The Wizard of Oz will grant all your wishes… and so can the United States Government.

The beauty of the the 1939 movie based on the children’s book by L. Frank Baum is that it provides the perfect back drop for a lesson about Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) in the United States.

Now, many of you may have read my previous blog, “The SBA: What’s Not To Love?”

But few of you know that if you scratch a little deeper, there is the SBDC.

SBDCs “provide assistance to small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs throughout the United States and its territories. SBDCs help entrepreneurs realize the dream of business ownership and help existing businesses remain competitive in a complex, ever-changing global marketplace.”

Now what does that mean?

Simply put, they help you realize your dream.

The Wizard of Oz really had no special powers at all yet helped Dorothy, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion realize what was always inside of them. Similarly, the SBDC is not telling you what you do not already know (that you have a good business idea), but, like the Wizard himself, they show you what you do not know to achieve your dream.

They offer free advice, consulting, and training for those of us who are trying to start a business or improve and existing one. The SBDC is a free service and will help you think about the questions, and prepare the documents, you need to get your business off the ground. If you pay taxes in America, this is one of the great perks that exists; in my opinion, one that not enough people take advantage of. These people are smart, experienced, and genuinely want to help you get your business off the ground.

Now, even Dorothy needed Toto to run off to get her adventure started, but you now have no excuses to make your great business idea a reality. See what the SBA and SBDC have to offer.

You’re not in Kansas anymore, pardner.