For Michele Abraham, new director of the Frank L. Roddy South Carolina Small Business Development Center, getting started on the right foot at her new office at the Moore School of Business on Monday wasn’t a problem.

It was dragging the other foot along that was a pain.
 

Michele Abraham, new director of the South Carolina Small Business Development Center. Courtesy Photo

“I’m nursing a broken foot right now, so I’m a little hobbled at the moment,” says Abraham, who comes to the Small Business Development Center after serving as the director for the Ohio SBDC since 2006. “But other than that, I’m excited to begin work and start helping small businesses.”

The SBDC, a statewide network of 16 offices that provides low-cost assistance to entrepreneurs and small-business owners, is housed in Columbia and financed primarily by the U.S. Small Business Association and by a consortium of four universities — the University of South Carolina, Clemson University, S.C. State University and Winthrop University.

Abraham, who also will work with the public, says she’s looking forward to working with students eager to get their start in business.

“There’s so much bright new talent that’s coming out into the marketplace, and by working with them we can help prevent brain-drain and get them excited about entrepreneurship,” Abraham says. “We want them to be able to see the opportunities that are here within the state and work as partners with them.

“Additionally, the students here can be used as resources by those looking to start small businesses,” Abraham says. “For instance, you might have a business that’s looking to branch out into new markets but you don’t know much about it. Here, you can have students come on board and help by doing research projects and coming up with recommendations; there’s no end to the opportunities for students to get practical experience as well as help businesses that can’t afford to hire expensive firms.”

Abraham says in a distressed economy, retaining and expanding small businesses is the best way to ensure a healthier economic future.

“With all the challenges of this economy, what we’re seeing is that a lot of people have been displaced or have taken early retirement and have some money in their pockets,” she says. “They’re saying it’s time to take control of their own destiny and are going off to start their own businesses.

“Our role is to help them do that, help them think through the decision to make sure it’s a good one, help them put together a business plan and help them be successful over the long haul.”

Abraham says her first task is to help maximize the number and quality of services offered by the SBDC.

“We need to make sure we’re obtaining and allocating resources as effectively as we can to provide the best possible service to small businesses,” Abraham says. “When we improve our efficiencies, we improve our program.”

Another key to long-term economic success is being there for existing businesses that may be experiencing rough times.

“We can help them look at how to run their business better, how to increase their own efficiencies, how to scale back if needed and how to better market their business,” she says. “If they’re a candidate for international trade, we can help them build that.

“If it’s a manufacturing company, we can help with green technologies and other types of technical support. We’ve seen a lot more existing businesses coming to us asking if we can help them survive and prosper in these times when it seems like things are going south for them.”

Under Abraham’s leadership, Ohio’s SBDC created or retained more than 50,000 jobs in 2008 and helped increase client sales by more than $124 million. A graduate of Bowling Green University, Abraham is familiar with Columbia, having worked for Eastman Kodak as a sales representative early in her career.

“I’m happy to be back,” Abraham says. “I can’t wait to get started.”

Broken foot and all.   


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