Small Business Development Center

We provide tools and guidance to help small businesses achieve success

As part of a statewide network of resource and technical service providers, the Wolf Point Small Business Development Center (SBDC) provides confidential business counseling for small business owners and entrepreneurs. Services are provided at no charge and are designed to assist those looking to develop and enhance the financial, managerial and technical skills needed to compete and succeed in today’s complex business environment.

Seven counties in Northeast Montana are serviced by the Wolf Point SBDC office, they include: Daniels, Garfield, McCone, Richland, Roosevelt, Sheridan and Valley. For assistance please contact our SBDC Director Quincy Walter at
(406)650-2524 or sbdc@gndc.org

The Wolf Point SBDC is funded by the Small Business Administration, Montana Department of Commerce, and Great Northern Development Corporation.

5

Why isn’t my business making money?

5

Do I need to be an LLC?

5

Start Up, expansion & profitability

5

If I build it, will they come?

5

Business & Strategic Planning

5

Is my business idea feasible?

5

Financial Analysis

5

Where are the problem areas? 

5

Can you give me a loan?

5

Businesss Management & Development

5

Loan Packaging & Financial Projection Assistance

5

Market Research & Feasibility

Meet with us about business consulting

Let our experts help you take the next step
Book a Consultation
(406) 650-2524

Small Business Spotlight

2021 Success Story - Farris Farm and Auto

 

After almost 25 years of being an employee at Carquest, Mike Farris went from spinning wrenches in the shop and helping customers at the front desk to purchasing the business with his wife, Steph. Farris Farm and Auto is a family-owned business passionate about delivering excellence in everything they do. “We serve our communities with a high level of integrity and passion in what we do. We deliver the right products to the right place at the right time.”
 
The couple was exploring the possibility of purchasing the business when Steph attended her first Quickbooks training. After the class, a lending partner suggested that she should reach out to Shandy at the Wolf Point SBDC for assistance in navigating the purchasing process. Shandy Moran, Wolf Point SBDC Regional Director, assisted Mike and Steph with business planning, financial projections, and cash flow analysis. Ultimately the plan they developed helped them secure the financial assistance they would need to make the dream a reality. The couple secured a commercial bank loan and additional financing through Great Northern Development Corporation, The Wolf Point SBDC’s host organization. 
Owning a business has challenged both Mike and Steph with role changes. Steph stepped in as the office manager and bookkeeper for Farris Farm and Auto while still holding her full-time job away from the business. Mike shifted from being the full-time shop mechanic to the lead parts technician. He spends many late nights making sure clients receive superior service in the machine shop.
Farris Farm and Auto supports the local ag community and finds themselves giving back through fair donations and event sponsorships. Looking back at his history in the store, Mike sees a lot that has changed in twenty-five years. However, the need for parts and quality customer service remains a constant for Mike and Steph.
 
November - Moonlight Laserworks LLC

                                                                     
                                                                                                                        

Sarah was a chemist who found herself in Mexico setting up a cement lab for her employer, which is when she met her husband. After moving to Eastern Montana Sarah found herself needing a challenge. “Being a stay-at-home mom was fulfilling but I felt the pull to do more but it had to be something I was passionate about.”

When going to a trade show in Las Vegas, she encountered a vendor who specialized in laser engraving. Months later the idea was still brewing in her day-to-day thoughts of owning a custom engraving shop. “My husband finally encouraged me to seriously pursue this dream and that is exactly what I did.”

After deciding to start her business Sarah reached out to the SBDC office in Wolf Point for market research and feasibility, business planning, loan packaging, and financial projection assistance. “Liveplan was something that made the actual business planning more manageable for me to see. It was more step by step and helped me to create realistic goals and projections to take to the bank. I remember that Shandy gave me some really practical advice by saying that most people over-inflate their projections to look good, but the banks don’t like seeing you think you are going to make a killing in your first year. So when Independence Bank was really impressed with my realistic projections, it was such a sense of accomplishment. And I am so thankful to SBDC and Shandy for making it possible”.

