Technical Assistance

Business services refers to the support your organization offers to your small business customers. It is often called business advising/coaching/ consulting or technical assistance. It is the process of providing targeted support to an entrepreneur to strengthen their business skills around marketing, management or money.

For mission driven organizations, these services are critical to the success of your clients and borrowers. It also serves an important role in a lender's risk mitigation strategy.

Initiate subscribers include:

Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs)

Small Business Development Centers use Initiate to provide deliver professional, high quality, individualized business advising and technical assistance to existing small businesses and pre-venture entrepreneurs.

Are you a SBDC in need of TA curriculum?

For more information on SBDCs, click here.

Certified Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs)

CDFIs use the Initiate platform to fulfill the “Development Services” requirement to obtain certification.

An eligible Development Service is a formal structured training, counseling, or technical assistance service that promotes access to and/or success with an entity’s Financial Products.

Are you a certified CDFI in need of a Development Services curriculum?

For more information on CDFI Certification, click here.

SSBCI Program Participants

SSBCI Program Participants use the Initiate platform to provide TA to small businesses and empower them to access capital needed to invest in job-creating opportunities. SSBCI includes services to socially and economically disadvantaged individual (SEDI) - owned businesses.

Do you want to learn more about how the platform supports underserved populations?

For more information on the SSBCI Program in your state, click here.

SBA Microloan Lenders

SBA Microlenders use the Initiate platform to provide TA to their micro entrepreneurs. In fact, Intermediaries are eligible to receive a Microloan Technical Assistance grant of not more than 25% of their total outstanding balance of loans made to provide TA services.

Are you a SBA microlender and unsure how to utilize Initiate as a part of your TA Grant?

For more information on the SBA Microloan Program, click here.

Schedule a brief call here to find out more about Initiate.

What Does Using Initiate Look Like in Practice?

This will vary based on an organization’s staff structure, roles and capacity. Which scenario would work for your organization?

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Initiate has been a great tool for our technical assistance program. We send clients curated content based on their needs which reinforces concepts we covered during our coaching sessions. Best of all, as a bilingual business coach, I can pull from content in English and Spanish!