Resources
Better Business Basics Plus
Believe in Bristol
Floyd C4 Program
Launch Something in Pulaski
VCEDA
Quickbooks
QuickBooks is a software that a business owner can use for financial record keeping.
Fractional CFO
Fractional CFO services offer as needed assistance in all accounting aspects. There are multiple companies online that you can engage by searching Fractional CFO.
IRS
The IRS website houses all of the information that you need regarding taxes.
Virginia Tax Information
The Virginia Tax website provides relevant information for business residents and businesses.
Virginia Enterprise Zone
Virginia Enterprise Zone (VEZ) program is a partnership between state and local government that encourages job creation and private investment. VEZ accomplishes this by designating Enterprise Zones throughout the state and providing two grant-based incentives, the Job Creation Grant (JCG) and the Real Property Investment Grant (RPIG), to qualified investors and job creators within those zones, while the locality provides local incentives.
Virginia Tourism Growth Fund
The Virginia Tourism Growth Fund (VTGF) is a Virginia Tourism Corporation program established to grow tourism development projects in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Eligible projects include new or expanded facilities or venues for lodging, recreation, entertainment, epicurean, cultural, or destination retail products or services designed to attract travelers to the Commonwealth.
Virginia Tourism Marketing Leverage Program
The Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC) Marketing Leverage Program is designed to stimulate new tourism marketing programs through the creation of tourism partnerships and to extend the “Virginia is for Lovers” campaign. The objective of this program is to leverage limited marketing dollars, resulting in increased visitor spending, revenue, and jobs.
Wise County Loan Fund
Dickenson County Loan Fund
Scott County Loan Fund
Tazewell County Loan Fund
Smyth County Loan Fund
Ninth District Development Financing
The Ninth District Development Financing provides funding for a diverse set of thriving tourist related businesses including arts, cultural, historical, outdoor adventure, and entertainment venues, Ninth District Development Financing, Inc. meets its objectives to create and retain jobs, promote the region’s historical significance and cultural preservation, and attract tourists while supporting and expanding the tourism economy of the Ninth District.
People Incorporated
People Incorporated of Virginia, one of the Commonwealth of Virginia’s largest and most successful Community Action Agencies. People Incorporated offers over 32 programs designed to, “give people a hand up, not a hand out.” People Incorporated Financial Services offers loans, development services and financial products to small and emerging businesses. People Incorporated Financial Services works to strengthen local economies in 22-jurisdiction service areas including the counties of Bland, Buchanan, Carroll, Dickenson, Floyd, Grayson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wise, and Wythe and the cities of Bristol, Galax and Norton in Southwest Virginia and the counties of Clarke, Frederick, Page, Shenandoah, and Warren in the Northern Shenandoah Valley.
The Virginia Enterprise Zone (VEZ) program is a partnership between state and local government that encourages job creation and private investment. VEZ accomplishes this by designating Enterprise Zones throughout the state and providing two grant-based incentives, the Job Creation Grant (JCG) and the Real Property Investment Grant (RPIG), to qualified investors and job creators within those zones, while the locality provides local incentives.
Planning District Commissions (PDC) provide the link between federal and state programs and the local level, where development actually occurs.
Southwest Virginia Planning District Commissions:
Cumberland Plateau Planning District
LENOWISCO Planning District
Mount Roger PDC
New River Valley Regional Commission
Entrepreneurial ecosystems describe communities or regions that foster an overall business climate supportive of entrepreneurship. These communities portray a positive, enthusiastic attitude that infuses an entrepreneurial culture; one that asks “how can we help you start and succeed at business?” There are many resources and incentives that communities can offer to new and existing entrepreneurs to build a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem. Check out a few helpful tools to help strengthen your entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Launch an Entrepreneur Challenge Toolkit
Community Entrepreneur Package Examples
Main Street America – Entrepreneurial Ecosystems and the Role of Commercial Districts
Virginia Main Street – Creating a Successful “Entrepreneurial Ecosystem”
An Entrepreneur Challenge is a competitive process for potential and emerging entrepreneurs that provides business training, mentorship, networking opportunities, and an improved level of coordinated resources and community support. The competitions raise awareness of Southwest Virginia entrepreneurial opportunities and typically offer investment grants to top competitors following a pitch event and submission of a business plan.
Since 2012, the Southwest Virginia region has held 36 competitions with over 290 program graduates.
Start your own competition!
Communities across Southwest Virginia are joining the trend and supporting entrepreneurial development by hosting business plan competitions. Through entrepreneur challenges, communities can show their support for small businesses by providing emerging or existing entrepreneurs with training, mentorship, and an improved level of coordinated resources. Coordinating a competition can be accomplished by following a simple process and using the abundant resources available in the region.
Use the My SWVA Opportunity Entrepreneur Challenge Toolkit to host a competition in your community!
Learn more about funding resources available through the Community Business Launch program.