With the help of GNDC and the SBDC, Sarah was able to apply and receive gap financing to secure her first laser machine for engraving along with other start-up costs. In her first year, she managed to exceed the one-year projections that she had made in Liveplan by her first 6 months in operation. “GNDC and specifically the SBDC allows me to continue to grow and network with other businesses in our area. It helps to share my business and what I have to offer.”

Not only does Sarah wear the owner hat of her business but she also is the creator, designer, and technical support for the lasers. “Being able to create a specific type of joy that not only a customer has when seeing the final product, but knowing that that joy is then shared with someone else when they give the gift just makes every day in the office that much better, knowing that I created that.”

Moonlight Laserworks creates an array of promotional materials for businesses and clients alike but also does custom engraving. “I enjoy working on awards and prizes, industrial parts, business swag and presents that you can give your family and friends. I truly get to do it all.”

Sarah has big goals for the years to come and is reevaluating her business and her projections constantly. “I want to be able to give back more to our communities and to continue to offer a unique service in our rural part of the state.”

Visit moonlightlaserworks.com or on Facebook to view Sarah’s beautiful engraving creations and promotional products.

October - Sugg Primary Care Clinic

When you walk into Sugg Primary Care Clinic in Glasgow, you will feel right at home with a warm welcome and a comfortable atmosphere. Dawn Sugg, FNP-C was a nurse for 18 years and always felt a calling to do more and help her patients find the root cause of their problems. When an opportunity presented itself for her and her family to move back to Glasgow, she decided to take a leap of faith and open her own private practice in Eastern Montana. “I really wanted to get back to a small-town feel of medicine and meet patients where they were at in their life” At Sugg Primary Care Clinic patients will experience a family-friendly approach to care. Dawn Sugg, FNP-C wants medicine to be a listening ear to her patients. She works in an integrative care model and creates a sense of community. She said that she wants her patients to feel that they can work together to find the root cause of their illness or discomfort and have that open and honest interaction so that she can heal her patients entirely both mentally and physically.

Dawn sought out the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) to help with the business planning aspect of her new clinic. “I am not a business-minded person, I needed help with the business planning, and that is exactly what you offered”. Through our business planning software Liveplan, the SBDC was able to help her build a business plan that will be the roadmap for Sugg Primary Care to expand and thrive.

Sugg Primary Care Clinic saw a need in the community and surrounding area of Glasgow to alleviate the urgent care overload and to work with the whole patient instead of just the problem. This allows for patient care to be much more realistic and attainable. Health care that is simplified, integrative, and for the patient. Make sure to check out the list of care that is offered at Sugg Clinic and join us in congratulating them in their grand opening this past August! If you have any questions please call  (406) 228-8013 or email  suggprimarycare@gmail.com

  • Annual Physicals
  • Medicare Wellness Exam
  • Well Child exams (infants through teenagers)
  • DOT Exams
  • Sports/school physicals
  • Women & Men’s Hormone Health
  • Minor Office procedures (Wart removal, laceration repair, lesion biopsy, etc)
  • IV therapy (Vitamin, mineral, amino acids, etc)
  • Laboratory services: Urine/UTI, Pregnancy tests, STI testing, strep, influenza, COVID testing, wellness labs, etc.

                                 

-Financing

Whether you are starting a brand new business and need startup assistance or already have an established business and just need some additional funds to expand, GNDC may be able to provide you with the confidential assistance and gap financing that you need.

For additional information on how GNDC can assist you with your business endeavors contact our SBDC Director Quincy Walter at sbdc@gndc.org or at (406) 650-2524.

Trainings

The classroom is a valuable way to learn from experienced business owners and network with other small business owners just like you. We offer a variety of trainings such as:
– Profit Mastery
– Quickbooks
– Digital Marketing Strategies
– Hubzone
– Business Plan Development
– The LaunchPoint: Pre-Business Workshop

 

For assistance in registering for our upcoming events or to see our upcoming training schedule contact our SBDC Director at  (406)-650-2524 or at sbdc@gndc.org.

