The City of Charlotte Small Business Opportunity (SBO) Program seeks to prepare small businesses to compete in the marketplace by providing access to City contracts and building capacity through development opportunities. For this purpose, we have created development programs to assist small businesses. Click here for an overview of all the SBO Development initiatives.

WHAT'S HAPPENING!

• Interested in developing and enhancing your entrepreneurial skills? The Development Workshop Series 2009 provides free monthly educational workshops and networking opportunities to encourage local business growth. Click here for the monthly workshops general registration form.
• November 2009: Choosing Your Words Carefully: Best Practices for Content Development: This free workshop will discuss developing proper content for E-content, brochures, newsletters, articles, and presentations. Click here for the workshop invitation.
• Winter SBE Orientation Session: What does it mean to be a certified SBE with the City of Charlotte? Receive an answer to this question and many more during the SBE Orientation Session on Tuesday, January 12, 2010 from 7:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.

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SBO Partnership with CPCC - Institute for Entrepreneurship

• Do you have a strategic business plan?
• Is your marketing effective?
• Can technology help grow your business?

The City of Charlotte is pleased to partner with IE to offer ten (10) scholarships for Efficio's Getting to the Core of Business Strategic Development Program. This innovative five-month program will provide business owners individualized practical training designed to teach you how to integrate, implement, and execute a focused growth strategy.

City of Charlotte certified Small Business Enterprises (SBEs) and businesses located in any one of the five Business Corridors can apply for one of ten scholarships ($440 value).  Click here for the CORE scholarship application. A completed scholarship application, with all supporting documents, must be submitted by Friday, December 11, 2009.

To assist City of Charlotte certified SBE's develop and grow their businesses; SBE's can enroll in free courses ($300 maximum) at Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) – Institute for Entrepreneurship (IE). Learn more about IE at www.cpcc.edu/e-institute. It's easy to get started, contact Jerrianne Jackson at jbjackson@ci.charlotte.nc.us for more information.

Sponsorships for Professional Organizations
The SBO Program provides partial sponsorships for annual membership dues toward local organizations that foster small business growth for the period of one year.  Certified SBE's that do not have an existing membership with the applied for organization are eligible. Partnering organizations include:

• Carolinas Association of General Contractors (AGC)
• Metrolina Minority Contractors Association (MMCA)
• Charlotte Chamber of Commerce
• Latin American Chamber of Commerce
• National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO).

For more information, click here for a Professional Association Fact Sheet and Professional Association Sponsorship Application

Mentor Protégé
The Mentor-Protégé Program provides hands-on managerial and technical assistance, matching Small Business Enterprise (SBE) representatives from larger "mentor" companies with less experienced "protégé" SBE companies in need of guidance and training.

For more information, click here for Mentor Protégé Fact Sheet or contact Giovy Buyers at gbuyers@ci.charlotte.nc.us