The UGA SBDC Spotlights Small Business Impact and Trends

In Georgia, over 99.6% of businesses are considered “small” according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. As a resource for small business owners, the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center (UGA SBDC) has developed an annual publication, Small Business and Its Impact on Georgia, highlighting the impact of small businesses on Georgia’s economy and upcoming trends affecting business owners.

The publication offers data about the 1.2 million small businesses in Georgia, including demographic information of small business owners and employees and a look at the impact Georgia’s changing demographics can have on the state’s small business landscape.

Utilizing the knowledge of several UGA SBDC faculty members, the publication spotlights key trends in small business, including the challenges of accessing capital, the rising use of artificial intelligence and the top human resource challenges faced by small business owners.

“Here in Georgia, small business makes a big impact,” said Allan Adams, state director of the UGA SBDC. “The Small Business and Its Impact on Georgia publication is one way we’re educating Georgians on the importance of small business and celebrating the contributions made by Georgia’s entrepreneurs.”

With 18 offices across the state, the UGA SBDC provides low-cost educational training programs and no-cost, confidential consulting. Over the past five years, entrepreneurs who have sought assistance from the UGA SDBC have created more than 2,100 new businesses, added more than 14,000 jobs, raised more than $1.11 billion in loan and equity financing and generated over $9.5 billion in sales.