Contra Costa Small Business Development Center

My experience was okay. I had a phone consultation first followed by a class. The information I received between the two resources contradicted each other which was annoying because I trusted the person on the phone to the point where I re strategized my planning. Hearing that my original instinct was correct by another person sort of annoyed me, but also taught me to trust my gut instinct.
Last straw was when I figured out the SBA Contra Costa sold my contact information.
After I signed up with SBA Contra Costa, I started getting phone calls from small business loans and credit cards services, which never happened to me before.
I found the SBA center in SF to be way more helpful and worth the commute. There was even a person at the door to greet you. I just sort of wandered the lobby waiting for someone to unlock a door for the class at Ellingwood.

My wife and I attended a free seminar about starting a new business. I was skeptical going in, but was pleasantly surprised. The presenter was very knowledgeable and shared useful information.
I would recommend this to small business owners looking for introductiry information around business plans, market research, and many of the little nuaces you need to know about as a small business owner in Contra Costa County.

This is a GREAT resource for small business owners. The organization has classes on starting a business, marketing and using their Business Tools. You can also sign up for a mentor to take you through starting your business. Or if you are already in business, a mentor will be assigned to evaluate, suggest and provide resources to help your business succeed.
They recently partnered with Diablo Valley College’s Digital Arts program where businesses can sign up to have a student do things like make a video, design a website or brochure as part of a student/​class project.