Business Resource Center  Business Assistance Through Information  

 

The Rowan County Chamber of Commerce is a separate organization from the Rowan Works-Salisbury-Rowan Economic Development Commission-www.rowanedc.com/ and Rowan County Convention and Visitors Bureau -www.visitsalisburync.com but are all housed at the Gateway building at 204 E. Innes St.  The purpose of this webpage is to assist business people start or expand their business to find local, state and federal agency resources.

 

A significant component of the Rowan County Chamber of Commerce 1998 Focused Future campaign was the establishment this online and physical resource center for start up businesses and expansion of small business. Many links on this site will provide some information FREE but there might be a charge for additional information.  The actual physical resource center is located at the Chamber's facility "The Gateway" at 204 East Innes St. within the Chamber office and is available first come, first served, with computer, printer, magazines, basic business forms and resource guides. You will even find business plan software an including samples. An appointment to use the center is not necessary. Free confidential Business Counseling is also available - please call the Chamber for an appointment- 704-633-4221.

 

Business Internet Fundamentals Free Training -   Grow your business 46% faster than other businesses                   

A lot of businesses are reinventing their business with Internet expansion due to the explosion of Internet visitors. Find out what business costs you can reduce, how to increase revenues, monitor product success, and improve customer service and more. You can Learn at your pace for FREE. Each tutorial is are focused on helping you understand the internet, telling you why the internet is important to your business and showing you strategic tools and resources for enhancing your business. Geared to help you boost your bottom line business, this site offers 20 minute tutorials, broken down into five focused presentations.

How to Start or Grow Your Small Business in rowan county

An Informative Printable Booklet & Links . . . Prepared by: Rowan-Cabarrus Community College Small Business Center

Do More Business with Large Employers  

rowan county resources (rOWAN-cABARRUS entrepreneurial council)

 

NEED SOME BUSINESS ASSISTANCE from Local Resources?

 

1) Rowan-Cabarrus Community College Small Business Center (RCCC)- www.rowancabarrus.edu/sbc, 1333 Jake Alexander Blvd, Salisbury, (704) 637-0760
Have an idea for starting a small business and just don’t know how to get started?  Are you in the process of writing a business plan and need someone to review your progress?  Confused as to the proper entity you should be or just want to kick some ideas around and get feedback? The Small Business Center at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College is part of the Community College System's Statewide Small Business Center Network. The Center provides assistance to potential and existing small business owners in both Rowan and Cabarrus counties as follows:

2) University of North Carolina at Charlotte Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC)

SBTDC provides in-depth management counseling and education services designed to help business owners make better decisions in achieving their business goals. Counselors are experienced and knowledgeable advisors that work with businesses, providing information, guidance and feedback to entrepreneurs.  Counseling includes assistance in financial planning, human resources, operations, business and strategic planning, feasibility assessment, advertising and marketing.  Basic counseling services are provided at no charge, as the SBTDC is funded in part with federal and state tax dollars.   The SBTDC Procurement Technical Assistance Center can also help you with a free counseling session on doing business with state & federal government (Over 250 KB to load) and potential funding by Angel Investors.  Counselors are available to meet with clients at the Charlotte Regional Center or at your business.  Meetings are scheduled by appointment by calling 704-548-1090 or 919-807-4533, 704-548-1090 x 3346.

 

3) Catawba College- www.catawba.edu , 2300 W. Innes Street, Salisbury, 704-637-4111

Catawba College’s Corriher Linn Black Library has one of the areas largest collections of business related resources. Several subscriptions to business related journals are maintained there, along with a large number of reference materials. The Catawba College library is the only local repository for federal documents in the area and the library catalog can be searched online by clicking here http://libweb.catawba.edu/.  The Ketner School of Business offers free business counseling services to students and residents alike.

 

4) Livingstone College-www.livingstone.edu ,701 W. Monroe Street, Salisbury, 704-216-6000, The library at Livingstone College has business related periodicals and business reference materials.  

 

5)  Rowan Public Library (RPL)  is a three branch library system with branches in Salisbury, Rockwell and Landis.  One of the area's largest collections of business related reference and circulating materials are located at library headquarters in Salisbury. 

