Frequently Asked Questions

Is there any cost for SBDC counseling services?

No.

Is the SBDC confidential?

Yes. The analysts must sign an ethics clause every year, pledging their confidentiality to their clients.

What are the SBDC's office hours?

The SBDC is open Monday - Friday, from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

May I visit the SBDC and consult an analyst during normal business hours?

No. You must call and set-up an appointment before you visit the SBDC. The Center is not set-up to handle pop-in clients.

I cannot visit the SBDC during normal business hours; what should I do?

Call the SBDC and speak with the staff.

If you are a member of a small business administration program, will you be making the loan decisions?

No. We have no lending funds or powers. We simply assist in the preparation of loan applications to local lenders.

Will you help direct me to a lender?

Yes. We do not recommend any single lender over another, but instead, we direct clients toward a number of potential funding sources.

I just have a few questions. Will you answer them over the phone?

No. We cannot provide telephone consultation to clients who have not provided us with a signed Request for Counseling Form.

Will you answer questions via e-mail?

No. Again, we must have a signed Request for Counseling Form on hand to work with a client. After we have received their completed forms, we work with clients through a variety of media.

I live outside of Seminole County; will you work with me?

We have a limited number of clients from other Central Florida counties and other states. We will first direct you toward the nearest program but will work with you, if you wish.

What is this incubator I keep hearing about?

Our office is located at the Seminole Technology Business Incubation Center, which houses technology-based start-up businesses with a range of fee- and non-fee-based services. For more information, visit the STBIC's Web site.

What are the National Grant Conferences?

Has anyone heard of National Grant Conferences? They say that for a fee of $600, the National Grant Conferences will find a grant for your business. Is this legitimate?

Below, you will find comments from SBDC counselors, regarding Matthew Lesko and the National Grant Conferences:

  • May 11, 2001:  "[The SBDC has] been to our town twice. They charge $10 at the door. Since we knew we would be getting a lot of calls, last year we attended. We were so angry at what we heard. They walk a very fine line on what they say as being legal. They never stopped for questions and never even stopped for a break. After about 3+ hours the sales pitch started, and man, was it heavy. For a special price that day you could join their network for a bargain price of $700 (usually $1,000). They accepted MasterCard and Visa and had payment terms available.

One of our clients paid the money and received the material. I looked at it before they returned it (within the 3-day grace period). It looks as if they have downloaded a lot of information from the Web and copied it. The information even listed our SBDC, with the phone number handwritten in. They really promote the use of local SBDC's and SCORE groups.

We contacted our Better Business Bureau and warned them when the show was coming to town the second year. They directed any calls they received to us. This is nothing but a scam and it was very sad to see people throwing away $700 of hard-earned money." - Jeannie Hilbers, director, Midwestern State University SBDC

  • May 9, 2001: "We attended their presentation in Rome, NY, last Friday night, May 4, 2001. It cost $10 for that privilege (dubious as it was). Their fee for services is about $799 initially and then $25 month, forever, if you choose. THEY ARE SLICK. We left after two hours. In that time, a man named Wilson mentioned one program and a few facts. All the rest was fill. He spoke for an hour and a half before he reached the point of why we were there: to buy a membership to the National Grants Conference. He made it clear up-front that it is against the law to guarantee funding to a client. He also emphasized that it is important to have a consultant. About an hour and a half into the presentation he started discussing using grant writers, attorneys and the NGC. According to him, grant writers are too expensive and that attorneys are important but also expensive; but the NGC is your best bet, and he is a member. Thus far, Sharon has had one client who attended the meeting but wasn't convinced enough to pay the membership fee. They did profess to a have booklet with 1500 programs, a massive database library and a counselor assigned to you." - Sam Russo, Sharon St. John, SBDC SUNYIT Utica Rome

"One of our consultants attended this seminar last year undercover. For the entire meeting, all that is said in 10,000 ways or more is that there is money out there, people aren't telling you about it and all you have to do is buy their book. The price on the book, by the way, is never the same amount. I have seen it go for $800. From what we can see, there is no more information in that book than there is in the Matthew Lesko, Free Money Book, and that book is only $39.95! We actually bought a copy of the Lesko book for our library, so our clients can save themselves that money.

Unfortunately, most people call us about the National Grants Conference after they have already lost their money and can't reach anyone to get it refunded. The problem with labeling this legally as a scam is that the people are getting the book, which they pay for willingly. However, again, when they go to return it, they can't reach anyone.

The problem with the NGC and Lesko books is that so little of it is applicable to your state, county or business. Do the math (I have actually done this in front of potential clients with a calculator.). Ideally, if all things were created equal:

The Lesko book is 1100 pages; 1100 divided by 50 states = 22 pages per state; 22 divided by the number of counties (in PA is 67) = .32 pages per county; .32 divided by 3 (equally divided between business, education and housing money) = .11 pages per business in your county. You can further divide by the number of possible businesses and see the futility of this. Little of the information is actually on grants--instead, loans and 'business assistance.' I hope this helps shed some light on the National 'Grifters' Conference." - Cori Fischer,  Gannon University SBDC

"I wholeheartedly agree. This National Grants Conference scam is a real burr under my saddle. They recently held their conferences/seminars in the Chicago area, and we are now suffering the aftermath, as people start contacting our center to get their grants. I guess we are the experts that NGC refers the duped individuals to. We contacted the Illinois attorney general's office and others regarding this outfit and found that NCG has been under investigation in several states. Obviously, NCG is very careful with its wording and promises, so they operate just within the boundaries of the law, but we may be able to put a stop to them. Per the attorney general's Office of Consumer Fraud: Action can be taken only if complaints are received. So, we can advise our clients or call-ins that subscribed to this outfit to file a complaint with their respective state's attorney general office (consumer fraud division). Document or report what promises were made, how well the NCG delivered, problems with getting refunds, etc. The more information supplied and the more people that complain, the more we will help stop this type of outfit from taking advantage of the public." -David K Gay, Manager, College of DuPage SBDC
  • May 8, 2001: "Yes, I'm familiar with them...they've come through the Louisville area and other places in Kentucky several times. All I can say is 'caveat emptor' for those who pay the $600 dollars. Those who pay get a list of places to go for help (like the SBDC network), which they can get for free by just contacting us first. I have talked to three people recently who paid the $600 and got very little for their money. Needless to say, they were not happy with the NGC people." - Michael Ashcraft, director, Greater Louisville SBDC
  • Jan. 3, 2001:  "The Idaho Small Business Development Center has a packet of information that it gives to people who come looking for grants and free money. One piece is a copy of an article that appeared in our newsletter a year and a half ago.

The National Grants Conference, based in Rochester (click Buffalo), New York, hit Idaho in October. In spite of the information we and the SBA gave them, people still paid $1,049 to get all the secret information about free money and then called us to complain about our withholding information.

I'm not quite sure what to do about Matthew Lesko and others like him who appear on late night TV. I haven't been able to find any published reports. We will continue to provide what scam-busting information we can gather and hope it 'takes' with some of the people."" - Marguerite Mason, Director, Research & Training Idaho Small Business Development Center

State Designated as Florida's Principal Provider of Small Business Assistance