A guide for business owners and the people who support them

Make the right connection. Keep the next step simple.

The Entrepreneur Ecosystem connects business owners to practical coaching, community, capital preparation, events, and resource partners. Whether a business is seeking financing or already has a loan, start with the need and connect the owner to the right next step.

Refer an ownerFind the right supportFind an SBDC, WBC, or SCOREFinancial professionals

What the Ecosystem can help with

Support begins with the owner's actual goal. A conversation helps identify the right program, tool, advisor, or outside professional.

Capital preparation

Organize the business story, financial questions, readiness, and documents before a financing conversation.

Check capital readiness

Coaching and learning

Work through business decisions with an advisor and find practical events and programs.

Talk with an advisor

Community and partners

Connect with business owners and explore local resources for accounting, legal, government, and other needs.

Browse resources

Start with the borrower’s need

A referral can come from a loan officer, processor, closer, servicing team member, advisor, or community partner. Name the business problem and the next action the owner wants. One owner may need AmPac loan support and outside business assistance at the same time.

Preparing to apply

Help the owner understand financing options, organize existing business records, build a plan or projections, and identify gaps in bookkeeping or operations.

Connect to: Ecosystem advisor, SBDC or WBC, financial professional.

Application in progress

Keep loan conditions and document questions with the assigned AmPac origination contact. Add technical assistance for financial statements, projections, business plans, market questions, or management capacity.

Connect to: assigned AmPac contact plus SBDC, WBC, or SCORE when useful.

After closing or during servicing

Bring payment, insurance, reporting, covenant, or loan modification questions to the assigned AmPac servicing contact promptly. Add coaching for cash flow, sales, staffing, operations, or recovery planning.

Connect to: assigned servicing contact plus business support center or accounting help.

If a payment or deadline is at risk: contact the assigned AmPac loan or servicing team directly and share the timing. An Ecosystem referral can support a business plan, but it does not change payment terms, satisfy a loan condition, or decide a credit request. Send financial documents only through the secure route your AmPac contact provides.

Business support centers to use alongside the Ecosystem

These centers provide counseling, training, and mentoring for owners at different stages. For an owner outside the Inland Empire, use the SBA local assistance finder to identify a nearby center; verify service area and appointment options with the center.

SBDC: business advising

Start here for a business plan, projections, capital preparation, operations, contracting, or growth questions. The Orange County Inland Empire SBDC network offers no-cost consulting across Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties.

Request an OCIE SBDC appointment · (800) 616-7232

WBC: counseling and programs

Women’s Business Centers help owners start, grow, and strengthen a business through counseling, training, and community. In the Inland Empire, contact IEWBC; in the Coachella Valley, contact CVWBC.

Inland Empire WBC · (833) 939-3709
Coachella Valley WBC · (833) 379-0019

SCORE: an experienced mentor

Use SCORE for ongoing, free business mentoring and workshops on strategy, marketing, cash flow, operations, or growth. An owner can request a mentor by topic and location.

SCORE Inland Empire · Request a SCORE mentor

These centers can complement a bookkeeper, accountant, CPA, or AmPac advisor. They are not the contact for an active loan's servicing instructions or credit decision.

Common reasons to make an Ecosystem referral

Use the owner's own words when asking for help. These starting points can be combined, and an advisor can help identify a more specific resource.

Money and records

Bookkeeping cleanup, cash flow, reporting, projections, pricing, or understanding financial statements.

See financial professionals · Ask an SBDC

Plan and growth

Business model, sales, marketing, customers, expansion, succession, or a second opinion on strategy.

Find a center or mentor · Talk with an advisor

Operations and people

Staffing, systems, technology, inventory, fulfillment, or making the business less dependent on the owner.

Explore resource partners · Find a mentor

Markets and contracts

Government contracting, export, new markets, certifications, or supplier readiness.

Ask an SBDC · Browse the directory

Specialist questions

Tax, legal, insurance, real estate, or other professional services that call for a qualified provider.

Browse resource partners · See accounting contacts

Learning and community

Workshops, peer connections, confidence with the numbers, and support after the immediate loan need is addressed.

