Rotarian Kyra Solomon introduced Mr. Donald Lamar, of the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center, as our speaker. Donald is a business consultant within a 17-center system, seven of which have offices co-located within universities that are a part of the University System of Georgia, including Donald’s office. Since 1977, the SBDC network of partners has helped construct what Donald called a statewide ecosystem to foster the spirit, support, and success of hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs and innovators. Its mission is to enhance the economic well being of Georgians by providing a wide range of educational services for small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs. The SBDC has as its vision to be THE trusted resource for transforming Georgia businesses. It wants to be known as valuing honesty and integrity above all else. These values apply to everyone with whom the SBDC interacts so it earns the respect of clients and stakeholders as “trusted advisors.” Anchoring this is the quality of services that show competency, knowledge, and professionalism of the SBDC team. Donald emphasized lifelong learning for all its clients. Donald presented an extensive array of support programs available to consumers who are seeking advice on many topics that all businesses need … to get started, to grow, and to mature and then to consider other options going forward. The SBDC of UGA is “powered” by the U.S. Government’s Small Business Administration, which is the entity used by the U.S. Congress and the Trump Administration in its $2T+ emergency cash intervention program called the CARES Act. Donald emphasized the SBDC as a taxpayer supported enterprise. Accessing the SBDC begins with a phone call to the Center and setting a meeting (in-person or virtual) with a consultant, such as Donald. One then describes the details of his/her business. Eventually, the client will be asked to present some type of a business plan which shows purpose, plans, structure, the roles of persons in the business, and ways of showing accountability – the SBDC helps clients create these plans. To strengthen the plan the SBDC furnishes access to market research on all types of businesses, probably including almost exactly what the new client wants to do, and provides access to research and data bases. SBDC – and specifically Donald’s and his team’s services - are now provided at no cost for a limited time because of COVID-19. Myrna Anderson Fuller, a leader within the West End Merchants Coalition, noted that many of WEMC members are not as prepared to be successful as they need to be, and asked if these types of businesses could be served by the SBDC? Donald said the SBDC normally meets with a client to determine what the client wants to do, how the client can become competitive and discuss trouble-shooting, including finding the dollars needed to stay in business. The SBDC does not fund businesses but does offer advice on what it tales to make successful presentations and applications to prospective funders, including to the SBA. Regarding entrepreneurs, Donald echoed Dr. Victoria Seals who said it is hard to go from being a hobby to becoming a successful business. He said every entrepreneur needs to answer YES to two questions: (1) are you willing to sacrifice to be successful?, and (2) are you willing to deal with weaknesses and be open to form some kind of a partnership with another person or business? Donald said, “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” Donald noted the SBDC provides direction on almost every imaginable issue that a business faces. He noted one common topic centers on the forgiveness of PPP loans obtained through the CARES Act. He mentioned that most receiving these loans thought them to be almost automatically forgivable, but Donald cautioned otherwise. Again, the SBDC can advise businesses on how to navigate the processes with the SBA and their bankers through whom the PPP loans were obtained.