The Business Development Center (BDC) at Old Dominion University is currently reaching out to Commonwealth of Virginia organizations and agencies, exploring opportunities on how existing programs or new programs could jointly be created to augment local Small Business.
BDC helps Virginia entrepreneurs and businesses develop and grow their businesses. BDC provides no cost personalized business advising services, training workshops, mentoring, and adaptive general support. Serving small, mid, and large businesses across a wide range of venture stages, from new businesses to existing businesses looking to scale. Additionally, the BDC can help those interested in qualifying for and obtaining state and federal government contracts.
Services include:
- Business Consulting
- Business establishment and start-up assistance
- Opportunity identification
- Product and service needs assessment
- Technical Assistance
- Registration and certification support for state and federal government contracting opportunities
- Matchmaking between Prime contractors and Small Business contractors
- Access to the programs and resources of the Old Dominion University Institute for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (ODU-IIE)
The Business of Art
The Business of Art is part of the Business Development Center that specializes in helping creatives discover how to turn artistic talents into a successful enterprise.
Whether you are a painter, crafter, or any other type of maker, this program is for you! Register and work with our consultants to find out how to balance your creative side with practical business savvy.
Examples of ideas and direction include:
- Starting or scaling your business
- Conducting market research
- Building your online presence through websites
- Marketing your products and services
- Exploring government contracting and other revenue streams
- Obtaining certifications and more
Entrepreneur Certification Program
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
To meet the challenges facing anyone starting or thinking about starting a business the Business Development Center at Old Dominion University (BDC) has created an online, on-demand Entrepreneur Certification Program (ECP).
The program is comprised of:
- An initial online orientation session.
- 9 online training sessions that can be viewed at the convenience of the participant.
- Up to 20 hours of individual mentoring/coaching with a business professional that can be done either in person or online.
The program is customizable whereby additional online sessions can be assigned to address the specific business needs of each participant. For example, contracting with the Government, Manufacturing, The Business of Art, Selling Online, Retail Stores, etc.
ONLINE ON-DEMAND COURSEWORK SESSION TOPICS
- Course Overview
- Define Your Idea
- Establish Your Value Proposition
- Validate your Customer Acquisition Strategy
- Create Your Marketing Strategy
- Leverage the Startup Sales Playbook
- Understand Startup Finance
- Develop Legal Strategies
- Discover Funding Options in Virginia
- Design Your Pitch Deck
On-demand coursework consists of training videos, downloadable course material, and links to additional resources.
No Cost ($2,000 Value)
Putting Business On the Road to Success
The Business Development Center provides insightful and innovative support to small business via the On The Road to Success video series.
In the first video of the series, Greg Tomchick, CEO of Valor Cybersecurity, joins us to discuss what every small-medium-sized contractor needs to do to stay competitive in government markets. Identifying and addressing cybersecurity threats and business requirements are not just for big government contractors.
