The world has changed. Our website has too.
Welcome to 19 new websites and a bold new look for the NorCal SBDC network!
Rebranding is no small task for any organization, but it’s also a great opportunity to refocus and recommit to the core mission. So why us and why now?
Over the last few years, the NorCal SBDC network has grown in scale and evolved into a dynamic, multifaceted, multilingual program – offering a range of innovative new services and programs for small businesses across multiple niche industries, including restaurants, technology, manufacturing, e-commerce and more.
This explosive growth resulted as a response to meet the increased needs of Northern California’s small businesses and communities. The Norcal SBDC Network is extremely proud to rank as the nation’s top-performing SBDC network in Capital Infusion (dollars invested into SBDC client businesses), assisting clients in accessing more than $513 million to client’s businesses.
Last year, the entire world took a giant step in a new direction. Many clients were forced to evolve their businesses to keep pace with the change – and we, as an SBDC network, also realized the demand for change.
Kristin Johnson, norcal SBDC program director
This year the Norcal SBDC leadership team pivoted service delivery tactics to better meet the needs of minority and underserved businesses responding to COVID-19. The Inclusivity Project provides better outreach to Black and African American-owned businesses and is actively focused on bringing wrap-around services and workshops to meet their specific needs.
In short, the SBDC has been very busy and needed to upgrade its websites to better communicate service offerings and make it easier for entrepreneurs to access services. The website evolution reflects the SBDCs progress and highlights SBDC talent, services, and client achievements better. The Norcal SBDC Marketing team set out to reimagine the websites — and to dream big.
After many network surveys and a careful study of Google Analytics, the team had a good idea of how to prioritize the new sites. The mission was three-fold:
- Improve the user experience
- Keep clients, partners, and stakeholders in mind every step of the way
- Streamline the signup process to be as easy as possible.
The website’s new user interface aims to be easy-to-navigate, and provide an intuitive layout for well-organized, informative content and clear call-to-actions. The intent was also to simplify for entrepreneurs who were serious about starting their first business – or growing their existing business – to sign up for SBDC services. The new sign-up process is straightforward and gets right down to business. Our Programming team has been busy creating a convenient, on-demand business training library found on our new webinar library. And we designed it to be mobile-friendly too. The team is proud to share its story as an SBDC network and what makes the region served so special on a new page called Our Region.
We’re excited to now share our new website with our clients, partners, and entrepreneurs throughout the region. Let us know if you have any questions!
Before you go, check out all 18 of the new Service Center websites, on the new Find Your SBDC page.