SBDC Recorded Training Catalog
Training Evaluation

Small Business Development Center’s 2022 Yearly Calendar

Phone Photography For Your Business - POSTPONED- Stay tuned for date

Are you struggling to create share-worthy images of your products? Struggling to tell your story and to post it on social media?

Then look no further than our Phone Photography Class for Business Owners, Bloggers, and Influencers, hosted by Diana Proemm of Your Adventure Rx!

Join us in Glasgow at the Cottonwood Inn to learn how to take excellent environmental branding photos that show off your products! We encourage you to bring products that are easy to take outside with you to take pictures for your business.

This class is for real estate to boutiques to farm and ranch life. We want to help you take quality photos from the start that showcase your business and brand to help customers understand your story. The class will focus on iPhone/Android phone photography and the basic rules of photography (and when to break them), how to tell a story with your images, and lots more!

You will then combine these skills and put them into post-production to prepare the images for the masses. You may even walk away with a usable image for social media for that day!

The fee is $15 for lunch, so register today!

https://mtsbdc.ecenterdirect.com/events/5322

*We reserve the right to cancel a class if minimum enrollments are not met.

Need Help With Your Website? - Wolf Point - July 26th, 2022

If you Google your business, what will you find? Is your business’s website telling your story correctly? Join us for a day to learn about search engine optimization and website design/editing.

This interactive day will be unlike any other class you have been to. We will discuss what your customer is looking for on social media and a search engine in the morning. In the second half of the day, we will take a deep dive into YOUR website and how you can maximize it. Laptops will be provided; come prepared with ideas on:

  • Making a list of your website needs

  • Defining your ideal customer

  • Clarifying your website key benefit statement

  • Developing a call to action

  • Structuring your homepage

  • Deciding on the content, you’ll need/want on your website

  • Mobile considerations

  • Measuring website traffic and conversions 

  • Platforms to consider

Register today for these unique classes brought to you by GNDC SBDC and the DBE.

The fee is $15 for lunch, so register today!

https://mtsbdc.ecenterdirect.com/events/5326

*We reserve the right to cancel a class if minimum enrollments are not met.

Need Help With Your Website? -Scobey - July 27th, 2022

If you Google your business, what will you find? Is your business’s website telling your story correctly? Join us for a day to learn about search engine optimization and website design/editing.

This interactive day will be unlike any other class you have been to. We will discuss what your customer is looking for on social media and a search engine in the morning. In the second half of the day, we will take a deep dive into YOUR website and how you can maximize it. Laptops will be provided; come prepared with ideas on:

  • Making a list of your website needs

  • Defining your ideal customer

  • Clarifying your website key benefit statement

  • Developing a call to action

  • Structuring your homepage

  • Deciding on the content, you’ll need/want on your website

  • Mobile considerations

  • Measuring website traffic and conversions

  • Platforms to consider

Register today for these unique classes brought to you by GNDC SBDC and the DBE.

The fee is $15 for lunch, so register today!

https://mtsbdc.ecenterdirect.com/events/5327

*We reserve the right to cancel a class if minimum enrollments are not met.

Quickbooks For All - ONLINE VERSION - Glasgow - September 20th, 2022

Are you new to bookkeeping or want to brush up on your QuickBooks skills?

Then join QuickBooks Pro Advisor Wendy Weissman, owner of Wendy J Weissman, CPA PC in Glasgow on the 20th of September QuickBooks, as she takes you through the foundational elements of ONLINE Quickbooks, so you’re more efficient in entering revenue and expenses (and better able to communicate with your accountant come tax time!)

This class is for the QuickBooks ONLINE Version. The first half of each day will be taught classroom style from 9:00 – 3:00 PM and will step through accounting terminology and the basics of the QuickBooks Program. Even if you’re an experienced user, this session will show data-entry shortcuts and talk about the inner workings of QuickBooks. 

The afternoon will be set aside for 60-minute one-on-one sessions with Wendy from 3:00 – 5:00 PM. 

First come, first serve, call to reserve your spot today! For questions, booking your one-on-one or more information, email quincy@gndc.org.

