ABC Overview

Advisory Board Council

The Advisory Board Council is an economic development program that operates within the Florida SBDC at UCF and is funded by Orange County Government.

The program acts as a matchmaker between businesses and volunteer advisors, all of whom are professionals in our community.

The program’s purpose is to positively impact Central Florida businesses through revenue growth and job creation.  Businesses also benefit by streamlined operations, marketing, financial management, reduced costs, leadership development and succession planning.  Through the Advisory Board Council, clients gain the knowledge required to drive their business further.

No-Cost Professional Advisory Service

The operation of the program is funded by Orange County and supported by the generosity of our sponsors. All of the Advisors are VOLUNTEERS. Every participant of the Advisory Board Council is interested in building relationships and improving the economic community in Central Florida.

Application Process

Once a company completes the Advisory Board Council application, an interview is conducted and the information gathered is used to evaluate whether the company is ready to work with an Advisory Board.

The company’s needs are defined and volunteer Advisors, who have completed an Advisor application are selected. The Advisors then individually meet with the Client. This meeting allows both the company and the Advisor to determine if it is a suitable and worthy “match”.

A first board meeting time is scheduled. Board meetings are held quarterly for approximately three hours each. Meetings focuses on strategy and planning, with the Client taking away “Action Items” to work on and report back on at the next meeting. Phone and email support is encouraged and often necessary.

The board works together for approximately 18 months. Some boards may stay in place longer if needed to complete projects, or at the request of the board. After serving on a board for one company, an Advisor can be assigned to a new Client Company if he or she chooses to do so. We have already had several graduated clients go on and become advisors themselves.