Headquarters
201 W. Fisher Street
Salisbury, NC 
704-638-3000

South Branch
102 N. Central Avenue
Landis, NC 
704-857-3579

East Branch
110 Broad Street
Rockwell, NC
704-279-5014

Business related materials at RPL include reference materials and books for check-out, electronic databases, business journals, audio books, and videos.  These materials cover a broad range of business related subject areas including business directories, management, corporation records, financial reports, stock information, accounting, business correspondence, statistics, buyer’s guides, marketing, tax and legal information, planning and proposal writing, small business startup, and much, much more. The library also provides access to Pro-Net (SBA’s Procurement Marketing and Access Network), NCLIVE, and offers Internet and E-mail classes on a regular basis.  We also offer workstations on a reservation or first come-first serve basis with productivity applications.

 

 

Regional Resources Funding your Business' Needs

 

The North Carolina Department of Commerce is the state’s main agency for economic development. Recruitment is supported by the Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC), a program of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill which provides counseling and technical assistance to businesses.  Their business ServiCenter is a statewide centralized clearinghouse for NC entrepreneurs and business owners to information on services, programs, resources, technical assistance, state business license and regulatory information and potential sources of capital.  The ServiCenter staff provides individualized one-on-one consultations to answer questions, resolve issues, identify and make referrals to appropriate local, regional and statewide service providers.   They assist potential business owners navigate through the start-up process and provide all forms, applications and guidelines for state requirements to do business in NC.  They work with existing businesses to provide information and referrals to relevant programs and service providers to help them through challenging problems & issues as well as growth and expansion. “ CONTACT for a FREE telephone consultation or for more information:  www.nccommerce.comBusinessServices/StartYourBusiness

919-715-2850

   

The North Carolina Department of Revenue  provides information for both the general public and tax practitioners on individual, corporate, property and sale/use taxes.  Tax Forms and Publications  can be browsed and downloaded.  The North Carolina Department of Insurance provides information on employer and patient obligations and rights.

 

NC Investment Tax Credit Program

NC Dept. Secretary of State

Securities Division
300 N. Salisbury Street
Raleigh, NC 27603

919-733-3924
(Provides a credit against state taxes for investments in qualified business ventures, grantee businesses and NC Enterprise Corporations.)
 

NC State Demographics/State Data Center

State Planning, State Demographer/State Data Center/Center for Geographic Information Analysis

116 West Jones Street
Raleigh, NC 27603-8003
919-733-4131

 

North Carolina Institute of Minority Economic Development

www.ncimed.com

114 West Parrish Street, 4th Floor; P.O. Box 1331

Durham, NC 27701

Telephone: 9199568889

 

Business Link North Carolina! BLNC, or "blink," is your starting point to access an extensive network of experts who can help your business succeed, whether your company is on the Fortune 500 list - or in its start-up phase. Most services, provided by statewide, state-supported agencies, are available free of charge; others such as workshops and courses may require a small fee. To access services in North Carolina, you can: Call BLNC toll-free, 1-800-228-8443, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time, to talk with one of our business consultants or go to www.blnc.gov.

 

UNCC Charlotte Ben Craig Center Venture Development, 8701 Mallard Creek Rd., Charlotte, 704-548-9113, contact@bencraigcenter.com

The Ben Craig Center is a non-profit corporation affiliated with UNCC providing incubation facilities, training programs and advisory services for the region’s small businesses. The Center is located on Mallard Creek Road. This activity will eventually be relocated to the Charlotte Research Institute.

 

Business Innovation and Growth Council (BIG): www.bigcouncil.com

BIG is a membership organization and it's vision, supported by Inc. Magazine, is to create an intimate community of successful high growth entrepreneurs (targeting CEOS, founders and executive level in the Charlotte and regional areas) who share similar challenges; learn best practices for fast growth companies and benefit from a meaningful and rewarding peer to peer exchange. Events include expert speakers on raising capital, Angel Investors and social media strategies.

 

Interested in obtaining financing by Angel Investors? Call for free counseling from University of North Carolina at Charlotte Small Business and Technology Development Center. Counselors are available to meet with clients at the Charlotte Regional Center or at your business.  Meetings are scheduled by appointment by calling 704-548-1090 or 919-807-4533, 704-548-1090 x 3346.  www.sbtdc.org

 

Angel Investors, funded by the Kaufman Foundation is a program designed to help Angel Investors (high net worth value) with or without angel investment. Private seminars are offered for experienced or potential investors in a "protected environment" without solicitations from service providers and entrepreneurs looking for financing at many institutions.

