SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTERS

 Background
To better prepare Iraqis to start or expand their own businesses and to link with microfinance institutions (MFIs) and banks, the Business Development Services component of IZDIHAR identified five regional locations to act as Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs).  The SBDC concept builds on the experience of existing business associations and local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), particularly those which have excellent links in their communities with MFIs and local banks.
The SBDCs offer business consulting, specialized courses on how to start up a business, computer courses, links to MFIs and banks, and related business services. 
 Technical assistance provided by IZDIHAR includes: 

1.   Site assessments and selections.
2.   Upgrading of IT facilities.
3.   Provision of complete training materials package covering the 5 core modules.
4.   Consultation with IZDIHAR’s Senior Training Advisor for assistance with technical aspects of training, mentoring of SBDC directors and trainers, TOT for SBDC director/trainers, and providing technical assistance to SBDC managers to create and implement a sustainability plan.
This approach allows SBDC partners to immediately begin generating income so they can leverage the tremendous dormant resources that are currently available to them.  Resources include capable trainers, under-used facilities, and links with partner institutions (such as MFIs, banks, employment agencies, universities, and other community stakeholders).
The How to Start-up or Improve a Business course available through Erbil SBDC is intense and five days in length, and the" Training of Trainers”, “Proposal Writing” and “IT Training of Trainers” also available through Erbil SBDC is intense and three days in length.  Homework related to starting and operating a small business is given; critiques, analysis and discussion are the training’s strong points.  Supplementary assignments, researches, survey and pretest & posttest are also ingredients of the each course.  Practical tests are given with immediate available results, which encourage improvements, growth and changes.  In addition, trainer comments, consultations, and recommendations are provided to strengthen business plans, loans applications and overall business direction, roles of the trainers, the way of writing proposals and successful IT trainers.

How to Start-up or Improve a Business includes these topics:

• Business Planning.
• Assessing Prospects.
• Assessing Self/Personal Well-Being.
• Marketing and Sales Techniques.
• Customer Care.
• Promotion and Advertising.
• Finance, Accounting, Budgets.
• Business Case Studies.
• Business Best Practices.
• Computer Fundamentals.
• Business Plan Pro software

The 5-day course covers:

Day 1: How to Prepare a Bankable Business Plan, including: Starting a New Business, Business Planning, Long-term and Short-term Goals, Registration of Business

Day 2: How to Market Your Business, including: Sales, Customer Care, Promotion, Advertising

Day 3: How to Manage Your Business Cash Flow, including: Finance, Accounting and Budget Issues

Day 4: How to Use Computers in Your Business, including Introduction to Computers, the Internet, and Business Plan Software

Day 5: How to Use Your Business Plan in a Loan Application Package; How to  Approach a MFI or Bank; and How to Compete a Loan Application

TOT (Training of trainers):
The topics of the 3days training are about:

• Methodological for Trainers
• Communication Skills
• Trainers Competencies, Active Participant Characteristics
• Setting the Training Stage
• Characteristics of Gaul Motivation
• Energetic games and Activities

PW (Proposal Writing training):
The topics of the 3days training are about:

• Main Topic List- Development process, Project Simple Cycle.
• Project Sections, Logical Statement-Concept Formulation.
• Stating the Activities, Results Verses.
• Practice, Preparing Project Activities.
• Target Group.
• Designing Evaluation and Monitoring Plan.
• Organization Capacities.
• Logical Frame Work for the Project.
• Collecting Project Components/ Donor Follow-up.

  
IT TOT: The topics of the 3days training are about:

• Introduction to the training term, Communication skills.
• Introduction to the Information Technology, Computer Hardware
• Hardware management (Networking)
• Ethernet principle, TCP/IP
• Operating Systems
• Introduction to Applications
• Office applications
• Work group

  
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The SBDC initiative was launched at the Microfinance Summit in November 2006.  During the Summit, the first SBDC Leader’s Forum (represented by Hilla, Erbil and Kirkuk) was held, with a full day of training-of-trainers and technical assistance covering curricula, target audience, marketing, and procurement and reporting.  Late November, the Hilla Babylon Center for Economy Development presented its first 5-day How to Start-up or Improve a Business course.  In December, Tal’Afar Small Business Center joined the IZDIHAR SBDC family.  All five SBDCs in Baghdad, Hilla, Kirkuk, Erbil, and Tal’Afar were operating in December.  Each course averages ten to thirteen participants.  All centers offer at least two courses per month