The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in the College of Business at the University of Nevada, Reno has created business surveys to collect data from local small businesses in Washoe County. The surveys officially opened on July 31 and are planned to run until Sep. 15. The purpose behind providing small businesses with these surveys and collecting specific data is to provide aid and assistance to business owners who might be facing some financial and economic issues.

“While state and county level data trends give a broad picture of businesses economic vitality, this survey is designed to collect data directly from small business owners, giving the Nevada SBDC and our partners a clearer picture of the situation on the ground,” Brad Scribner, community project manager at the Nevada SBDC, said.

Though the information gathered from the surveys will be completely anonymous, the Nevada SBDC is able to segment out geographical data to determine what regions are struggling with certain issues.

“This data is used by the Nevada SBDC and our partners to better strategize our resource offerings, trainings, and direct assistance programs,” Scribner said. “We hope that by adjusting our programmatic offerings to fit the challenges that Northern Nevada businesses are facing, we can make a larger impact in assisting these businesses to grow and succeed.”

Scribner further explained the previous pandemic’s negative impact on small businesses and the importance of aiding business owners. He also elaborated on the Nevada SBDC planning on gaining a better understanding of how Nevada small businesses can adapt and expand, while also solving the problems they are currently facing.

“In a post-pandemic world, it's difficult to predict what the top issues might be in 2023; top challenges in 2022 were developing a plan to grow and expand, finding new customers and managing cash flow,” Scribner said. “The greatest challenge for new businesses was securing financing and with the economy still finding its footing after the pandemic, we're unsure what business owners might say are the biggest obstacles to their growth in 2023; however, we do know that labor and energy costs are likely to be the top pain-points.

“At the conclusion of the survey, the Nevada SBDC will share the data result sets with our partners statewide, ensuring that small business resource organizations across Nevada have the knowledge needed to better serve their constituencies,” Scribner said.

For business owners in Northern Nevada who are interested in participating, you can register to take the SBDC 2023 Nevada Small Business Challenges Survey in English. En Español, regístrese por encuesta 2023 sobre los retos de los pequeños negocios de Nevada.