Priority Ranking	Topic	Sub-topic
	Starting Your Business	Selecting the Appropriate Legal Structure for your Business Following Basic Licensing Requirements and Start-up Regulations
	Market Research	Learning How to Track Market Trends and Assess Demand Accessing and Using Demographic and Industry Research Conducting Feasibility Studies
	Business Plans	Writing the Business Plan Defining the Mission and Creating the Vision
	Marketing Strategies	Assessing your Competition and Claiming your Market Position Strategizing promotional and advertising campaigns Pricing: Optimizing Profit Margins and Sales Volume Surviving Economic Downturns and Market Slowdowns
	Financing Your Business	Developing Sales Assumptions and Cash Flow Projections Funding Resources and Requirements Where Do I Go? Debt and Equity financing
	Legal Issues, Risk Management, and Taxes	Using Negotiations and Contracts Protecting Intellectual Properties, Patents, Trademarks, etc. Managing risk and protecting assets
	Managing Company Finances	Organizing Basic Accounting Systems and Record Keeping Understanding Financial Statements Conducting financial analysis
	Human Resource Management	Developing Employee Policies, Procedures and Relationships Finding Human Resource Solutions: In-house or Outsourced?
	Leveraging Technology	What About e-commerce? Learning the Basics of Web Site Development Choosing the Right Computer Software and Business Solutions
	Growth and Exit Strategies	Assessing Opportunities for Merger, Acquisitions, Franchises, etc Exit strategies: Business Valuations, Succession Planning, etc

Priority
Ranking

Topic

Sub-topic

Starting Your Business

Selecting the Appropriate Legal Structure for your Business
Following Basic Licensing Requirements and Start-up Regulations

Market Research

Learning How to Track Market Trends and Assess Demand
Accessing and Using Demographic and Industry Research
Conducting Feasibility Studies

Business Plans

Writing the Business Plan
Defining the Mission and Creating the Vision

Marketing Strategies

Assessing your Competition and Claiming your Market Position
Strategizing promotional and advertising campaigns
Pricing: Optimizing Profit Margins and Sales Volume
Surviving Economic Downturns and Market Slowdowns

Financing Your Business

Developing Sales Assumptions and Cash Flow Projections
Funding Resources and Requirements
Where Do I Go? Debt and Equity financing

Legal Issues, Risk Management, and Taxes

Using Negotiations and Contracts
Protecting Intellectual Properties, Patents, Trademarks, etc.
Managing risk and protecting assets

Managing Company Finances

Organizing Basic Accounting Systems and Record Keeping
Understanding Financial Statements
Conducting financial analysis

Human Resource Management

Developing Employee Policies, Procedures and Relationships
Finding Human Resource Solutions: In-house or Outsourced?

Leveraging Technology

What About e-commerce?
Learning the Basics of Web Site Development
Choosing the Right Computer Software and Business Solutions

Growth and Exit Strategies

Assessing Opportunities for Merger, Acquisitions, Franchises, etc
Exit strategies: Business Valuations, Succession Planning, etc

1. What other information will help your SBDC counselor to better understand you and your business in order to assist you in meeting the needs you've identified?

2. What are your expectations regarding the assistance you will receive from the SBDC program?

Name:	E-mail:
Address:	Phone:
OVERVIEW: The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) can help you with many aspects of your business. This document lists specific topics where SBDC counseling and training may be beneficial. When completed, it will serve as an assessment of needs and provide the basis for a plan of action addressing critical issues for your business development. INSTRUCTIONS: Rank in priority order (1 - 10, with ´1´ being ´most critical´ and ´10´ as ´not a challenge´) the topics for which you´re seeking assistance. Then check the box of each sub-topic for which you are seeking specific assistance.