Entrepreneur Competitions in the Regions
2013 Entrepreneur Challenge
As the first regional business plan competition in Southwest Virginia, the 2013 Entrepreneur Challenge was a seven month competition encompassing the Coalfield region of Southwest Virginia to include 7 counties and 1 city. Sponsored by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), the program provided over $30,000 in award funds to entrepreneurs in SWVA to start a new business or expand an existing business. The program graduated eleven regional entrepreneurs and consisted of structured business training, business plan development, networking events, mentoring program, and a community incentives program.
Better Business Basics Plus
The Better Business Basics Plus (BBBp) program was developed by the Wytheville-Wythe-Bland Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the Mount Rogers Planning District Commission, Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development and Virginia Tourism Corporation. The 2015 program consisted of a six week intensive business training course that culminated with a business plan competition in which participants competed for grant money and additional prizes worth over $5,000.
Believe in Bristol
Floyd County
Launch Something in Pulaski
Launch something Pulaski is a downtown economic revitalization project aimed at supporting new business formation and expansion in the downtown business district and beyond. Through a highly competitive and rigorous process, Launch Something Pulaski awards investment grants and in-kind prize packages to new businesses.
Mount Rogers Business Challenge
The Blue Ridge Crossroads Small Business Development Center, the Blue Ridge Crossroads Economic Development Authority, and Grayson County partnered in 2015 to offer entrepreneurial contest.
Norton Business Challenge
The Norton Business Challenge was a competitive process for new entrepreneurial ventures and existing businesses looking to expand with additional job creation in Norton City Limits.
Opportunity Cup
Modeled after the 2013 My Southwest Virginia Opportunity Entrepreneur Challenge, the Opportunity Cup was a level II entrepreneur challenge for existing businesses looking to expand with additional job creation in Southwest Virginia. Given the number of new local competitions since 2013, the Cup accepted businesses in Southwest Virginia who graduated from qualifying regional business challenges in Planning District Commissions 1, 2 and 3.
People Inc Competitions
People Incorporated is a non-profit Community Action Agency and Community Development Corporation committed to providing opportunities for people to reach their goals in order to enhance their lives, families, and communities. People Incorporated develops programs and strategies that are designed to move people and communities into the economic mainstream. In 2014, People Incorporated coordinated four regional business plan competitions in the Coalfields of Southwest Virginia.
Marion “Pop up” Entrepreneur Boot Camp
Marion’s Community and Economic Development Department offers a five -week class designed for new business owners and entrepreneurs who are looking to start their own business and have a basic understanding of developing a business plan, or have previously completed one of our “Boot Camps” and are still interested in starting a business. The intense pace of this class takes four(4) weeks to explore in-depth four of the major concepts of small business success presented by local experts in each of the three topics. On the final night of class, individuals who are interested in the grant opportunities will present their plans to be eligible for up to $5,000 in grant monies to assist with starting your own business!
Smyth County
The Chamber of Commerce of Smyth County offers an eight-week boot camp for entrepreneurs who have an idea to open a business in Smyth County or who are expanding their current operations.
Startup Wythe In
Downtown Wytheville, Inc. and the Joint Industrial Development Authority of Wythe County are partner to offer the Startup Wythe In – Business Idea Competition. Startup Wythe In is designed to encourage and develop an entrepreneurial spirit by mentoring participants through business plan development for innovative business ideas. Startup Wythe In empowers participants to establish new business ventures and create local jobs.
Washington County Business Challenge
The Washington County Business Challenge is a competitive completion for start-up and existing businesses looking to expand with additional job creation in Washington County, Virginia, Town of Abingdon, Town of Glade Spring or Town of Damascus.
Building Collaborative Communities is designed to assist regions in creating and sustaining new economic opportunities across Virginia. The program promotes regional economic collaborations in economically-distressed areas to stimulate job creation, economic development and build community capacity and leadership.
Building Collaborative Communities is a broad-based program that that provides the financial and technical resources from a number of state entities. By working collaboratively, regions are able to capitalize upon the regional place based assets that create appealing and unique communities where people want to live and work.
These AFID Planning Grants give local governments the flexibility to undertake the kind of planning, study, or local initiative they think best to grow and support agriculture and forestry-based businesses in their community and region. The planning grant program also provides a greater voice in local economic development to agriculture and forestry stakeholders by requiring that any grant funded program be implemented by a board, committee or working group representing agriculture and/or forestry interests in the affected locality. For additional information about the program and the application workshops, e-mail Stephen Versen, AFID program contact at the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) at stephen.versen@vdacs.virginia.gov.
Links:
Application
Are you a Small, Woman-owned and Minority- owned business (SWaM)? If so, this program may benefit your business. Use the links below to determine if this program is a fit for your business.
The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) provides free and confidential one-on-one counseling as well as business education opportunities and resources to help entrepreneurs, small business owners and managers improve their business. Many of the Virginia Small Business Development Centers are located at colleges across the commonwealth. Each site has trained counselors to assist entrepreneurs in starting and managing a business. Services available consist of management training, research data, business plan, financial analysis and etc. The mission of the SBDC is to foster small business success and grow Southwest Virginia’s economy.
Mplans offers a variety of information regarding all marketing aspects. The website has free sample marketing plans, how to articles, marketing plan outline and etc.
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