Start a New Business in North Carolina

The business division of the Secretary of State’s Office helps business owners organize and register their business.

You can:

• Choose a business structure

• Choose a name

• Register your business and maintain that business registration

• Access the State’s new business checklist with many additional free resources

2 South Salisbury Street
Raleigh, North Carolina 27601
Phone: 919-814-5400

NC Secretary of State Launching a Business in North Carolina website

The North Carolina SBA is supported by a main district office in Charlotte as well as additional locations in Asheville, Raleigh, and Wilmington. They provide services including funding programs, counseling, federal contracting, certifications, and disaster recovery. They can also connect you to partner organizations, lenders, and other community groups that help small businesses succeed.

The Charlotte office serves Alamance, Anson, Cabarrus, Caswell, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Gaston, Guilford, Iredell, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Montgomery, Moore, Randolph, Richmond, Rockingham, Rowan, Stanly, Stokes, Surry, Union, and Yadkin counties.

The Asheville location serves Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, and Yancey counties.

The Raleigh location serves Bertie, Chatham, Durham, Edgecombe, Franklin, Granville, Greene, Halifax, Harnett, Hertford, Johnston, Lee, Martin, Nash, Northampton, Orange, Person, Vance, Wake, Warren, Wayne, and Wilson counties.

The Wilmington location serves Beaufort, Bladen, Brunswick, Carteret, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland, Currituck, Dare, Duplin, Hoke, Hyde, Jones, Lenoir, New Hanover, Onslow, Pamlico, Pender, Pitt, Robeson, Sampson, Scotland, Camden, Chowan, Gates, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Tyrrell, and Washington counties.

Examples of educational programs and events include Small Business Federal Certification; Suitability and Marketing for the Federal Government; Government Contracting 101; and How to Start a Transportation Business.

Charlotte district office:
6302 Fairview Road
Suite 300
Charlotte, North Carolina 28210
Phone: 704-344-6563

North Carolina Small Business Administration website

Asheville location:
Phone: 704-344-6563

Raleigh location:
6600 Louisburg Road
Room 351
Raleigh, North Carolina 27616
Phone: 704-344-6810

Wilmington location:
Phone: 704-344-6563

National Institute of Minority Economic Development (The Institute) is a nonprofit management consulting and services firm.

The mission of the Women’s Business Center of North Carolina is to promote economic self-sufficiency for all women in North Carolina through entrepreneurship. They empower women by offering tools and support to establish businesses to stabilize their companies, generate sustainable profits, strategize for future growth, and contribute to the growth and economic development of the community.

The Women’s Business Center small business experts offer:

• Customized, one-on-one business counseling.

• Seminars and classes focused on key business topics such as marketing, finance, certification, and small business resources.

• Review and feedback on written business plans.

• Loan package preparation assistance and lender referrals.

• Certification assistance and review.

• Networking opportunities to find mutual support, access to resources and business referrals.

114 West Parrish Street
Floor 2
Durham, North Carolina 27701
Phone: 919-956-2320

National Institute of Minority Economic Development Women’s Business Center of North Carolina website

The Greater Women’s Business Council (GWBC) is a nonprofit dedicated to women-owned businesses (WBEs). They are home to the most respected certification from the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) and provide education, resources, funding, and innovative networking opportunities to accelerate business.

The Greater Women’s Business Council region includes Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

112 S. Tryon Street
Suite 1250
Charlotte, North Carolina 28202

Greater Women’s Business Council website

SCORE North Carolina and its volunteer business mentors are dedicated to helping small business owners achieve their goals. Face-to-face or online, mentors are able and willing to aid in the success of small businesses.

SCORE North Carolina provides services at no charge or at very low cost. They provide:

• Volunteer mentors who share their expertise across industries

• Free, confidential business counseling in person or via email

• Free business tools, templates and tips online

• Inexpensive or free business workshops (locally) and webinars (online 24/7)

SCORE Raleigh
300 Fayetteville Street
Raleigh, North Carolina 27601
Phone: 1-800-275-8777
Serving Raleigh and Rocky Mount areas with eight additional SCORE locations.

SCORE North Carolina website

SCORE offices are located across North Carolina:

SCORE Chapel Hill Durham, serving Orange, Durham, Chatham counties and surrounding area.

SCORE North Carolina Piedmont Triad serves 12 counties including Burlington, Greensboro, High Point, and Winston-Salem.

SCORE Sandhills serves Cumberland, Harnett, Hoke, Lee, Montgomery, Moore, Richmond, Robeson, and Scotland counties.

SCORE Charlotte serves the greater Charlotte, North Carolina area.

National Association of Women Business Owners North Carolina is an organization specifically designed to fuel the success of women-owned businesses in the Charlotte and Raleigh areas.

NAWBO North Carolina is a one-stop resource, propelling women entrepreneurs into greater economic, social, and political spheres of power via the following:

• Strengthening the wealth creating capacity of members and promoting economic development within the entrepreneurial community

• Creating innovative and effective change in the business culture

• Building strategic alliances, coalitions and affiliations

• Transforming public policy and influencing opinion makers

NAWBO Raleigh
PO Box 30337
Raleigh, North Carolina 27622

NAWBO Raleigh website

NAWBO Charlotte
P.O. Box 77454
Charlotte, North Carolina 28271
Phone: 704-900-3067

NAWBO Charlotte website

The U.S. Small Business Administration helps small businesses get the funding they need. Funding resources include:

• Loans: Start or expand your business with loans guaranteed by the SBA.

