SEISBDC Launches Two Initiatives To Help Local Businesses

These funds allow us to partner local brick and mortar businesses with local marketing and bookkeeping firms to help everyone move past this challenging time.

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(New Albany, Ind.) – Southeast Indiana Small Business Development Center (ISBDC) launched two initiatives to assist local businesses affected by COVID-19.

The objective of these initiatives is to assist local, brick, and mortar businesses in bettering their digital marketing or bookkeeping efforts as part of their COVID-19 recovery process. This will be accomplished through a time and material contract between Southeast ISBDC, an approved local small business, and one pre-approved, local digital marketing or bookkeeping vendor.

The Southeast Region of the ISBDC (Indiana Small Business Development Center), based out of New Albany with additional offices in Columbus and Lawrenceburg, is launching two initiatives to assist local small businesses in their relaunch and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and economic shut-down.

Approved small businesses will receive up to 3 months of digital marketing assistance or bookkeeping assistance provided by the local vendors and paid for via CARES Act funding that was awarded to the Southeast ISBDC. Assistance could include website development; social media development and management; SEO; video creation; QuickBooks set-up or clean-up; and training for the business owner or an employee.

“We are excited to be able to utilize CARES Act dollars solely at the local level. These funds allow us to partner local brick and mortar businesses with local marketing and bookkeeping firms to help everyone move past this challenging time,” said Kari Johnson, Regional Director of the Southeast ISBDC.

For more information, contact the Southeast ISBDC at (812) 952-9765 or southeast@isbdc.org.

Qualifications for consideration:

1. Business must have been registered with the Indiana Secretary of State, and be in good standing, by January 1, 2020.
2. Business headquarters must be located in one of the following counties: Bartholomew, Clark, Dearborn, Decatur, Floyd, Franklin, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Ohio, Ripley, Scott, Switzerland.
3. Business must fit within the SBA’s definition of a small business in their respective industry.
4. Business must be an active client of the Southeast Indiana Small Business Development Center. (One can become an active client by completing a required SBA Questionnaire (Form 641) and have at least 1 formal meeting with a Southeast ISBDC Advisor.
5. Business must be able to show a negative impact to their business operations and revenue due to COVID-19.
6. Business must agree to participate in continued counseling and data collection with the Southeast ISBDC for a minimum of 1 year following the completion of the initiative.
7. Business must not currently be using a marketing service or regular bookkeeper.
8. Business owner must commit to an on-going marketing or bookkeeping effort after the completion of the initiative.

Process for consideration:

1. Small Business completes and signs the SBA Questionnaire (Form 641) to become a client of the Southeast ISBDC and meets with a Southeast ISBDC advisor.
2. Small Business Owner completes either application for digital marketing assistance or bookkeeping assistance and submits an application to their ISBDC advisor for approval.
3. Upon approval, Southeast ISBDC Regional Director or Business Advisor will contact an approved Digital Marketing vendor to discuss basic client needs and exchange information.
4. Client will meet with their assigned vendor for initial consult and planning.

These initiatives will be executed on a first-come, first-served basis and will continue until the grant funding is fully extinguished.