SBA North Carolina Small Business Resource Guide
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NORTH CAROLINA EDITION 2020 Small Business resource guide How to Grow Your BUSINESS in North Carolina 1 2 CONTENTS North Carolina Edition 2020 Local Business Funding Assistance Programs 8 National Success Story 26 National Success Story Jerado and Joyce Reynolds Jennifer and Jeff Herbert’s know their local landscape for meadery has expanded into a entrepreneurship support. multimillion dollar enterprise thanks to SBA assistance. 11 Local SBA Resource Partners 29 SBA Lenders 13 Your Advocates 34 Go Global with International Trade 14 How to Start a Business 36 R&D Opportunities for 18 Opportunities for Veterans High Growth Startups 19 10 Steps to Start 38 National Success Story Your Business Cheeseburger Baby owner Stephanie Vitori persevered 20 Entrepreneurial through a financial storm and a Opportunities natural disaster. 22 Write Your Business Plan 42 Surety Bonds 24 Local Success Story 44 Need Financing? When Steven Ceccarelli wanted to distribute Fresh Produce Inc. products overseas, he turned to Contracting the SBA. 45 National Success Story Jennifer Rahn steers the course for Admiral Engineering, succeeding as a small business subcontractor. 47 Government Contracting 48 SBA Certification Programs 49 Woman-Owned Small Business certification ON THE COVER Steven Ceccarelli, courtesy of the SBA 3 Let us help give voice to your story. SCOPE OF SERVICES We have all heard the phrase “content is king.” Creating rich, engaging, and inspiring content differentiates your brand in the Brand Voice Catalogs marketplace. But who has time to focus on Articles Visitor Guides anything other than running their business? Narrative works with you to develop Blogs Books the tools to tell your story across all Website Content Copywriting media platforms. Powerful and authentic Social Media Posts Photography storytelling helps you stand out. It inspires Email Content Videos action. It creates an emotional impact and Brochures forges enduring relationships. It separates you from the competition. To schedule a meeting or to learn more, contact Buddy Butler at [email protected] BY NEW SOUTH MEDIA or call 304.615.9884. 4 5 PUBLISHED BY New South Media, Inc. 304.413.0104 | newsouthmedia.com PUBLISHER Nikki Bowman, [email protected] DESIGNER Hayley Richard, [email protected] ASSOCIATE EDITORS Pam Kasey, [email protected] Jess Walker, [email protected] OPERATIONS MANAGER Holly Leleux-Thubron, [email protected] ADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR Heather Mills, [email protected] ADVERTISING SALES Meggan Hoyman, Kelley McGinnis, Bryson Taylor [email protected] Copyright: New South Media, Inc. Reproduction in part or whole is strictly prohib- ited without the express written permission of the publisher. © 2019 NEW SOUTH MEDIA, INC., ALL RIGHTS RESERVED The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Marketing & Customer Service directs the publication of the Small Business Resource Guide under SBA Contract #SBAHQ- 17-C-0018. SBA publication summer 2019 national edition #mcs-0089. WRITER/EDITOR Becky Bosshart (202) 205-6677 [email protected] DIRECTOR OF MARKETING Paula Panissidi Tavares [email protected] The SBA’s participation in this publication is not an endorsement of the views, opinions, products or services of the contractor or any advertiser or other participant appearing here. All SBA programs and services are extended to the public on a nondis- criminatory basis. Directory listings do not constitute or imply an endorsement by the SBA of any opinions, products, or services of any private individual or entity. Printed in the United States of America. While every reasonable effort has been made to ensure that the information con- tained here is accurate as of the date of publication, the information is subject to change without notice. The contractor that publishes this guide, the federal govern- ment, or agents thereof shall not be held liable for any damages arising from the use of or reliance on the information contained in this publication. 6 6302 Fairview Road, suite 300 SBA North Carolina Charlotte, NC 28210 (704) 344-6585 District Office @SBA_NC Asheville Office Raleigh Office Wilmington Office A-B Tech Enka Wake Tech Community College Cape Fear Community College 1465 Sand Hill Road, suite 2032 6600 Louisburg Road, room 351 502 N. Front St., suite 530 Candler, NC 28715 Raleigh, NC 27616 Wilmington, NC 28401 (202) 805-8947 (919) 532-5525 (910) 398-0746 District Director Letter District Director Lender Relations Thomas A. Stith III Specialist elcome to the 2020 edition of the U.S. Small Business (704) 344-6579 Walter Lara-Figueroa Administration’s North Carolina Small Business Resource [email protected] (704) 344-6811 Guide. The SBA helps make the American dream of small [email protected] Wbusiness ownership a reality. We are the only federal agency dedicated Deputy District Director to helping our 30 million small businesses start, grow, expand, or recover Mike