How long does a typical engagement last?

Discovery and strategy design: 2-3 months. Implementation support: 3-12 months depending on scope. Some foundations work with us on retainer for ongoing advisory.

What's the investment range?

Portfolio strategy projects typically range from $25,000-$50,000. Comprehensive multi-year engagements can be $75,000-$150,000. We can discuss budget parameters in our initial conversation.

Do you work with our grantees directly?

Yes, often. We can train your BSO grantees, design programs they implement, or provide technical assistance. This is usually structured as part of your portfolio strategy.

Can you help us measure impact we've already funded?

Absolutely. We design retrospective evaluation frameworks and help you gather data from existing grantees to demonstrate portfolio-level impact.

Do you have experience with our geographic focus?

We work primarily in Midwest, Southeast, and East Coast markets—particularly midsize cities and rural communities. If your focus is coastal metros, we may not be the best fit.

Do you work with BSOs outside the Midwest?

Yes! While we're based in Cleveland and most clients are Midwest but we work nationally. We just focus on midsize cities and underserved markets.

BSOs | GTB Advisors Helps Business Support Organizations

Business Support Organizations (BSOs)

We understand your world—because we live in it too!

Why BSOs Choose GTB

Credit-trained lender. VC investor. Grant funder. We've reviewed thousands of applications and know exactly why entrepreneurs get declined—and what actually helps them access capital. Plus, we run programs ourselves (100s of business owners served in workshops/year). We test everything we recommend.

We Know Why Entrepreneurs Get Declined

Gloria has reviewed thousands of funding applications as a credit-trained lender, and investor and grantmaker. We know what lenders and investors actually look for—not what generic business books say they look for. We design programs that address real barriers.

We're Active Practitioners

We run entrepreneur programs ourselves— conducting workshops annually, 200+ entrepreneurs served through PNC Fairfax Connection. Every framework we recommend? We tested in our own programs first. If it doesn't work in practice, we won't recommend it to you.

We Understand Your Constraints

You have 2-15 staff serving 50-500 entrepreneurs. Funding is uncertain. Board wants results. Entrepreneurs need help NOW. We design for your reality—not an ideal world with unlimited resources.

We Focus on Outcomes,

Not Outputs

Your funders don't just want "workshops delivered" and "entrepreneurs served"—they want entrepreneurs accessing capital and growing, thriving sustainable businesses. We design programs that move that metric, then help you measure and report it.

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How We Help BSOs

Program design, capacity building, and funding strategy

1

Capital Access

Program Design

Design curriculum and programs that actually help entrepreneurs access capital—not generic business training.

Capital readiness curriculum frameworks
One-on-one advising models for high-touch support
Culturally relevant cohort-based program design
Sector-specific adaptations (tech, manufacturing, retail, etc.)
Funding source matching strategies
Trauma-informed practices
Marketing and partnership development

3

Funding Diversification Strategy

Your foundation grant ends in 18 months. What's next? Build sustainable funding models that don't rely on one source.

Revenue model design (fee-for-service, sponsorships, earned income)
Foundation prospecting and proposal strategy
Corporate partnership development
Government contract positioning
Multi-year funding roadmap

2

BSO Capacity
Building

Move beyond "entrepreneurs served" to measure actual capital access. Design systems that show board-level ROI.

Theory of change development
Outcome metrics that matter (capital accessed, not just workshops attended)
Grantee reporting frameworks
Portfolio-level impact assessment
Data collection systems design

4

Impact Measurement & Reporting

Design systems to track what matters—and report it in ways that secure continued funding.

Outcome tracking systems (capital accessed, not just "workshops completed")
Funder reporting templates
Data collection processes
Success story frameworks
Board-ready impact reports

Reality Check:
What We DON'T Do

We don't sell you
shelf reports.

If you need someone to write a strategic plan that sits in a Google Drive, we're not your consultants.

We don't do
one-size-fits-all.

Your city, your entrepreneurs, your constraints are unique. We design for YOUR context, not generic "best practices."

We don't ignore capacity constraints.

If you have 3 staff and 200 entrepreneurs, we won't recommend a program that requires 10 staff to execute.

What You'll Actually Get

Ready-to-Use Curriculum

Advisor
Training

8-12 week capital access program frameworks with session plans, worksheets, advisor guides—adapt to your context and launch.

Train your team on capital provider criteria, funding landscape, how to match entrepreneurs to capital sources—they leave confident, not confused.

Templates
& Tools

Intake forms, assessment rubrics, tracking spreadsheets, reporting templates, success story frameworks.

Implementation Support

We don't disappear after delivery. Office hours, troubleshooting, refinement based on what's working—we're with you through implementation.

How We Work Together

From assessment to launch

1

Organizational Assessment

(1-2 weeks)

We start by understanding your current state. Who are you serving? What's working? What's not? What are your capacity constraints? What do your funders want? What do YOU want?

Custom curriculum and program framework designed for YOUR context. We build it WITH you (not for you), so your team owns it and can sustain it after we're gone.

2

Program

Design

(3-4 weeks)

Train your advisors and program managers. They need to understand lending criteria, capital landscape, how to match entrepreneurs to funding—we upskill them so they're confident.

3

Team

Training

(1-2 weeks)

— Name, Title

Pilot the program, gather feedback, refine. We hold office hours, troubleshoot challenges, help you adapt based on what's working. This isn't one-and-done—we iterate with you.

4

Launch &

Iteration

(2-6 months)

Is This Right for Your BSO?

Best fit criteria for BSO clients

Organization Type

Business incubators & accelerators
Small Business Development Centers
Economic development corporations
Entrepreneurship centers
Community development organizations

Organization Size

2-15 staff members
Serving 50-500 entrepreneurs/year
Budget: $200k-$3M annually
Primarily grant-funded or seeking diversification

Geography

Midsize cities (50k-500k population)
Rural and underserved markets
Midwest, Southeast, East Coast
Areas with limited capital provider access

Readiness Indicators

Entrepreneurs completing programs but not accessing capital
Funders asking for better outcomes
Staff capacity maxed out
Funding ending soon, need sustainability plan
Ready to focus on quality over quantity

Common Questions

Let's Talk About Your BSO

Most engagements start with a 30-minute call to understand your challenges

and explore whether we're a good fit. No pressure, no sales pitch

—just a real conversation about your programs and how we might help.