Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina
SILVER SPONSORS:
Carter Bank
Delta Dental
NC Rural Center
North Carolina Community Colleges
Small Business and Technology Development Center
PLATINUM SPONSOR COMMENTS
Duke Energy Business Savings Store
Energy efficiency can help increase profitability, so why not improve your business using energy-efficient products? The Duke Energy Business Savings Store offers ways to help you save energy and money with instant rebates on a variety of energy-efficient products for your business.
Visit duke-energy.com/SmallBizDeal
SMALL
5
Hargett St., Suite
Raleigh, NC 27601
STATE
Byron Hicks
ASSOCIATE
Lisa Ruckdeschel
PUBLISHER
Ben Kinney
WRITER
Kathy Blake
SPECIAL
Pete M. Anderson
CREATIVE
Cathy Swaney
A DECADE IN THE MAKING.
In 2014, an organization was formed. Its impact has been seen and felt throughout our state’s 100 counties. From an increasingly diverse workforce to a thriving tourism industry and a favorable business climate, the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina is shaping the future of where we live, work, and play. Learn more at edpnc.com.
STATE OF SMALL BUSINESS 2025
Byron Hicks, Executive State Director, Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC)
The N.C. SBTDC is pleased to collaborate with Business North Carolina to provide the 12th annual 2025 Small Business Handbook. This handbook provides insight into key issues that our small businesses face as well as inspiring stories from many small businesses right here in our own backyard.
It is also an exciting time to be a small business owner in our state. North Carolina has been recognized for the third time as the “Best State for Business.” This recognition is in large part due to the strong ecosystem that supports small businesses in North Carolina as well as the strong workforce to support economic development in the recruitment of new businesses and growth of our existing businesses. In North Carolina, this workforce is supported by strong educational opportunities through our many universities and community colleges.
Small Business Face Some Challenges
Exciting times also create new opportunities and challenges. According to a recent nationwide survey by the Federal Reserve Bank entitled, “Findings from a Survey of Small Business Resource Organizations”, respondents reported that small businesses were less optimistic about their prospects for revenue and employment growth and their plans for capital investment than they had been six months earlier. Many of the organizations said small businesses were finding it more difficult to pay operating expenses, manage their supply chains and operating costs, and obtain financing. Many also cited hiring challenges given the difficulty of keeping pace with wages and benefits offered by larger firms and changing immigration policies.
This issue of the Small Business Handbook highlights companies that have successfully managed some of these issues, including obtaining capital, hiring and retaining employees, building brand awareness, and navigating new tools such as artificial intelligence.
There Are Also Opportunities
However, in North Carolina there are opportunities to overcome these findings. Unlike most other states, manufacturing is on the rise again in North Carolina. Small businesses are finding more opportunities to participate in supply chain changes as onshoring is a priority. Federal agencies such as the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) are supporting manufacturing through new tools and resources. NC Works and the N.C. Department of Commerce are supporting workforce development and apprenticeships. And as we have for over 40 years, SBTDC is providing professional, no-cost business counseling for small
businesses across the state.
Our small businesses are resilient. They have overcome hurricane flooding in the mountains, torrential rain and flooding in central North Carolina and continue to prepare for the hurricane season in the eastern part of the state. Mountain Biz Works Local Business Impact Survey (2025) found that 93% of small businesses have reopened postHelene, but needs are emerging around flexible capital, lack of commercial real estate, revenue recovery and infrastructure restoration.
Despite challenges, small businesses remain the backbone of the state’s thriving economy and of so many communities. In fact, small businesses create two-thirds of all the net new jobs. Look at your local athletic parks and pay attention to the advertising and sponsorships from your local businesses. Small businesses employ most of the workforce in North Carolina. Many of these small businesses are new and innovative startups, many are second- or third-generation owned businesses.
We Are Here to Help
Fortunately, North Carolina has a thriving ecosystem to promote, grow and support small businesses. To assist firms with both startup and ongoing business operations, the state has two primary statewide resources available to help. They are:
The SBTDC is a statewide business advisory service of The UNC System. It has offices hosted by the 16 university campuses through which its professional staff provide in-depth business counseling and specialized services to small and midsize companies.
The N.C. Community College System’s Small Business Center Network has offices at each of the 58 community college campuses across the state and through which they provide training and business advice to startups and small businesses.
The expertise and support of these two leading state resources for small businesses are readily accessible. Services are confidential and most are free of charge. Further information about these and other resources in North Carolina are included in the Small Business Handbook.