Explore learning · Join the community

Financial professionals you can contact

Start with the work you need, then reach out to a person directly. This list combines AmPac resource partners, the Ecosystem resource directory, and active Optix member profiles set for directory display. Most firms are in Southern California; Blueprints & Bookkeeping is in Oregon. Contact routes are each firm's published business phone, website, or general mailbox; individual staff mailboxes are not listed. Confirm service area, fit, availability, scope, and fees with the firm. Ask the owner before making a warm introduction, and note that a listing does not mean the firm has agreed to accept referrals.

Bookkeeping and current records

Accounting and financial management

CPA firms and licensed CPA contacts

Tax preparation and planning

Learn to use your numbers

Business contact details checked against the linked public sources on September 25, 2026. Fifteen named people were active Optix members with profiles set to display in its directory when checked; the app's member-facing view was not independently confirmed. This is a sourced starting list, not every Optix member. Use each firm's current page or published business listing to confirm its services and contacts before reaching out. Read the referral and independent-provider disclosure before choosing a provider.

Accounting support that fits the work

Reliable financial reporting starts with accurate records and continues with the right level of review. One business may use more than one of these roles. Discuss the work needed with each professional before engaging them.

Bookkeeping

A bookkeeper records transactions, reconciles accounts, and keeps monthly reports current. Ask who reviews the work and how often you will receive a profit and loss statement and balance sheet.

Accounting and financial management

An accounting professional can review classifications and adjustments, close the books, strengthen reports, and help an owner use the numbers to make decisions. Ask who will perform and supervise the work.

CPA services

A CPA is a licensed accounting professional who may handle tax strategy, complex accounting questions, or assurance services when the business needs them. Ask which services and deliverables require a CPA and whether the firm can provide them.

What to ask before you engage: What work will you do? Who will perform and review it? What reports or deliverables will I receive, and when? What will it cost? Are you accepting new clients and experienced with a business like mine?

Keep growing beyond the first referral

Clean records help an owner see what is happening. Coaching, learning, and peer connections help turn that clarity into a growth plan.

Talk it through

Bring a business goal, a decision, or a reporting question to an advisor conversation and identify a practical next action.

Talk with an advisor

Build the skills

Explore business learning resources and programs that support stronger operations, financial understanding, and capital preparation.

Explore the Academy

Grow with community

Meet other owners, discover events, share useful updates, and stay connected through the member hub and the AmPac Business Capital app.

Join the community

Three steps to connect

1

Tell us the goal

Share the owner's business, the decision they are facing, and the kind of help they want through the referral form. A short introduction is enough to begin; the team reviews every referral before any introduction.

2

Join the network

Create an account in the member hub or download the AmPac Business Capital app for community, events, and connections.

3

Choose a next step

Explore SBDC, WBC, and SCORE, financial professionals, growth resources, or an advisor conversation. Ask our team to help find a fitting introduction.

Start here

Connect by phone or web

Ready-to-share introductions

Replace the bracketed details with the owner's information. Keep the first note short and make a direct introduction only after the owner agrees.

Sharing financial documents? Use the secure document route provided by your AmPac contact. Do not put tax returns, account numbers, or other sensitive records in an introduction message.

1. Introduce the Ecosystem to a business owner

Use in an email or message when you want to give someone a clear starting point.

Great [Morning/Afternoon] [First name],

I hope all is well. I would like to introduce you to the Entrepreneur Ecosystem, a community that helps business owners connect with coaching, practical business resources, events, and capital preparation.

Start at entrepreneur-ecosystem.com/connect-business-owners, join the member hub at entrepreneur-ecosystem.com/ee-community, or use the AmPac Business Capital app on your phone. The guide includes SBDC, Women’s Business Center, and SCORE connections, financial professionals, and an advisor conversation at entrepreneur-ecosystem.com/advisor.

Tell us what you are working toward and where you could use support. We will help identify a useful next step and a community to keep growing with.

Warmest regards,
[Your name]

2. Make a warm referral

Use after the owner has agreed to be connected. Copy the owner and a named Ecosystem contact.

