New center more than a hangout for entrepreneurs: SBA debuts Business Info Center in Mid-Wilshire.

Entrepreneurs can flip through a loose-leaf binder or manipulate a computer program and learn how to start or run small businesses at the Small Business Administration's recently opened Business Information Center.

The center, about 4,000 square feet in size, is situated at 3600 Wilshire Blvd. in the Mid-Wilshire district.

The center houses printed information telling entrepreneurs how to start up different types of businesses or operate a business in any of the 50 states, and miscellaneous information on everything from getting a contractor's license to exporting.

The center's nine computers, meanwhile, are equipped with numerous programs to provide entrepreneurs with additional services.

One program, for instance, helps entrepreneurs project how much money they will make and what expenses they will incur. Other programs simulate situations entrepreneurs might encounter in their quest to build a business, such as facing a loan officer when applying for a loan.

"It's very helpful. It's like an interview process if you're not prepared," said Byron Barbour, a designer of high-end clothing and accessories, who used the loan application program.

The center's services are free of charge. Business Development Officer Ted Luszcz said about five entrepreneurs per day have utilized the services since the center opened Oct. 29.

The new center provides information similar to that found at the SBA's main Glendale office, but provides more extensive computer services, Luszcz said.

One of the first resources visitors see when they walk in the door are the 160 Business Start-up Guide volumes published by Irvine-based Entrepreneur Group. Each volume tells how to start a business with only $5,000 to 20,000.

"These are the best start-up guides I've seen, and I've been looking at start-up guides for 20 years," said Skip Cooper, interim executive director of the Black Business Association.

On an adjacent bookcase, 50 volumes published by Grants Pass, Ore.-based Oasis Press tell readers how to start a business in any particular state.

Another bookshelf is filled with SBA pamphlets. Some titles include "Starting & Succeeding in Business, a Guide for California Entrepreneurs," "ABC's of Borrowing," "Effective Business Communication" and "Reducing Shoplifting Losses."

Over at the computer terminals, entrepreneurs can obtain specific statistics on their particular line of business. A "Profit and Loss" program helps them plan how much business they should expect to do, their sales volume and types of expenses they should plan on incurring, among other details.

A "Cash Flow" program helps entrepreneurs figure out when to expect money to flow into the company and from where, as well as how the money will leave the company and for what purposes.

At another terminal, New York-based Dun & Bradstreet Corp. provides additional statistical information.

Using the "Insight" program, entrepreneurs can choose the industry in which they are interested, such as retail; an industry subcategory, such as variety stores; and a business size, such as one with assets less than $1 million.

Dun & Bradstreet then provides the user with financial statements for that particular type of business. Some financial statistics it compiles are fixed assets, bank loans, net sales and gross profits.

John Holbert, co-owner of Sun Valley-based Bardwell's Florist, said he plans to compare his profit-and-loss statement with the one that shows up on the computer screen.

"Obviously, the recession has taken a bite out of things. I'm trying to find out if we're holding our own business-wise with other florist shops," Holbert said.

The SBA's own database, which provides information about the agency's various programs, is also available on the computers.

Members of the Service Corps of Retired Executives Association, a group of former managers who function as consultants, act as counselors and "sounding boards" for entrepreneurs who visit the center. Two counselors are available daily from 9:30 a.m. until 2 p.m.

At the center visitors can also watch videotapes that give entrepreneurs guidelines for their businesses.

The center is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, but Cooper said it should be open Saturdays because many entrepreneurs who need to use it don't have time during the week.

The Black Business Association and the SBA District Advisory Council are trying to devise an alternative way of opening the center on Saturdays since the SBA doesn't have the funds to do so, Cooper said.