Call on us if we can help you make your business better.
Join me in continuing to recognize and support small businesses in North Carolina.
PICTURE THIS
Scale Social AI helps restaurants create authentic advertising with patron-generated content. It’s done at a cost that is easy to swallow.
Many small businesses face a predicament. ey need authentic and e ective advertising to increase their presence with customers. But it must t within a limited budget.
Runbin Dong knows that struggle well.
Dong spent the rst part of his working life in the corporate world, primarily in healthcare and with IBM. But a few years ago, his mother’s talent for making Chinese dumplings blossomed into a brief and lucrative venture. He spent his weekends driving hundreds of miles around his Triangle home, delivering them to customers. “Suddenly, we had a business on our hands,” he says.
“We got rsthand experience in building a business from scratch, and through that year-and-a-half we looked for ad agencies. But they were too much money, and we didn’t want to hire a part-time media person. So, I thought, is there a way to advertise e ciently and cost-e ectively?”
Dong debuted Scale Social AI in February 2024. It allows restaurants to leverage customer reviews in their advertising. “[Customers] go in the restaurant, sit down and see the QR code on the tabletop,” he says. “ e customer is asked to share their moments, and they’ll get an award like a free appetizer or drink or dessert. You’re encouraged to have a good time and share photos of your experience. And the reward is instantaneous. ere’s no strings attached, and the business owner does all this with our help. If you give away a free piece of cheesecake, in terms of food costs, it’s nothing. And customers keep coming back.”
Scale Social AI’s hook is real people with real content. It also provides real data, which Dong and his two business partners use to
make their business decisions. “And what makes this very unique is we can go out and work with all kinds of customers and, in a matter of months, say ‘ is is where we’re gaining traction, and this is why,’” he says. “It’s like, what do customers really care about? We capture these really un ltered moments that come from actual customers, and we build viral videos and let the customers do the marketing. One person called it word-of-mouth marketing but in a visual way.” Dong’s business has about 25 clients in Raleigh and across the country. “In the grand scheme of things, we are a small business, but those 25 may have more than one location,” he says. ey include Fat Tuesday, with about 90 locations, including one in Raleigh, and Osmow’s Mediterranean, with two Florida locations and expansion plans for other U.S. cities. en there’s Mimi Garden. “ ey serve these highly specialized soup dumplings that are to die for,” Dong says. “I met the owner in California, and we signed a ve-year exclusive with them. ey’ve been with us since Day 1.”
Dong says a full-service restaurant pays about $2,000 per month to use Scale Social AI. “We charge on a monthly subscription basis, and they don’t have to pay anything on top of that,” he says. “We take the highest quality content we collect every month, and we build a beautiful authentic video o that, and that video becomes the ad campaign. And it doesn’t feel like an ad. e most remarkable metric we are extremely proud of is that, in a world of media-based marketing, out of 100 people shown a video, how many stay for more than three seconds? e industry average is 25%. Our average is 77% who stay. It signals to the fact that our content resonates with people.”
Scale Social AI | Raleigh
Runbin Dong, Founder, CEO of Scale Social AI
You’re encouraged to have a good time and share photos of your experience. And the reward is instantaneous.
-Runbin Dong
NC IDEA, the Chapel Hill-based 501(c)(3) foundation that supports entrepreneurs through grants and programs, helped Dong launch Scale Social AI with a $10,000 microgrant. “ ey provided so much support by connecting us to mentors and potential customers,” he says. “In May, we got a $50,000 grant from NC IDEA also, and that’s for our team growth and to continue to build the foundational aspect of our business. We are mostly food and beverage franchise brands. So, if you have 1,500 locations nationwide, we can go into those markets and give you a targeted marketing campaign that runs 24/7.”
While food-and-beverage establishments are his current focus, Dong hopes to expand Scale Social AI to other experience-based businesses such as nail salons. He believes digital marketing is the future. “Certainly, we spend a lot of time thinking about what marketing will look like,” he says. “What if we make it really easy for everyday customers to advocate for the brands they love? Authentic customer marketing will have a wonderful stage to shine.”
