Zendo Heshiki has owned a swimming pool service company for 10 years, and he recently needed a loan to buy some equipment to expand his business.

But like many small-business owners, Heshiki wasn't sure how to go about getting the loan. He went to the state's Business Action Center for help and was referred to another government-funded agency that he did not know existed.

Three weeks after sitting down with a representative from the Small Business Development Center Network, Heshiki was approved for a $7,500 loan. He said the terms of the loan are agreeable to him because they will allow him to have "maximum cash flow without any penalties of actually paying it off early."

Heshiki, owner of The Pool Shark, said he's glad that he was referred to the SBDC.

"I definitely would not have have known about this certain type of small-business loan," he said.

The SBDC is an arm of the U.S. Small Business Administration and receives its funding from the SBA and the state Legislature. The agency has offices on O'ahu, Kaua'i, Maui and the Big Island and offers free consulting and management advice, as well as training to small-business owners and those who want to start a business.

Although more than 2,200 people visited a center last year, the director of the Honolulu office said the SBDC is underutilized and would welcome more clients. Caroline Kim said everyone who is considering starting a business should meet with an agency such as hers first. But Kim said many of the workshops sponsored by the SBDC aren't well-attended, and that surprises her because of the difficulties small-business owners face.

"Startups need to come and see somebody. It might not be us, but they should be talking to someone who's in the industry or somebody who can give them the overall bird's-eye view before they quit their jobs, before they borrow their money, before they sign their leases," Kim said. "We want to step in at the beginning and say, 'Have you considered this and this and this? Have you done your surveys?' "

Kim said the SBDC asks that clients put together a business plan and cash-flow projections. She also tells people to not commit large sums of money to a business until they are sure they can afford to start a company.

Often, Kim has to tell people that they are not ready to start a business.

"Success isn't always spelled out by the bottom line of a profit. Success is also that you look at everything and even at the end of the day, if you decided not to go into business because the numbers weren't working, to me that's successful as well," Kim said.

For the most part, however, the SBDC's goal is to help budding entrepreneurs, whether they're starting a business or buying a franchise. Kim said the SBDC also assists existing businesses, such as Heshiki's, that "need a little nudge here and there."

In addition to the loan, Heshiki said the SBDC also provided him with access to resources and information that will help him run his business. Among the resources was the SBDC's Hawai'i Business Research Library on Maui.

But Heshiki said people should know that they just can't walk into an SBDC office and expect results without putting in a little effort. He said he had to fill out several forms even before he could meet with Kim.

"The first thing (Kim) wanted to do was understand what I do and she wanted to understand what my vision was as far as what am I doing, where am I going, what do I see as happening in my business," Heshiki said. "That was very nice of her to actually listen."

Kim said her agency wants to help more people like Heshiki and is trying to get the word out more by holding workshops and speaking at other business forums.

"We're out there to help you," Kim said.