Suddenly, my business plan didn't fit,'' says Crinnian. This time, she turned to Maricopa Community College's Small Business Development Center in Phoenix for help refocusing her five-person company. At no charge, Crinnian met weekly for six months with her counselor, who helped her revamp her business plan and taught her how to bargain with distributors and software manufacturers. Thanks to the free advice, she's bringing in about three new clients a month, up from just one a month, or less, two years ago. Community colleges also can help with retraining, a key concern in today's tight labor market.
Programs often address specific local industry problems.
Quinnebaug Community-Technical College in Danielson, Conn., for example, worked with local plastics manufacturers to create courses any single company would have found too expensive. Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio, has teamed up with the University of Dayton to form the Advanced Integrated Manufacturing Center. The thing I really liked was that they treated me like a customer,'' says David W. Dysinger, chairman and chief executive for Dysinger Inc., a 92-employee precision toolmaker in Dayton. Unfortunately, there's no central clearinghouse for colleges and programs that can help small business. You'll need to scout around a little to find what's most convenient and suitable.