsor Opportunities
We proudly offer presenting, supporting, and pay-it-forward sponsorships ranging from $50 - $10,000 so that our region’s organizations can directly impact the success of small businesses while also engaging with business owners and providing community support. These sponsorships are matched 1:1 by our cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. The dollars are allocated to operating our Roanoke Regional SBDC and offering free services to all business owners.
We reach over 17,000 future and existing business owners in the Roanoke and New River Valleys, and Alleghany Highlands.
Evergreen Programs
Programs are our #1 engaging method of training that invites entrepreneurs to learn and connect, together. We offer a variety of delivery methods to meet the busy demands of business owners and meet them where they are in their business journey.
Digital Content
Collaborations give us an opportunity to provide expertise from our local business community straight to small business owners. Our talented team will work with you to develop valuable content for our audience that gets your services and products front and center and serves the unmet needs of small business owners.
Events and Training
Events include workshops, social media content, blog content, in-person and virtual get-togethers, and other learning opportunities so that we meet a wide range of schedules, learning styles, and audience segments.
Operations + Services
Smooth technology-driven operations are what enable us to meet the needs of our region's small businesses. Our clients interface with us using tools that they can implement in their own business, making every interaction with us, a learning experience.
PAY-IT-FORWARD
Our Pay-It-Forward program provides an opportunity to directly fund advising hours for up to 20 entrepreneurs and website builds for up to 5 entrepreneurs.
A WORD FROM OUR DIRECTOR
Hello, fellow small business champions,
Thank you for being here. Our small business community is facing its biggest challenge right now, and we appreciate your interest more than ever. Nearly half of business owners don’t have the financial reserves to last more than a few weeks, and more than a quarter are unprofitable. While at the same time, other small businesses are thriving and expanding and many starting through pandemic adversity.
Our job as professional business advisors is to meet entrepreneurs where they are, confidentially and judgement-free. We excel at this in the Roanoke Regional office and have become the sought-after resource for all things business. Whether it’s providing a second opinion, researching, planning, connecting, teaching, providing technical resources, and often times just listening, we are their go-to. Having a professional advisor on your team can make the difference between a closed business and a growing business. And we are here to ensure the businesses who seek our services build lasting foundations, manage optimally, and grow strategically.
But, we can’t do this work without your support. Our operating budget depends on 30% corporate sponsorships from the community. We seek to be good stewards of our funds and ensure that we are creative and savvy with technology so that we can serve at the highest value for the lowest cost. We also want to bring your expertise and community standing to our entrepreneurs so that they know we are all in this together. Providing resources that otherwise they would not have access to.
We reach over 17,000 entrepreneurs in the region but we do a happy dance every time 1 benefits from our assistance. I hope you’ll help us elevate our voice, services, and impact through a sponsorship. If you’d like to talk more about the opportunities we have planned for 2022, please download our Sponsor Guide and reach out.
Amanda Forrester | Regional Director, RRSBDC
The RRSBDC is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration and supported by America’s SBDC, Virginia SBDC, George Mason University, and Mason Enterprise. Pandemic-related capacity building grant funding by Go Virginia. Other funding is provided by local administrations, economic development offices, organizations, and businesses that are all champions in your corner. Thank you to our host, the Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce for providing space and support for our work.
We currently serve the Roanoke Valley, Franklin County, Alleghany Highlands, and New River Valley.