The fee is $15 for lunch, so register today!

https://mtsbdc.ecenterdirect.com/events/5328

*We reserve the right to cancel a class if minimum enrollments are not met.

Quickbooks For All - DESKTOP VERSION - Scobey - September 21st, 2022

Are you new to bookkeeping or want to brush up on your QuickBooks skills?

Then join QuickBooks Pro Advisor Wendy Weissman, owner of Wendy J Weissman, CPA PC in Scobey on the 21st September for QuickBooks, as she takes you through the foundational elements of DESKTOP Quickbooks, so you’re more efficient in entering revenue and expenses (and better able to communicate with your accountant come tax time!)

This class is for the QuickBooks DESKTOP Version. The first half of each day will be taught classroom style from 9:00 – 3:00 PM and will step through accounting terminology and the basics of the QuickBooks Program. Even if you’re an experienced user, this session will show data-entry shortcuts and talk about the inner workings of QuickBooks. 

The afternoon will be set aside for 60-minute one-on-one sessions with Wendy from 3:00 – 5:00 PM. 

First come, first serve, call to reserve your spot today! For questions, booking your one-on-one or more information, email quincy@gndc.org

The fee is $15 for lunch, so register today!

https://mtsbdc.ecenterdirect.com/events/5329

*We reserve the right to cancel a class if minimum enrollments are not met.

Quickbooks For All - DESKTOP VERSION - Circle - September 22nd, 2022

Are you new to bookkeeping or want to brush up on your QuickBooks skills?

Then join QuickBooks Pro Advisor Wendy Weissman, owner of Wendy J Weissman, CPA PC in Circle on the 22nd of September for QuickBooks, as she takes you through the foundational elements of DESKTOP Quickbooks, so you’re more efficient in entering revenue and expenses (and better able to communicate with your accountant come tax time!).

This class is for the QuickBooks DESKTOP Version. The first half of each day will be taught classroom style from 9:00 – 3:00 PM and will step through accounting terminology and the basics of the QuickBooks Program. Even if you’re an experienced user, this session will show data-entry shortcuts and talk about the inner workings of QuickBooks.

The afternoon will be set aside for 60-minute one-on-one sessions with Wendy from 3:00 – 5:00 PM.

First come, first serve, call to reserve your spot today! For questions, booking your one-on-one or more information, email quincy@gndc.org.

The fee is $15 for lunch, so register today!

https://mtsbdc.ecenterdirect.com/events/5330

*We reserve the right to cancel a class if minimum enrollments are not met.

Strengthening Your Human Resources - Glasgow - October 4th, 2022

HR “FAST TRACK” 

Back when there was no such thing as “HR.” Simply handing out cut-and-dried information and making sure employees consume the information and sign a pile of paperwork was enough. But today, HR processes are integral to the success of any business enterprise.

This Fast Track course will not only “upload” your internal HR functions into a whole new level of professionalism but also assure HR best practices and compliance in your workplace.

How You Will Benefit

Those new to the HR role will learn the essentials needed to be proficient in the general areas of employee-related activities. After the full-day session, you’ll be able to:

  • Gain the confidence and knowledge to apply HR best practices to your work world

  • Understand the complexities of Montana employment laws

  • Administer and monitor every phase of the employment “life cycle.”

  • Create core procedural elements for incorporating HR best practices

  • Serve as your company’s in-house “people management” expert

Learning Objectives

Component I:

  • Recruitment and Onboarding

  • Pre-screening applicants

  • Standardizing the interview and selection process

  • Hiring Legally and MT employment laws

Component II:

  • Life Cycle of an Employee

  • HR’s role in performance management

  • Proper handling of time worked, pay, absences, leave time, etc.

  • Administrative processes – from W-2’s and I-9’s to benefits and regulatory reporting

  • Maintaining employee files and records

Component III:

  • Bringing it all together

  • HR’s role in applying workplace policies and procedures

  • HR Best Practices

  • Developing your HR Procedures Manual

 Who Should Attend

This seminar is geared towards new human resources staff and other management-level individuals who want to strengthen their skills in the functional processes of HR.