Arriola Public Affairs Specialist after a disaster. (704) 344-6578 Gregory Grevelding To get started, visit an SBA office or one of our SBA Resource Partners. [email protected] (704) 344-6588 Starting on pg. 9 you will find listings for free or low-cost business [email protected] advisers, which includes Small Business Development Centers, SCORE Lead Business mentors, Women’s Business Centers, and the Veterans Business Outreach Opportunity Specialist Program Support Center. Interested in small business financing? Find out if SBA-backed Aregnaz Mooradian Assistant financing is right for you by consulting with an SBA specialist at one of (704) 344-6396 Erin Connell our partner lending institutions, listed in the green Funding Programs [email protected] (704) 344-6590 section. This guide also details SBA disaster assistance loans and [email protected] SBA-backed loans exclusively for small business exporting. If you are Business Opportunity interested in getting started in government contracting, read about SBA Specialist Senior Area Managers certifications and our business development programs. SBA programs Joe Ann Shaeffers Asheville and services help you better compete in the public marketplace. (704) 344-6577 Sharon Harvey Small businesses are the heart of America’s economy, and [email protected] (202) 805-8947 entrepreneurs are central to our prosperity and health as a nation. [email protected] Lead Economic For many, personal economic empowerment through small business Raleigh Development Specialist ownership is the pinnacle of the American dream. Make the SBA your first Patrick Rodriguez Eileen Joyce stop in making that dream come true. (919) 532-5525 (704) 344-6787 [email protected] Sincerely, [email protected] Wilmington Economic Development Don Spry Specialist (910) 398-0746 Levi Kinnard [email protected] District Director Thomas A. Stith III (704) 344-6585 [email protected] Lead Lender Relations Specialist Karen Hoskins (704) 344-6381 [email protected] 7 LOCAL BUSINESS ASSISTANCE How We Did It Made toJoyce and Jerado Last Reynolds used SBA support to succeed. Written by Micaela Morrissette COURTESY OF SHANA SURECK PHOTOGRAPHY SURECK SHANA OF COURTESY 8 LOCAL BUSINESS ASSISTANCE eynolds Welding & Fabrication has grown steadily, building a loyal customer base, since Tips for Jerado Reynolds founded the company in 2005. Success R“At first the company was just Jerado,” recalls his wife and co-owner, Joyce 5 Find a great business mentor. Reynolds. “Then it was him and me part To find your local SBA office and time.” During the day she worked as a resource partners in your area, visit nurse and spent her evenings doing all sba.gov/localresources. the company’s paperwork. The Reynolds sank everything they earned into the business—money, time, and energy. She Have a healthy view remembers with pride helping Jerado of competition. weld a stair railing at a local school. Her COURTESY OF SHANA SURECK PHOTOGRAPHY SURECK SHANA OF COURTESY We’re not always competing. son later attended that same school, We’re a competitor, but if a similar and she watched her child and others SBA Resource Partner, where “from day business has extra work, they’ll send using the rail, benefiting from the one it was, Eureka! Everyone wanted it to us and vice versa. That’s the hard work the couple did together. It to see us win.” Women entrepreneurs relationship to have. was then Joyce decided as much as she receive essential business counseling and loved her day job, she wanted to devote training from this national network of herself full time to the family business community-based centers. Most helpful Record everything you do. in Windsor, Connecticut. She wanted was the detailed personal attention Navigating business relationships to work side-by-side with her husband, available through free one-on-one in this age means keeping an email fully focused on administration and record of everything you do. Leave a business counseling. Joyce also learned business growth. As they both hoped, clear paper trail. about workshops offered by providers like word of mouth spread; clients made the Metropolitan District, a Connecticut referrals. Joyce was soon overwhelmed nonprofit municipal corporation offering with paperwork. They brought on two water and sewer services. At a meet- Sacrifice to ensure quality. employees—doubling up in the busy We don’t cut corners. Sometimes you and-greet, Joyce understood how much seasons. They were able to maintain four have to lose money to do quality work— the SBA could help her business. An full-time employees by 2009. After this, it’s rough, but nothing is more important. SBA professional walked Joyce through Joyce says, they saw that “things were the extensive paperwork and, crucially, not moving.” She wanted to scale up. helped her register the company in Seek SBA assistance to Challenge the System for Award Management The company wasn’t growing in part (sam.gov), positioning the company for see if you qualify for because it wasn’t certified with the new federal contracts.