Small Business & Entrepreneurship Update

November 2023

Small business and entrepreneurial growth are vital elements of a thriving local economy. This publication is designed to provide information and support for all Alamance County, NC entrepreneurs and small business owners.

(Note: business owners do not have to be Chamber investors in order to participate in this program.)

Questions? Comments? Feedback?

Want to be added to/dropped from this mailing list?

Please contact:

Stephanie Williams

Director of Small Business & Entrepreneurial Development

[email protected]

We Recognize November as:

National Entrepreneurship Month,

National Veterans' Small Business Week,

(October 30 - November 3), and

Small Business Saturday (November 25th)

Entrepreneurs are everywhere! Clockwise from large group photo: Entrepreneurs engaged in Pinnacle Financial Partners' The E-Myth Mastermind Group at the Alamance Chamber; Maurice Bass of Beyond Measure Barbering Institute speaks with Pritchett Farms Nurseries owner Vaughn Willoughby; Ches and Laura Stewart of Haw River Mushrooms show off their Family Business award from the Triad Business Journal; local female entrepreneurs gather at the Chamber's annual ROAR Women's Symposium, sisters and business owners Tiesha Jackson (Charisma Insurance) and Tisha Jackson (Charisma Capital), pose at a seminar by First National Bank; Petra Burlington founder/owner Roger Moore poses outside his newly-opened business.

From President Biden's Proclamation, (October 31, 2023):

"...Entrepreneurs are models of drive, resilience, and determination — the very virtues that built America. From small towns to big cities, these dreamers and doers are the glue that holds our communities together and the fuel that propels our Nation forward."

Entrepreneurs and the small businesses provide nearly 50% of all jobs in our country, they bring innovation to the marketplace, and they add to our quality of life. This National Entrepreneurship Month/National Veterans' Small Business Week, we honor the job creators, business owners, and daring innovators.



To our entrepreneurs: THANK YOU for what you bring to

our economy and community!

Grants to Apply for in November

Small-business owners can now apply for small business grants from organizations across the country. Eligibility, criteria and deadlines vary.

Check out what's available through Hello Alice.

Applications for the 2024 AICPA and CPA.com Startup Accelerator are now open are now open, and startups in the accounting, regulatory or ESG spaces are eligible to apply. Companies must be seed or pre-series A financing, have a functioning service or product and must have value for the accounting profession. Those selected for the accelerator will be offered a $25,000 grant, access to members of the professional organizations, firms, press and customers, and subject matter experts and mentors.

The deadline to apply is November 30, 2023.

Black small-business owners can get grants of $500 to $2,000 through the Wish Local Empowerment Program. Businesses must be majority Black-owned and have fewer than 20 employees, with a physical location within the United States and revenue under $1 million.

Black, LatinX, Indigenous, disabled, formerly incarcerated, and/or LGBTQIA+-owned restaurants and related businesses can apply for a financial stipend of $10,000 and free financial education, consulting and marketing assistance through Feed The Soul Foundation's Restaurant Business Development Grant Program. 

The deadline to apply is January 31, 2024.

The Black Girl Ventures BGV Pitch Competition is a live, crowdfunded pitch competition where each startup founder has three minutes to pitch their business with three minutes of Q&A from the audience. The person with the most votes wins $10,000, with second place being $6,000 and third place $2,000, in addition to money raised through the audience crowdfunding. Business owners must identify as a woman, be majority owned by a founder of color and have been open at least a year with revenue.

Upcoming Events

Online Learning Opportunities

Through the NC Community College system, small business owners have free access to a myriad of classes on virtually any small business topic. Advance registration required.

The US Small Business Administration offers a free online learning center, where both aspiring and current entrepreneurs may get information about planning, launching and growing a small business. There's even information about the SBA's Mentor-Protege Program!

SBC Director Phydesia Lewis