FREE Seminars for Entrepreneurs!

Every year the Small Business Center at HCC offers a variety of free seminars that are designed to answer your most burning questions. 

The Spring 2014 schedule is now available and we encourage you to check it out!  Exciting topics include How to Price Your Product, Agripreneurship, Social Media, and Micro-loans and many more!

Local Business Plan Competition Now Open!

The Haywood County Chamber of Commerce is now accepting applications for their annual Business Plan Competition.  Show that you can create jobs in Haywood County and you might win $10,000!  For details, visit their website at www.haywoodchamber.com. If you need counseling while writing your business plan, make an appointment with the Small Business Center on Campus!

Do You Have a $10,000 Business Plan? This Guy Does.

This summer, woodworking student Noah Fiorentino received a check for $10,000 from the Sequoyah Fund in Cherokee, NC.  Each year, the Sequoyah Fund sponsors a 7-county business plan competition among their three Community Colleges.  Since the competition's inception three years ago, Haywood students have won it each year.  The goal is simple: create jobs, support entrepreneurs, and encourage college students to follow their passion.

After working in a small guitar factory in Chapel Hill for several years, Noah came to HCC to hone his woodworking skills.  Before graduating, he took a business plan class and the results were astounding.  With graduation quickly approaching and the encouragement of his instructor, Noah submitted his business plan to the competition.  A few weeks later he received notification that he had won.

Fiorentino Guitars is currently seeking a location and is considering calling the HCC Student Incubator home.

Noah - we wish you the best as you embark on your entrepreneurial journey and we are proud to have you as a member of the HCC Family.

Fall Registration Open June 10th - July 18th

Are you ready to take the plunge and start your own business?!?  Fall registration and academic advisement will be open from June 10th - July 18th.  There will not be a "late" registration because current students typically register during the spring semester for their fall classes. 

If you are interested in studying Entrepreneurship, please call Kathy Brooks at 828-565-4021 to make an appointment for advisement.  We would love to talk to you and help you achieve your dream of becoming your own boss!

HCC to Offer Business Plan Workshop in Preparation for Haywood Chamber's Business Plan Competition

The Small Business Center at HCC will offer a free seminar entitled "Business Planning for Business Success" on Wednesday, March 27th, from 6-9 on campus in the Student Center, first floor.

This workshop is a timely offering as the Haywood Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a Business Start Up Competition with a award(s) made up to $10,000.  You will be able to study the steps to actually writing your plan and learn how to cover what you really need in a short but useable plan.

Russ Seagle of Seagle Management Consulting from Cullowhee, NC is the presenter.  Seagle brings his many years of business experience and humor and is a frequent and popular presenter.  For more information or to preregister for this free program, call the Small Business Center at 828-627-4512.

Student Gets Loan for First Crop

Our heartfelt congratulations goes to Entrepreneurship student Austin Francis.  He has just received his first business loan to plant 3 acres of tobacco!  He is leasing the land and equipment and has already ordered his plants.  These were all skills he learned in the ETR 240 Funding for Entrepreneurs class.  "I've never bought anything on credit, therefore I have no credit.  It's a hard spot to start out in, but this class prepared me for it and I intend to take my responsibility for the loan very seriously.  I am an Entrepreneur!" said Austin.

The tobacco plants will arrive on May 10th, the day after he walks across the stage to receive his Assoicate of Applied Science degree in Entrepreneurship.  Congratulations Austin, we are so proud of you!

Congratulations to Our Winners!

Congratulations to our winners from the various contests throughout Entrepreneurship Week 2013!  Thank you to everyone who participated, it was an exciting week!  Here are the awards:

 "I Have An Idea" Contest winner: Chad Canupp

Entrepreneur Showcase (Professional Crafts Division)

• 1st Place: Linda Azar of "Linda Azar Metalsmith"
• 2nd Place: Helen Geltman of "Helen Geltman Pottery"
• 3rd Place: Cathy Babula of "Babula Pottery"

Entrepreneur Showcase (Products and Services Division)

• 1st Place: Vicki Passmore of "The Memory Archive"
• 2nd Place: Scott Burns of "One Stop Coffee"
• 3rd Place: David Elliott of "CAN I Help You?"