Brattleboro, VT — The Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC) is pleased to announce the next sessions of its Funding Fundamentals program, a series of educational offerings designed to help small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs better understand and access capital.
“We know business finance doesn’t exactly have a reputation for being the most exciting topic, so this time we’re shaking things up a bit.” says Dani Delaini, Assistant Director and Head of Business Acceleration at BDCC. “These sessions are intentionally designed to be practical, engaging, and grounded in real scenarios. We want participants to leave not only with information, but with the ability to make more informed financial decisions for their businesses.”
The series will run for four sessions, September 16, October 14, November 18, and December 9. All sessions are free to attend. Participants may register for as many sessions as they’d like, however pre-registration is encouraged at brattleborodevelopment.com/bizgrowth/
The first session is titled Understanding Business Credit and will be presented by Stephen Robert, CEO of Bedrock Credit America. This session will focus specifically on the major shift in credit scoring that is coming and how business owners need to be prepared for a system that may evaluate their financial behavior differently. Trending Data could fundamentally change how revolving debt is assessed, while traditional approaches to quickly improving a credit score may no longer produce the same results. For businesses that are considering financing, now is the time to understand these changes and begin building a credit profile designed for what comes next and this session is the right first step to understanding.
The second workshop is a Money + Me program all about business financial statements and more presented by KeyBank. This will be a hybrid workshop where participants will walk away with valuable knowledge about balance sheets, profit and loss statements, cash flow reports, lines of credit, term loans, and financing options.
The third session will be presented by Will Jeffries from Blumenthal Enterprises, whose path to business advising has been anything but conventional. His work today focuses on what he calls the “Missing Middle,” helping founders bridge the gap between a big idea and the structured execution it takes to build a sustainable business. In this session, Will will focus on how to choose the right capital for the business you’re actually building. Rather than treating funding as the goal itself, the session will help entrepreneurs think strategically about what kind of capital fits their business model, stage, and next steps.
The final offering in the series is a focused mini session on Wednesday, December 9th at 5:00PM, Not All Capital is Equal: How to Avoid Financing Traps. This session will walk through an example case study of an existing business and examine the true cost of various financing options, including processor advance loans commonly offered through platforms such as Square. Participants will see a live calculation of repayment structures and gain a clearer understanding of how different loan products impact cash flow and long-term business health. Following this event there will be an in person Meet the Bankers event starting at 6pm.
“Accessing loans and funding remains one of the most significant barriers for small businesses, particularly for those who are just getting started or have not done it before,” says Delaini. “Funding Fundamentals is designed to break down that process and create a more approachable pathway to understand when and if pursuing a business loan is the right next step.The program is intentionally progressive. What that means is that it starts with foundational concepts so newcomers can immediately connect, then building in layers of complexity with more nuanced strategies such as scaling, blended financing, and partnership structures for those ready to go deeper.”
Funding Fundamentals is part of BDCC’s broader commitment to supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses across Southern Vermont by providing accessible education, technical assistance, and connections to capital.
For more information or to register, please visit: brattleborodevelopment.com/bizgrowth/
About BDCC
Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC) is a private, nonprofit economic development organization with the mission of investing in the drivers of the regional economy so that people, businesses, and communities in Southern Vermont can thrive. In addition to its private nonprofit leadership role in regional business acceleration and expansion programs and projects, economic, workforce, and community development programming, BDCC is also contracted to carry out the work of one of the twelve the State of Vermont’s certified Regional Development Corporations (RDC) for the greater Windham County area (including Windham County and the towns of Readsboro, Searsburg, Winhall, and Weston). BDCC’s activity is made possible in part by a grant from the State of Vermont through the Agency of Commerce and Community Development. For more information, visit: https://brattleborodevelopment.com/
About BDCC BizGrowth
BDCC provides expert guidance and resource navigation to businesses of all sizes—from startups to established enterprises—looking to grow or relocate. Whether a business is expanding its workforce, boosting profitability, or increasing its market share, it will find a broad spectrum of support, financing, and location services available through our experienced staff and extensive network of partners. We empower businesses to thrive by providing access to capital and strategic support aligned with the regional economic development plan (CEDS). We can help businesses navigate the complex landscape of public and private programs and services, developing a customized roadmap to achieve specific growth objectives. BDCC has a proven track record of supporting businesses with their growth needs, whether that involves expanding operations, funding new equipment to increase production capacity, relocating to larger facilities to accommodate growing teams, or securing working capital to scale marketing efforts and reach new customers.