The fee is $15 for lunch, so register today!

https://mtsbdc.ecenterdirect.com/events/5332

*We reserve the right to cancel a class if minimum enrollments are not met.

Management Excellence - Wolf Point - October 5th, 2022

Today’s leaders have varying levels of relationships and responsibilities with their staff.  Leaders are coaches, counselors, problem solvers, and goal setters.  This seminar will explore how today’s leaders can maintain technical expertise while demonstrating an effective leadership style.  Competencies gained from this session include personal, interpersonal, and group skills.  Leaders will be able to apply these skills in the arenas of one-on-one situations, facilitation of group performance, and becoming overall effective leaders.  

HOW YOU WILL BENEFIT

  • Analyze and enhance your interpersonal skills to help you communicate, listen, and handle conflict in the workplace

  • Learn how to be more influential with others

  • Recognize your Strengths and Development Opportunities and how to minimize your weaknesses by maximizing your strengths

  • Enhance your performance management abilities

  • Learn how to maximize results while managing group dynamics

WHAT YOU WILL COVER

  • DiSC Personality Profile

  • Communication

  • Conflict Management

  • Performance Management/Dialogue/Coaching

  • Discipline/Termination/Performance Appraisals

  • Effective Team Dynamics

  • Developing the Leader

 WHO SHOULD ATTEND

Leaders who attend this seminar will develop individual, one-on-one, and group competencies needed to keep pace with their evolving leadership roles and responsibilities.

The fee is $15 for lunch, so register today!

https://mtsbdc.ecenterdirect.com/events/5331

*We reserve the right to cancel a class if minimum enrollments are not met.

Payroll System in Quickbooks - Glasgow - November 15th, 2022

During the class, you will learn to set up a payroll system in QuickBooks properly, create paychecks, pay tax liabilities, track employee time, create job cost data, generate payroll forms, reports, and much more. Instruction is in DESKTOP QuickBooks 2021 on provided computers (please do not bring your laptop unless it is for private one-on-one sessions later), but content applies to QB 2010-2021.

The afternoon of each day will be set aside for 60-minute one-on-one sessions with Wendy from 3:00 – 5:00 PM.

First come, first serve, call to reserve your spot today! For questions or more information, email quincy@gndc.org.

The fee is $15 for lunch, so register today!

https://mtsbdc.ecenterdirect.com/events/5323

*We reserve the right to cancel a class if minimum enrollments are not met.

Payroll System in Quickbooks - Wolf Point - November 16th, 2022

During the class, you will learn to set up a payroll system in QuickBooks properly, create paychecks, pay tax liabilities, track employee time, create job cost data, generate payroll forms, reports, and much more. Instruction is in DESKTOP QuickBooks 2021 on provided computers (please do not bring your laptop unless it is for private one-on-one sessions later), but content applies to QB 2010-2021.

The afternoon of each day will be set aside for 60-minute one-on-one sessions with Wendy from 3:00 – 5:00 PM.

First come, first serve, call to reserve your spot today! For questions or more information, email quincy@gndc.org.

The fee is $15 for lunch, so register today!

https://mtsbdc.ecenterdirect.com/events/5324

*We reserve the right to cancel a class if minimum enrollments are not met.

Payroll System in Quickbooks - Plentywood - November 17th, 2022

During the class, you will learn to set up a payroll system in QuickBooks properly, create paychecks, pay tax liabilities, track employee time, create job cost data, generate payroll forms, reports, and much more. Instruction is in DESKTOP QuickBooks 2021 on provided computers (please do not bring your laptop unless it is for private one-on-one sessions later), but content applies to QB 2010-2021.

The afternoon of each day will be set aside for 60-minute one-on-one sessions with Wendy from 3:00 – 5:00 PM.

First come, first serve, call to reserve your spot today! For questions or more information, email quincy@gndc.org.

The fee is $15 for lunch, so register today!

https://mtsbdc.ecenterdirect.com/events/5325

*We reserve the right to cancel a class if minimum enrollments are not met.