The objective of Craven Community College's Small Business Center is to increase the success rate and the number of viable small businesses in Craven County by providing high quality, readily accessible assistance to prospective and existing small businesses. If you are interested in starting a small business or currently operate or work at a small business, we offer the following resources: Business Seminars and Workshops Through our Small Business Center, we offer a wide variety of seminars, workshops and courses to increase business success and to help potential entrepreneurs get started on the right foot. Many programs are free of charge or have a minimal registration fee.
The Entrepreneur Academy for Aspiring and Current EntrepreneursThe Entrepreneur Academy is conducted by the Small Business Center at Craven Community College for aspiring and current entrepreneurs. It consists of 30 hours of free in-class study. Classes meet on evenings over a five-week period. The Orientation and Preliminary sessions test attendees' abilities to understand business concepts with the goal of creating a business plan in the eight-phase main body of Academy instruction. The classwork and business development work done at home are supported by a free financial development CD.
The Entrepreneur Academy also offers a free program of training for agriculture enthusiasts that's focused on project work in biotechnology. It is supported by biology professionals and is designed to prepare individuals for business ownership in the life science field. The Biotech Program also runs for 30 hours, meeting twice per week on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.
In addition to instruction in business development, the Biotech Program also includes life science learning and doing biotech beginner projects in fermentation and plant propagation.
To enter the program, call the Small Business Center at (252) 638-7353 or register online at sbc@cravencc.edu. Entrepreneur Academy classes currently being offered are located at schedule of upcoming programs.
Confidential Business CounselingThe Small Business Center provides free confidential counseling services for individuals wishing to start a business. It also provides counseling for small business owners who need some type of assistance. The center maintains a close working relationship with SCORE, which is the Service Corps of Retired Executives. Do you have a business dream to fulfill or a business problem you need help solving? Then put our team to the test! Start today by contacting Robert Ericksen, Small Business Center Director, at (252) 638-7353 or sbc@cravencc.edu.
Small Business Resource CentersA Small Business Resource Center is located at the college's New Bern campus. The Havelock campus also has a limited Small Business Center that partners with the Military Business Center in the Redd Building. The Centers provide free computer and Internet access and a variety of small business resources, including specialized software and multimedia tools, along with small business books, magazines and government resources.
If you would like more information about the North Carolina Small Business Center Network of 58 Small Business Centers across the State, please visit www.sbcn.nc.gov.
Counseling at the Small Business Center – Your Partner for Business Success The Small Business Center provides free counseling to all entrepreneurs who are looking for advice and assistance to get a new business opened or to improve a current operation.
Apply for Borrowing – A Source of Funds for New and Existing Businesses The Center is a Micro-Loan Processing Center where applications are processed for business loans up to $25,000 that are backed by a written business plan.
Military Business CenterThe Military Business center is an operational arm of CCC's Small Business Center. To learn more, click here. |