Inception MicroAngel Fund (IMAF)  is a member-managed angel capital fund. The fund seeks to involve a base of successful investors from a wide variety of professional fields. It enhances wealth creation of its members by investing dollars as well as time and relationships in early stage, high quality, and high growth companies in order that those companies achieve success. Please check into each IMAF to determine its specific location needs. IMAF Family of Seed Stage Funds effectively targets technology-based companies at their earliest stage of funding. The investment program coupled with extensive mentoring, counseling and education assists in guiding the company through successful development while positioning them to attract additional funding from larger angel and/or venture capital groups such as  Source Capital. The model is a committed, member-managed angel capital fund designed to take advantage of the growth in entrepreneurial activity and venture financing in North Carolina. IMAF Charlotte investing primarily in the North Carolina Research Campus and southern region of North Carolina. It is a part of North Carolina’s Family of Funds and seeks to invest both dollars and time in seed stage, high growth companies and spin outs from Duke University , UNC Chapel Hill, UNC Charlotte, UNC Greensboro and the greater Charlotte area.www.imafcharlotte.com. IMAF Triad  invests in the Piedmont-Triad area of North Carolina from Wake Forest University, UNC Greensboro, NC School of the Arts, WSSU and N.C. A&T State University. www.imaftriad.com

 

Federal Level Resources

 

Need facts about your industry or community?  Want data on your target market?   Go to the Census Bureau for all kinds of factual data.  Census data can be used as a basis for analyzing business risks, identifying areas where your products and services are needed and making sure you are reaching the right communities in the right way.

 

The U.S. Department of Commerce  promotes the economic health of the nation by gathering information, facilitating the use of technology, and supporting U.S. competitiveness in the world marketplace. It is the parent agency for the Bureau of the Census, the Patent and Trademark Office, the Bureau of Export Administration, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The department’s Minority Business Development Agency  provides business and management support to minority and disadvantaged Americans. Links enable you to choose the geographical area where you wish to do business and then locate local MBDA Centers and other minority business resources.

 

The Bureau of the Census offers several guides to its site: search by A to Z subject headings, use a word search, select a state and county for quick facts, or use the "America Fact Finder" to create data tables and maps from the bureau's largest data sets. Please click on these links for business opportunities.

 

The U.S. Department of Labor  has a "Laws & Regs" link to "Small Business Regulatory Compliance Assistance" and to a "Summary of Laws, Regulations and Technical Assistance" designed for use by small businesses but containing information useful to all employers and employees. The department's "Statistics & Data" link provides easy access to the "Bureau of Labor Statistics Data" site: click on "News Releases" to view the latest Consumer Price Index summary.

 

The Internal Revenue Service provides tax information to businesses of all sizes on what taxes to pay and how to pay them: Click on the "Small Business Corner" and then the link "Operating Your Business."

 

SCORE is a free counseling/mentoring service: www.score.org/index.  SCORE "Counselors to America's Small Business" also has a website for women at www.score.org/women/site.The websites provide interactive tools, mentoring, workshops and articles that can help entrepreneurs achieve their business dreams. Visitors are encouraged to complete a simple registration form to take advantage of the full range of options.

 

The U.S. Business Advisor is a one-stop electronic link to all the information and services which government provides to the business community in the areas of business development, financial assistance, taxes, laws and regulations and workplace issues.
 

Federal Grants -The Department of Labor oversees grant programs focusing on the workforce needs of employers. To keep apprised of federal grant opportunities, go to www.grants.gov/. You can sign up for an e-mail alert announcing grant opportunities. You can also search by using such keywords as "workforce" or "training," or you can search by specific federal agency, such as the Department of Commerce. Training and development grants may also be available through the National Science Foundation and the Small Business Administration, among other groups.

 

Business Resource Links (These links are placed to provide some free & helpful information , please let us know if there is website listed that does not adhere to these standards) including advertising, business planning, credit, data, directories, employee management, federal agencies, funding, financing, government bidding, grants, incubators, loans, location, leadership, marketing, media, NC Agencies, scams, speakers, tax, trade show and women & minority information.