• Investment capital: Find an investor for your business. Investors make both debt and equity investments.

• Disaster assistance: Get help after a disaster with low-interest disaster loans.

• Surety bonds: Protect your work and your client with an SBA-guaranteed surety bond.

• Grants: Look for government grants that help businesses do scientific research and development.

United States Small Business Administration Funding Sources website

Carolina Small Business is a statewide nonprofit and Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). They lend to start-ups and existing businesses across the state, with emphasis on businesses that have difficulty accessing financing through traditional lending sources.

Carolina Small Business Development Fund provides financing solutions and guidance to help entrepreneurs achieve their business goals. These include:

• Loans up to $350,000 in a wide range of industries and with flexible terms to meet your needs.

• Technical assistance and business needs assessments.

• SBA Community Advantage Lending, as well as other specialized loan programs and products.

Headquarters
3128 Highwoods Boulevard
Suite 170
Raleigh, North Carolina 27604
Phone: 919-803-1437

Carolina Small Business Development Fund website

Western Women’s Business Center
3 South Tunnel Road
Suite A-08
Asheville, North Carolina 28805
Phone: 828-633-5065 x 101

Charlotte
2128 Remount Road
Charlotte, North Carlina 28202
Phone: 704-412-7031

A community-based lender for the Piedmont Triad Area of North Carolina, Piedmont Business Capital’s (PBC) advisory and consulting services are designed to help you start, develop, and grown your North Carolina Triad Area Small Business. They can help you:

• develop a business plan with an understanding of what bankers look for, and the ability to manage business operations including taxes, accounting, employee insurance, payroll, marketing.

• set goals and develop strategies to make your business more productive and efficient.

• gain access to trusted advisors with established relationships and local expertise in business law, marketing, real estate, financing, and more.

• with workshops and tools you need to make your business run more efficiently.

• with lending programs including MWBE Contract Loan Program, the Small Business Expansion Fund (SBEF), and Greensboro Women and Minority Opportunity Recovery Enterprise (GROW-MORE) Fund.

1451 S. Elm-Eugene Street
Suite 2125
Greensboro, North Carolina 27406
Phone: 336-256-9350

Piedmont Business Capital website

When you join UNC Kenan-Flagler, you’ll become part of a community driven to succeed. A community that collaborates, innovates and inspires.

You’ll stay connected through Kenan-Flagler Business School conferences, speakers series, and Kenan Institute events.

If you’re looking for change across your organization, UNC Executive Development designs custom programs to develop your leaders to succeed in the pursuit of your company’s mission, strategy and goals.

UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School
McColl Building
Campus Box 3490
300 Kenan Center Drive
Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599
Phone: 919-962-5327

University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School website

The Poole College of Management is ranked No. 1 in entrepreneurship in the southeast (The Princeton Review, 2022), and No. 17 in business analytics in the nation (U.S. News & World Report, 2023).

Its Albright Entrepreneurship Garage is a physical space for entrepreneurs to develop, create, and invent, as well as providing programmatic resources like community meet-ups and skills workshops.

The Albright Entrepreneurship Garage resources include:

• Co-working space

• Skills workshops

• Staff mentors

• Prototyping equipment

• Rental equipment

Nelson Hall
2801 Founders Drive
Raleigh, North Carolina 27607
Phone: 919-513-7100

North Carolina State University Poole College of Management website

To prepare students for real-world business issues, the Wake Forest School of Business has established innovative centers and institutes across a range of disciplines. These academic centers not only serve as unifying elements that connect all programs, they also provide the School of Business with valuable industry relationships, thought leadership that positively impacts curriculum, and the opportunity for students to gain practical experience with the skills and ideology that drive the market.

School of Business
Farrell Hall
Student Engagement Suite
P.O. Box 7897
Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27109

Wake Forest University School of Business website

Whether it's in the boardroom or on the factory floor, Business North Carolina Magazine shows not only trends and events but the human face of commerce. That view is reflected in the magazine’s editorial focus, which covers the entire state, not just one local market.

1230 W Morehead Street
Suite 308
Charlotte, North Carolina 28208
Phone: 704-523-6987

Business North Carolina Magazine website

The Charlotte Business Journal is the region’s leading source of business news, research, and events. In addition to the weekly print publication and digital edition, the Business Journal holds several events throughout the year providing opportunities to network and learn about different segments of business in the region, including real estate, health care, energy, and more. They also celebrate the Charlotte business community through award events such as 40 under 40 Awards, Women in Business Awards, and Best Places to Work Awards.

550 S. Caldwell Street
Suite 910
Charlotte, North Carolina 28202
Phone: 704-973-1100

Charlotte Business Journal website

The Triad Business Journal is the leading source for local business news, research, and events in the 12-county Triad region of North Carolina, including the cities of Greensboro, High Point, and Winston-Salem and Guilford, Forsyth and Alamance counties.

101 South Elm Street
Suite 100
Greensboro, North Carolina 27401
Phone: 336-271-6539

Triad Business Journal website

The Triangle Business Journal is your source for local business news, research, and events in the Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill region. Its goal is to provide readers with the intelligence that profits their business as well as the most accurate and useful information in print and online, while serving as the primary facilitator of business events in the 13-county region that surrounds the Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill area.

3515 Glenwood Avenue
Suite 220
Raleigh, North Carolina 27612
Phone: 919-327-1000

Triangle Business Journal website