Lehigh is providing free services to local businesses fighting the fallout from coronavirus.
“The biggest concerns we have heard from business owners are, How will we pay our bills, Can we afford to re-open, How can we avoid laying off employees and Is there any assistance available?” said Brett Smith, director of the Lehigh University Small Business Development Center (SBDC).
As a partner in the Lehigh Valley community and one of Small Business Administration's resource partners, the Lehigh University Small Business Development Center is helping small and large business owners navigate the disruption in business and is working with them to remain successful.
The SBDC identified five areas that business owners should look into:
- Getting their financial, legal and insurance documents in order
- Talking to their banks about available options to weather the impact to their cash flow
- Negotiating with their suppliers and partners to ease the financial burden
- Using Pennsylvania Department of Labor as a resource for alternative employment options and unemployment information
- Following trusted resources for the most up-to-date, accurate information, including the local Small Business Development Center, the Small Business Administration and the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.
“Our expert team of professional consultants with over 100 combined years of industry experience are here to help you navigate your business through the pandemic,” said Smith. “We can help you plan to mitigate the risk from future disasters through revenue stream diversification, strategic planning and continuity planning.”
The center can help with Small Business Administration disaster financing and aid in othera pandemic-related challenges.
- Visit the website at sbdc.lehigh.edu to schedule a virtual meeting with an advisor
- Call 610-758-3980
- Email insbdc@lehigh.edu
Consulting sessions are no-cost, one-on-one and confidential.
The Small Business Development Center services Lehigh, Northampton, Bucks and Montgomery counties.