 

Business Planning

Small Business Administration Business Startup Guide

North Carolina Rural Center Business Resource Alliance

Call the Chamber for free Financial and Business Planning Counseling at 704-633-4221 

Hop On The Bus Business Plan Competition

Palo Alto Software, free business plan samples and links:  www.bplans.com

Small Business Guide-www.toolkit.com/small_business_guide;

 

Credit

Annualcreditreport.com- free annual credit report of all three agencies once a year

Equifax
1-800-685-1111
equifax.com

 

Experian
1-888-397-3742
experian.com

TransUnion
1-800-916-8800

transunion.com

Consumer Protection Agency-www.ftc.gov/bcp/consumer.shtm- Report inaccuracies on credit report including sample dispute letter

Credit Reports & Scoring - www.ftc.gov/bcp/menus/consumer/credit/reports.shtm

Scoring and payments-ftc.gov/credit

 

Data

Business Statistics- www.BIZSTATS.COM

Bureau of Labor Statistics Data
FedStats

U.S. Census Bureau-www.CENSUS.GOV 

 

Directories-  a page of Directory and Media resources

 

Employee Management

Employee Benefits Research Institute:  www.ebri.org

Employment Laws- interactive advice & info on the latest regulatory laws: www.dol.gov/elaws

Equal Employment Opportunity, Office of:  www.gsa.gov/eeo

Hiring Toolkit- HR Internet Guide

National Employee Benefits www.benefitslink.com

Free new business packet- NC Labor Department

Occupational Information Network (O*Net) www.onetcenter.org

Occupational Information Network (Spanish Translation)-www.onetcenter.org/db_spanish.html

 

Federal Agencies

Census Department:  www.census.gov

Environmental Protection Agency:  www.epa.gov

Federal Trade Commission:  www.ftc.gov

National Climatic Data Center: www.ncdc.noaa.gov

North Carolina Secretary of State's Office

Small Business Administration:  www.sba.gov/

US Dept. of Commerce: www.commerce.gov/

US Government Online Gateway:  www.fedworld.gov

US Securities & Exchange Commission:  www.sec.gov

 

Financing/Funding/ Grants/ Loans

Bloomberg Business News- www.bloomberg.com

Corporate Financials Online- financials on mostly smaller companies: www.cfonews.com

New York Stock Exchange:  www.nyse.com

Personal Finance: Money 101: Glossary

Scoring and payments-ftc.gov/credit 

Business Innovation and Growth Council (BIG): www.bigcouncil.com

Community Development Block Grants 

Education Grant Information: Rowan County Chamber of Commerce Geared Up 4 Success Website: www.gearedup4success.com

Grants and Loans-  The best federal consumer publications available- Catalog

North Carolina Biotechnology Center

N.C. Rural Economic Development Center

SBIR/STTR Small Business Technology Funding

 

Government Bidding

How do to business with the Government Booklet

Regional Stimulus Watch/ Stimulus Home | Helpful Stimulus-Related Sites

 

Incubators

UNCC Ben Craig Center (Charlotte)

 

Leadership

Leadership Rowan

Leadership Resources

 

Location

Downtown Salisbury Inc. www.downtownsalisburync.com

Realtors at www.rowanchamber.com

Rowan Works-Salisbury-Rowan Economic Development Commission-www.rowanedc.com/

 

Marketing/Advertising & Sales (website resources too!)

 

Media

 

NC Agencies

Charlotte Regional Partnership

IBM Patent Server:  www.ibm.com/ibm/licensing

Institute of Government- summary of legislative bills by topic and NC leg. activity: www.sog.unc.edu

NC General Assembly:  www.ncga.state.nc.us

Patent Search System:  www.ibiblio.org/patents

Questions forum: www.asktheinventors.com

US Patent & Trademark Office:  www.uspto.gov

 

Resources

Your online free counselor- www.AskJim.biz

Chamber of Commerce Employee information www.cipe.org/vba

Hill Business Library www.bizinfolibrary.org

SME Toolkit from World Bank www.smetoolkit.org/smetoolkit/

 

 

 

Scam Reporting

National Fraud Information Center- www.fraud.org

Scams- Better Business Bureau

www.internic.net

 

Speakers

Speaker Evaluation Form -Chamber's Business Council

 

Tax

Education Links in the Regional Area: www.Geared Up For Success.com

FREE 60-Second Guides

 

Trade Shows

Chamber's Business Show is in the spring each year, call for details- 704-633-4221

Expoweb-www.expoweb.com

 

Women & Minority

National Association of Women Business Owners- www.nawbo.org

National Foundation for Women Business Owners- www.nfwbo.org/

North Carolina Center for Women Business Owners- www.wcof.org

SBA support programs for women in business- www.sba.gov/services/specialaudiences/women/index.html

Springboard

Women's Social Network- www.SavorTheSuccess.com

Women’s Work site for business women- www.wwork.com

National Minority Suppliers Development Council- www.nmsdcus.org
Women's Business Enterprise National Council- www.wbenc.org

 

If you have found this page helpful, please give us your comments at info@rowanchamber.com

 

Updated 5/28/2010