Starting a Business
Starting a new business requires a great deal of preparation. From assessing your readiness to be a business owner to launching your business and everything in between, Charlotte has resources to help position you and your business for success.
The below resources are knowledgeable and passionate about small business and can help you get started on the right path to business success today.
SCORE
SCORE, counselors to America’s small businesses and a resource partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), is a nonprofit association dedicated to entrepreneurial education and the formation, growth and success of small businesses nationwide. SCORE provides free and confidential small business advice for entrepreneurs and small businesses. The Charlotte chapter has more than 60 volunteers to provide face-to-face business mentoring and workshops for aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners.
Institute for Entrepreneurship at CPCC
The Institute for Entrepreneurship seeks to increase the success of small business in Mecklenburg County by providing expert and readily accessible assistance to prospective and existing small business owners and their employees. Through education, training, and one-on-one counseling services, the Institute can help you answer your business questions and position you and your business for success. Businesses located in surrounding counties can contact the Small Business Center (SBC) at their local community college.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library
Sample business plans, business research tools, searchable data bases and much more are all available on the second floor of the Main Library. Also available is The Foundation Center’s Cooperating Collection of nonprofit and grant materials. In addition, SCORE® provides free Individual Counseling Sessions to Business Start-Ups and Entrepreneurs at the Main Library every Tuesday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. by appointment.
Small Business & Technology Development Center (late-stage start-up)
Best for late-stage start-ups (those with an existing business plan and that are ready to “launch” their business) and existing businesses, the SBTDC helps small business owners meet the challenges of today’s business environment, manage their ever-changing world, and plan for the future of their business. The SBTDC provides management counseling and educational services to small and mid-sized businesses with a primary focus on management counseling issues such as financing, marketing, human resources, operations, and business planning and feasibility assessment.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
My Own Business.org
My Own Business, Inc. is a nonprofit organization committed to helping people succeed in business by offering free on-line comprehensive course work presented by successful business owners in an effort to foster success and prevent and mitigate human suffering and economic losses arising from preventable mistakes.
James J. Hill Reference Library
Considered one of the most comprehensive business libraries in the country, the James J. Hill reference library houses a world-class collection of practical business information and resources for every stage of your business.
