Reimagining Main Street

Michael Hurley and Tricia (Satya) opened the Cup of Life Healing Center in 2014 in rural Keene, NH. The Center provides patient-centered, holistic healthcare. They focus on women's health, chronic conditions, and mood energy healing. After years of running their business and trying to wear all the hats, Michael and Satya reached out for help from NH SBDC. “No matter what aspect we talk with him about, our advisor has a highly effective way of helping us break down and prioritize our next steps. He always knows precisely which additional resources to connect us with – such as co-advisors with specific expertise and other SBDC programs or grants. We feel as if we can do just about anything with the fantastic support of SBDC advising.”

For 38 years, NH SBDC has proudly supported entrepreneurs from every walk of life, but we know we can do more. Through our Inclusivity Commitment, we work with Community Navigator Liaisons to enhance partnerships with community leaders and build authentic relationships with BIPOC clients. We adapted our client intake process to create a safe and trusted way for prospective clients to meet with our advisors. We created new DEI business workshops and eCourses and provided hours of staff training.

SBDC partnered with UNHInnovation, the University of New Hampshire's commercialization accelerator program, to present the 3-part workshop series Turning Your Innovation into a Business. The series is designed for inventors, engineers, and developers with brilliant ideas to turn into a business, commercialize, or do additional R&D with an SBIR/STTR. Topics presented by SBDC advisors were Getting from Idea to Business and Generating Revenue Beyond SBIR/STTR. A U.S. Patent and Trademark Office representative presented Patenting Apps and Software:  U.S. Patent Practice. In addition, UNHI received a FAST grant for their FOSTER program, and SBDC advisors worked with joint clients to submit successful SBIR proposals.

In partnership with the State of NH's Office of International Commerce, NH SBDC is proud to have released three eCourses on exporting:  Expanding Your Business through Exporting, Exporting 101 – Compliance Considerations, and Exporting 101 – Market Considerations. All of NH SBDC's eCourses are free, available 24/7, and are approximately 15 minutes long. They are available at https://www.nhsbdc.org/education/ecourses.

NH SBDC is pleased to be designated the preferred business advising agency for the NH Tech Alliance's tech company members. The two organizations have developed a partnership encompassing several aspects of supporting technology for businesses. For example, the Cybersecurity Initiative offers resources, including recordings of webinars on various cybersecurity topics, SBDC's Cybersecurity for Small Businesses eCourse, and the Cybersecurity Workbook that is available for download. In 2022 we offered Cybersecurity Reviews, a program that encouraged businesses to meet with our external cybersecurity experts to review their current and future needs for remaining cyber secure.

Clients received 1,200 hours of finance, marketing marketing & legal services from external consultants via NH SBDC's Financial Accelerator Marketing Expediter (FAME) program

“They told me to create a program that will bring kids back to their families, to bring peace and happiness to their families. Their dream was fading, so I wanted to rekindle it, to spark it.” Geraldine Kirega started Spark the Dream, a non-profit, as a before and after-school care program to help immigrant and refugee children and families integrate into the American culture smoothly, using principles rooted in Africa. In need of funding, Geraldine reached out to NH SBDC. Andrea helped her to get Spark the Dream more organized. They created a business plan and a cash flow chart and applied for and received EIDL and PPP funds. “If I need something, I ask Andrea. She helps me. She's so well connected, I'm gonna stick to her like a tick.”