Dong o ers straight-forward advice for people wanting to start a small business. “Take a problem and gure out the cheapest way to solve it,” he says. “Talk to people. We are past the age of a person in a garage tinkering with stu . Everything is moving forward quickly now. So, if you can get feedback from your market and make adjustments, those entrepreneurs will be the most successful. We have the technology to do that.” ■
PLANNING PAYS
PTwo financial hits didn’t slow this Currituck County couple. They rebounded to own nine businesses, thanks to a smart business strategy, hard work and some help along the way. they don’t see the struggle to get there. It’s been 15 years and a lot of expensive lessons learned.”
hil Wayland was working at an engineering consulting rm near his home in the Currituck County community of Moyock when the wine sales company his wife, Laura, worked for went out of business in 2010. She needed a job. “So, I came home from work, and she says she has an idea,” he says. “And she shows me this wine and beer shop on the Outer Banks for sale. And I said, ‘Where are we going to get the money for that?’ And she said the bank. And I joked, what, rob the bank? We had no savings, and our 401(k) was not worth very much.”
But to the bank the Waylands went. ey were routed to SCORE, a free mentoring service for aspiring small business owners. ey created a business plan complete with ve-year projections and presented it to the bank. eir e ort paid o , and they bought Chip’s Wine and Beer Market in Kill Devil Hills. “ ey believed in us, and we did our rst [Small Business Administration] loan, cleaned out our 401(k) and had a 10-year loan, and that’s when no banks were loaning to anyone because of the recession,” Phil says. “But she had a background in wine sales, and I could make a spreadsheet. So, we got up every morning, high ved and went to our separate locations, seven days a week.”
Despite Phil being laid o six months a er their purchase, detailed nancial planning, along with help from small business agencies and some good luck, has put the Waylands where they are today — owners of nine businesses. ere are four Front Porch Cafe co ee shops, the wine and beer store, and three upscale olive oil stores on the Outer Banks and one in Key West, Florida. “We made it, and we kept growing,” Laura says. “People o en see the end, and
Front Porch Cafe debuted in 1999 under di erent ownership and had locations in Nags Head, Manteo and Kill Devil Hills. e Waylands got a commercial loan and acquired the whole set in 2021, when the owners retired. e Kill Devil Hills location is next door to Chip’s Wine and Beer, so they were acquainted with it and its proprietors.
We’re small enough to be able to pivot to different producers and big enough to absorb some pricing.
e Waylands opened Key West Olive Oil and Gourmet last year. ey call it a “gourmet experience” — premium olive oils, balsamic vinegars and curated wines, cheeses and specialty foods. “I travel a bit, and Key West seems to be the only place we go back to over and over again,” Phil says. “A couple years back we saw a place for lease. e seasonality down there is opposite from the seasonality here, and it has the same vibes. So, we gave them a call.”
“And got another bank loan,” Laura says. is summer, the couple took on their biggest loan: $2.5 million to buy an out-of-business McDonald’s building in Kitty Hawk and open the rst Front Porch Café with a drive-through. “It’s an amazing location, right there in Kitty Hawk when you come across the bridge,” Phil says. “And doing the metrics, I was really looking forward to it.”
Front Porch Cafe | Outer Banks Olive Oil
Chip’s Wine and Beer | Key West Olive Oil and Gourmet
-Laura Wayland
e Small Business Technology and Development Center o ce in Elizabeth City helped the Waylands with the purchase. “ ey came to an agreement with McDonald’s in early 2024 and did the deal in early scal 2025,” says Matthew Byrne, the o ce’s director. “One of the requirements for an SBA loan is they have to provide a business plan on the new operations. I did some work with their existing numbers and helped them put together some projections, which have to be between three and ve years. We looked at historical data and what the location would look like in this new market. ey had their ducks in a row pretty well.”
Byrne says the Waylands’ knowledge and preparation sealed the McDonald’s deal. “It was their e ciency that made it go as well as it did,” he says. “It was one of the quicker ones I’ve done. We were able to present a very complete loan package when we met the bankers face to face.”
Laura says the couple’s businesses have been turning a pro t for a long time. “But that doesn’t mean you don’t use someone else’s money to open, because we use bank loans, so the business is going to pay for the stores,” she says. “Obviously, the rst initial loan has been paid o , and we’ve only done the rst two SBAs and everything else was commercial loans. e $2.5 million was an SBA. But that’s your business plan. You’re still paying the loan at the bank, and you’re still making money and being able to use their money.”
