JCDA Business Coach Assists Small Businesses and Entrepreneurs

October 2, 2018

If you are a small business owner or entrepreneur looking to take your company to the next level, the Jefferson County Development Authority (JCDA) has a business coach who can guide you through the development process and help you succeed.

The JCDA recently renewed its agreement with the West Virginia Small Business Development Center (WVSBDC) and West Virginia Development Office (WVDO) to employ a business coach. As the JCDA business coach, Matthew Coffey provides services to existing and qualified new small businesses and entrepreneurs in West Virginia, focusing on those in Jefferson, Berkeley, Morgan, and Hampshire counties in the Eastern Panhandle. With a financial services background, Matt's experience includes working with early-stage small businesses focused on growth opportunities as well as turn-around and expansion projects with mature companies.

Small business is the mainstay of the economy in West Virginia and Jefferson County. Of all West Virginia employers, approximately 85 percent have fewer than 20 employees. "Whether you are an inventor with a commercial idea, an entrepreneur with a startup operation, or an established small business owner looking to grow your company, our business coach is here to assist you," said Nicolas Diehl, executive director of the JCDA.  

Services

Some of the services offered by a business coach include:

• no cost, one-on-one, confidential advising
• practical advice in business plan development, marketing, innovation, and technology and management skills
• assistance with financial planning 
• identification of funding resources
• help with succession planning

"I am here to learn about businesses in the Eastern Panhandle and to help them be successful," Coffey said. "By partnering with other WVSBDC coaches and many different public and private entities, I'm able to connect business owners and entrepreneurs to a wide spectrum of technical assistance, funding resources, and other support that they often don't know existed."

Training

Throughout the year, Coffey and the WVSBDC also offer low-cost training through various business fundamentals workshops, which are designed specifically for people who are thinking of starting a business or have had a business for one year or less. According to the WVSBDC, business owners who work with business coaches nationwide see 17 percent annual sales growth, which is four times the national average.

For more information on our business coach services or to schedule an appointment with Matt, call 304-728-3255 or email Matt at matthew.m.coffey@wv.gov

The WVSBDC is part of the West Virginia Development Office and is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. The WVSBDC is an Accredited Member of America's SBDC network.