Small Business Center Fosters Success
Starting and growing a small business and maintaining its vibrancy are not easy things to do. Those who pursue the dream of entrepreneurship must be willing to take risks other won’t such as working around the clock, often acting as CEO, managing sales and accounting, and whatever else it takes to get the job done. The RCC Small Business Center under the direction of Bob Moore, continues to provide guidance and training needs to the area’s small business owners and individuals, as well as entrepreneurial training to start a small business.
RCC’s Small Business Center (SBC) is one of the 58 centers in the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) Small Business Center Network (SBNC) that provides assistance to small business owners and prospective owners through a variety of services including, but not limited to, no fee counseling, referral services and network opportunities. RCC’s SBC offers 60 to 65 seminars, classes and workshops related to a business start- up per year. Over 2,000 individuals received some type of service from RCC’s SBC last fiscal year.
The College’s SBC also provides classes for individuals and business professionals to obtain licensure, certifications and continuing education credit hours. Some of the Occupational Extension classes offered are: notary public education, vehicle safety inspection, on-board diagnostic inspections, real estate broker pre-licensing and national electric code license preparation, along with many others. The SBC counseled 43 new and existing business clients during the last fiscal year. As a result, of these clients and the 2,000 plus individuals who attended SBC and Occupational Extension Services seminars and classes, 48 new jobs were created and 136 jobs were retained.
In 2006 local construction contractors approached the College seeking relief from the lack of trained heavy equipment operators in the region. The RCC SBC sought and received grant funds from the Golden Leaf Foundation to help relieve the shortage in this skilled profession. The first class began in February 2007 under the direction of the SBC and 38 individuals received certification within the first year. Due to the need of training and success of the project, the college was awarded a second round of funding from Golden Leaf in early 2008.
RCC’s SBC is one of six centers in the state to receive funding from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Growing America through Entrepreneurship, or Project GATE. The 3-year Project GATE supports economic freedom through promoting individual entrepreneurship. Project GATE seeks to energize local small business creation and help diverse urban and rural populations create, support and expand small businesses. Funds from the project will allow RCC’s SBC to employ a part-time coordinator to work with qualified Workforce Investment Act (WIA) participants who have an interest in entrepreneurship.
The SBC will host its annual Entrepreneurship Academy this spring. The workshops will focus on business plan construction, marketing, taxes, funding, licenses, and identifying common mistakes that many new business owners make. SBC Director Moore notes that the event has been very successful in the past.
“We have had 34 participants complete the program and those participants have bonded and work closely together in sharing ideas to help launch their businesses. The Academy provides participates an opportunity to network and form relationships that will assist them with building their businesses”, Moore says.
The upcoming Entrepreneur Academy is scheduled for two weekend sessions. The first session is scheduled for February 27 & 28. The second session is slated for March 6 & 7. Both sessions will be held on the RCC campus.
In addition to the Entrepreneurship Academy, the SBC offers the REAL (Rural Entrepreneurship through Action Learning) seminar for individuals interested in opening or expanding their own small business. Participants who successfully complete the intensive course are eligible to apply for a revolving loan fund for start-up capital.
Small businesses are the driving force of our economy and small business ownership allows people to realize dreams, not only for the owners and their families, but for those they employ and those they serve.
“There is an abundance of small businesses and entrepreneurship potential in our area”, Moore says. “Businesses assisted by RCC’s SBC acquired over 15 contracts in excess of $3,500,000 and clients reported sales increases of over 57 percent as a result of the assistance and educational services offered by our Center”, Moore added.
For more information about the RCC Small Business Center, please contact Bob Moore at 272-3631 or visit www.robeson.edu.
