A-B Tech’s Small Business Center Celebrates 40 Years of Service

By Duane Adams –

Since its inception in 1984, the Small Business Center Network (SBCN) has aided small business owners throughout the state of North Carolina in the form of confidential counseling, programs, and community outreach.

This statewide initiative started with less than a handful of centers and has expanded to include all 100 counties in the Tar Heel State. There is now a Small Business Center (SBC) housed at each of the State’s 58 community colleges, making the SBCN the most expansive business assistance network in the country.

Funded by taxpayer dollars, each center offers business services at no cost. Every location covers a specific territory, serving the direct needs of its designated communities. Much of the programming is geared towards meeting folks where they are, both physically and practically. Each center is charged with providing seven core programs annually. The program topics include start up, business planning, taxes, accounting and bookkeeping, marketing, and financials.

Outside of core programs, you can find topics such as website development, business communications, nonprofit development, time management, and others. Secondary funding, and strong community partners, allow the center the flexibility to provide additional programs that are in high demand, much of them based on the feedback received from clients or changes in the environment.

For example, this past year, there were several programs on artificial intelligence. The center also provided programming focused on business communication and civil discourse which can be extremely helpful in an election year when folks may be a bit more sensitive to messaging.

Since 1989, A-B Tech’s Small Business Center has served Buncombe and Madison counties and partnered with numerous local initiatives that engage a diverse audience. Located at A-B Tech Enka, we have partnered with programs like the Minority Enterprise Development Committee (MED), the Western Women’s Business Center (WWBC), Mountain BizWorks (Catalyst Program), Woman Strong, the City of Asheville (HUB Program), as well as the Small Business Technology and Development Center (Taking the Leap and Starting a Better Business).

The WWBC, Asheville SCORE, and numerous community partners play a critical role in delivering many programs. Throughout the years, programming has been offered offsite at locations throughout the city. Locations like the Montford Recreation Center, the Eddington Center, Green Opportunities, Goodwill, Lenoir-Rhyne, and the Burton Street Community Center have all hosted programs in collaboration with the SBC. All as part of an effort to meet those who may be interested “where they are.” The A-B Tech SBC has been ranked in the top 10 (out of 58 centers), in terms of economic impact, over the last decade.

Highlights of A-B Tech’s Small Business Center since 1989

• Clients Counseled……………………….. 6,931
• Seminars Offered……………………….. 2,355
• Seminar Attendees…………………… 32,903
• Business Starts……………………………. 1,484
• Jobs Created and Retained……….. 1,484
• Incubation Program Participants….. 128

Currently, 70% of program attendees identify as female. Just prior to the pandemic, Black attendance was around 12% and spiked to a high of 36% during the pandemic. This is attributed to the fact that A-B Tech started offering online programs in early 2020, at the onset of the pandemic. Accessibility will always be an issue. For this reason, the A-B Tech SBC will always offset online programs with in-person programs.

Online programs have been good in the sense that they have offered more accessibility. Alternatively, there is a case to be made that too much virtual programing can hinder one’s ability to grow the soft skills that are necessary to build relationships with critical stakeholders.

Much of the feedback from participants of in-person programs indicates that the value of attending lies in the opportunities to connect with others who are like-minded. Business advisors are not blind to the fact that those who have strong soft skills still have a competitive advantage even in an age that is highly driven by technology. For this reason, there are continual efforts to get folks back onto our 37-acre parcel at A-B Tech Enka, located at 1465 Sand Hill Road in Candler.

Accessibility, no-cost programs, and confidential one-on-one business advising are three good reasons that anyone who wants to own a business should check out the SBC. There is a myriad of opportunities that one could exercise just by being a client. This is why the SBC is often referred to as the “first point of contact” for anyone who is looking for business assistance.

Much of what is learned through business advising is done heuristically, meaning clients are challenged and encouraged to do their business and, with the assistance of an advisor, implement problem-solving strategies along the way. Outcomes are met by showing the client how to get things done without handicapping them by doing it for them. I believe that providing practical experience is the best way to ensure that a business owner will be successful.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 50% of small businesses will fail within their first five years. Statistics also show that one can increase his or her chances of success by utilizing the services of resources like the SBC. If you are serious about creating a job for yourself and others, do yourself a favor and check out the A-B Tech Small Business Center.

More information can be found at abtech.edu/SBC.