Key Takeaways:
- Delaware’s Office of Small Business Access (OSBA) gives entrepreneurs a single point of contact for licensing, permitting, regulatory and financing questions.
- OSBA connects Delaware’s roughly 111,000 small businesses to state grants, credits and financing programs through a dedicated Small Business Liaison Network.
- Business owners can reach OSBA at business.delaware.gov/osba, [email protected], 302-672-6828 or by text at 302-922-3299.
- Executive Order 21 mandates regulatory reforms including simpler food business approvals, coordinated inspections, faster invoice payments and a centralized financing clearinghouse.
Delaware’s Office of Small Business Access: What It Is, How It Works and How to Use It
Delaware launched the Office of Small Business Access to give entrepreneurs a single place to resolve licensing, permitting, and regulatory issues that slow startups and expansions. Created by Executive Order 21 and housed in the Delaware Division of Small Business, the office centralizes intake, coordinates agency responses and connects owners to financing and assistance programs. Delaware counts roughly 111,000 small businesses that employ about half the state’s workforce. Gov. Matt Meyer established the office during National Small Business Week, citing rising costs, competition, discrimination and red tape as persistent obstacles.
What Does OSBA Do and How Do You Use It?
OSBA serves as a single point of contact for entrepreneurs who would otherwise navigate multiple state departments for answers. Business owners can report problems, request guidance, and get routed to the right agencies for review and response. CJ Bell, director of the Division of Small Business, noted that state grants, credits and financing programs exist but can be hard to find. OSBA’s intake removes that guesswork.
To get help, small businesses can submit a concern at business.delaware.gov/osba by providing their business details, the issue and any relevant deadlines. The office can also be reached via email at [email protected], by phone at 302-672-6828 or by text at 302-922-3299.
What Tools and Networks Support Small Business Owners?
OSBA connects owners to a growing set of resources developed to cut delays and improve cross-agency coordination. Delaware is building a Small Business Liaison Network, placing named contacts inside agencies that oversee taxation, permitting and regulation. OSBA Director Anastasia Jackson, a Delaware native and former Division of Small Business manager, has worked with the Governor’s Office to identify liaisons and schedule recurring meetings. The office has also published industry roadmaps and checklists covering common registration, licensing and permitting requirements.
The Division of Small Business launched nine listening sessions across New Castle, Kent and Sussex counties beginning July 22. Topics include licensing, procurement, workforce needs and available resources. Feedback will shape regulatory updates and program design. Registration is available on the OSBA site.
What Reforms Are Coming Under Executive Order 21?
Executive Order 21 directs several concrete changes to state processes. Agencies will revise rules for cottage food and low-risk food businesses, including simpler approvals for home-based operators and eased commissary kitchen requirements for food trucks when safety standards are met. The order also calls for a coordinated multi-agency inspection pilot to cut repeat visits, a 15-day payment goal for qualifying small business invoices and a centralized clearinghouse for financing, assistance programs and Opportunity Zone resources, built in partnership with Delaware Prosperity Partnership. These changes target the friction points that most often slow hiring, openings and expansions.
Why This Model Matters for Small Businesses Everywhere
Delaware’s approach isn’t unique to Delaware’s problems. Small business owners across the country face the same friction: licensing requirements that vary by agency, permitting timelines that stretch without explanation, financing programs buried across multiple websites and no clear person to call when something stalls. What OSBA offers- a single intake point, named agency contacts, published roadmaps and a feedback loop that feeds into policy- is a model worth knowing. If you’re outside Delaware, check whether your state has a small business ombudsman, a dedicated navigator program or liaison contacts inside key regulatory agencies. Where those structures don’t exist, the case for building them is exactly what Delaware is demonstrating.
(Note: AI assisted in summarizing the key points for this story.)