Great [Morning/Afternoon] [Owner first name] and [Ecosystem contact],

I hope all is well. With [Owner first name]'s permission, I am glad to connect you both. [Owner name] leads [business] and would like to explore [brief goal the owner agreed to share]. [Ecosystem contact] can help identify relevant resources and a practical next step.

[Owner first name], the Entrepreneur Ecosystem website is entrepreneur-ecosystem.com. You can also join the member hub at entrepreneur-ecosystem.com/ee-community and browse resource partners at entrepreneur-ecosystem.com/resources.

I will let you two take it from here. Please keep me posted on how I can support the next step.

Warmest regards,
[Your name]

3. Refer an owner who needs stronger financial records

Use when the immediate need is bookkeeping, reporting, or accounting support.

Great [Morning/Afternoon] [First name],

I hope all is well. I would like to connect you with the Entrepreneur Ecosystem to help you strengthen your financial reporting. The right first step may be a bookkeeper to bring transactions and reconciliations current, an accountant to review the reports and adjustments, or a CPA for more complex accounting or tax questions.

Our guide at entrepreneur-ecosystem.com/connect-business-owners#professional-contacts lists financial professionals with their firms' published contact details, plus coaching and community resources. Please choose the person whose services fit your needs, or let me know if you would like a warm introduction.

If you are comfortable with an introduction, let me know the best way for the Ecosystem team to reach you. I would be glad to help you stay connected as your business grows.

Warmest regards,
[Your name]

4. Origination: add technical assistance to a loan conversation

For an owner preparing to apply or working with the origination team. Keep loan conditions with the assigned AmPac contact.

Great [Morning/Afternoon] [First name],

I hope all is well. As we work through your financing goals, I also want you to have practical support for [business plan / projections / bookkeeping / operations / market strategy]. The Entrepreneur Ecosystem guide at entrepreneur-ecosystem.com/connect-business-owners shows local SBDC and Women’s Business Center advising, SCORE mentoring, financial professionals, and our coaching and community resources.

Your AmPac loan contact remains the point person for application questions and document requests. If you would welcome a separate business support introduction, tell me which need you would like to tackle first and I can help connect you.

Warmest regards,
[Your name]

5. Servicing: pair loan support with business support

For an existing borrower who needs operating help while the servicing team handles the loan account.

Great [Morning/Afternoon] [First name],

I hope all is well. Thank you for sharing that [brief business challenge]. Please continue working directly with your AmPac servicing contact about [payment / insurance / reporting / other loan matter] and any upcoming deadline. I would also like to connect you with the Entrepreneur Ecosystem for help with [cash flow / bookkeeping / sales / operations / planning].

The guide at entrepreneur-ecosystem.com/connect-business-owners includes SBDC and Women’s Business Center counseling, SCORE mentors, financial professionals, and AmPac coaching and community resources. If you are comfortable with an introduction, let me know which kind of support would be most useful and the best way to reach you.

Warmest regards,
[Your name]

A note from Brian

I am Brian Kennedy Jr., Entrepreneur Ecosystem Director at AmPac Business Capital. I love helping business owners find the people, tools, and next steps that fit where they are today and where they want to go. If someone you know could use that kind of connection, we would be glad to hear their story.

Refer an ownerConnect with our teamTalk with an advisor

About referrals and introductions. The Entrepreneur Ecosystem is an educational support service that helps business owners discover independent professionals and organizations. A listing or introduction is not an endorsement, credential check, promise of service, or guarantee of results. Being listed does not mean a provider has agreed to accept a referral. Listed outside providers operate independently; a listing or introduction does not make them AmPac or Entrepreneur Ecosystem employees or agents. Before engaging anyone, confirm their qualifications, licensing where applicable, services, availability, fees, and terms directly with them. You decide whether to work with a provider and are responsible for that separate relationship. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, AmPac Business Capital and Entrepreneur Ecosystem are not responsible for an independent provider’s advice, services, acts, omissions, or resulting loss. Nothing here limits rights or remedies that cannot lawfully be limited. Using or declining an outside provider does not affect an AmPac loan application, underwriting, pricing, or approval. This guide is general education, not legal, tax, accounting, or individualized financial advice, and is not a commitment to lend or an offer of credit. To request a correction or removal from this directory, contact our team. See our Terms of Use.