QUESTIONS? CONTACT US.
Cassidy Ball
Director, Small Business & Entrepreneurial Development
cball7094@stanly.edu
704-991-0355
Welcome to Stanly Community College's Small Business Center (SBC), your partner in entrepreneurship and business success!
The SBC is located in downtown Albemarle, providing easy access to experienced person-to-person assistance for individuals looking to start businesses in Stanly County.
Our Services
We are dedicated to supporting the development of new businesses and fostering the growth of existing ones. As a proud member of the NC Community College System Small Business Center Network (SBCN), our services are offered at low or no cost to the local community and include:
- Counseling: Our experienced counselors offer confidential, personalized guidance for prospective and existing small business owners.
- Resources and Referrals: Access valuable resources and referrals to subject matter experts for your small business journey.
- Training Events: We provide community-based training to equip small business owners with the skills needed for success.
Small Business Startup Certification Program
- How to Start a Business
- Financing Your Small Business
- How to Write a Business Plan
- How to Find Your Customers
- Basics of Bookkeeping
- Your Small Business Taxes
- Marketing Your Business
Apply for your certificate once you have completed all seven core classes! Please note that the Small Business Startup Certification is a non-curriculum certificate program. Completion of this program does not contribute toward a Stanly Community College degree or certificate and is not recorded on a college transcript. All seven core classes must be attended in order to submit an application for your certificate. Classes taken prior to January 1st, 2025 will not be counted toward certification.
All certificate applications must be completed by May 5th. Certificates will be mailed to the address listed in your application by the end of May. Congratulations on completing your certification!
Business Counseling
We offer free one-on-one business counseling to help you with topics ranging from business taxes and marketing to choosing the right business entity.
Our experienced counselors are here to guide you through the steps to grow your business. We will help you find solutions to your challenging business questions as well as provide the direction and feedback you need to help your business SuCCeed!
REQUEST A COUNSELING APPOINTMENT
Give to the SBC Fund
The SBC Fund was originated in February of 2023 by a generous gift from the Fike family in memory of a friend who was a small business owner in Stanly County. The goal of the fund is to accumulate corpus until it can be converted into an endowment. At that point, micro-grants will be awarded from the fund's interest to Stanly County entrepreneurs for start-up counseling from attorneys, accountants, digital marketers and the like. The application and selection process for recipients will be administered by the Stanly Community College Small Business Center.