Front Porch Cafe serves imported co ee. Its La Esperanza beans are grown at 4,000 to 5,000 feet above sea level in western El Salvador’s Apaneca-Ilamatepec Mountains. As with other aspects of their businesses, the Waylands’ nancial know-how is helping with product challenges. “ e U.S. does not grow any co ee except for a little bit in Hawaii,” Phil says. “ ere’s some in Puerto Rico. So, 99% of the co ee consumed in the U.S. is imported. Co ee pricing has been relatively unstable the past year, and tari s have only made that worse. So, we adapt and change. We’re small enough to be able to pivot to di erent producers and big enough to absorb some pricing. A lot of the big guys, the only way to absorb that is to step down their quality. But we won’t do that.”
e couple has learned a lot since their rst venture in 2010. “We were relying on stores to pay our mortgage, our credit card debt — not fun times for sure,” Laura says. “But we made it, and we kept growing. You have to teach people and trust your sta , because you can’t do everything nor should you. ere’s a di erence between being an owner and an operator. So, we have systems in place for the store managers to handle; we have bookkeepers and a lot of support sta to make sure they are running smoothly. And when it doesn’t, it comes up the chain to us.”
e rst Front Porch Cafe franchise store opened in Garner in August. And Phil and Laura plan to personally open about 10 more businesses — three per year. “If you’re looking to start working for yourself, be prepared to work harder than you’ve ever worked, but know that you’re working for yourself rather than someone else,” Phil says. “And that all that work is going to go to you and your family not someone else’s corporation. Know that you will go through hard times, because there are going to be hard times.”
Laura says it comes down to deciding what you’re willing to do and are you willing to keep going. “ ere always will be challenges,” she says. “We’ve seen COVID, the rise in co ee pricing. Is your best employee wanting to quit? You start to learn that you don’t rely on this one thing. All your eggs are not in that one basket. You have to be the person who’s not willing to give up.”■
FRONT PORCH CAFE
Four locations
phil@frontporchcafe.com www.frontporchcafe.com
CHIP’S WINE AND BEER
2200 North Croatan Highway, Kill Devil Hills 252.449.8229 www.chipswinemarket.com
Laura Wayland and her husband, Phil, own eight businesses on the Outer Banks and one in Florida. Getting there took hard work and learning some important lessons.
FFULL-TIME HELP
Alliance MOCVD uses artificial intelligence and ChatGPT to handle many tasks, including back-office work. That frees its founders and employees to better serve customers.
Alliance MOCVD specializes in equipment that makes semiconductors. It uses a high-tech process that decomposes metal-organic precursors on a heated substrate within a reaction chamber to form a thin lm. Its private and government customers deploy it in a range of industries, including aerospace, automotive, defense, manufacturing and healthcare.
At Alliance’s headquarters in Mebane, its busiest employees work 24/7. ey never ask for a vacation or take a paycheck. And they go by the names arti cial intelligence and ChatGPT. “It’s like having the most brilliant interns,” says Sara Cloud, who co-founded the company with her husband, Jeremy. “It’s the extension of your team. If you’re a small business and you’re not using AI, you’re behind the curve. It is that critical and that valuable a tool for small business.”
Cloud uses AI to research customers’ needs. “I have a prompt I created,” she says. “You basically feed it what you’re looking for and public knowledge. It’s the same thing the stock market uses to look at company performance. How are they growing? What upsell opportunities do I have? How can I better serve them? If they start downsizing, their orders will be less and less, and I have to prepare. It helps me, as a small business, to plan.”
AI also handles back o ce work. “It serves as extra sta to create email campaigns, marketing campaigns, to write standard operating procedures,” Cloud says. “Especially in our industry, there’s a lot of IT. Anything you feed it would be in the public realm, so I don’t feed it anything that shouldn’t be out there. But marketing, press
releases, a health-and-safety plan that needs to be customized. … we just did a job for NASA. at’s the scope of our work.”
According to AI, ChatGPT is “a generative arti cial intelligence chatbot developed by OpenAI. It uses generative pre-trained transformers, such as GPT-4o or o3 to generate text, speech and images in response to prompts.”
I know it’s (AI) opened new doors for us, and it gives me more hours in the day to work, essentially. It’s like having three more employees in the office with me.”
ChatGPT costs Alliance about $20 per month. “Your project is like a folder, or a workspace, and within that project will be all your marketing chats,” Cloud says. “You can put your past press releases, your website content, your newsletter — everything marketing related stays in the marketing project. And it learns how persuasive you are, what you have used already, and like with marketing, if you’ve already used that. You have a new person — who happens to be AI — set up content and post it. Same thing for operations. We can have it generate our standard operating procedures, or if we take on a new employee it can write the SOP for me. I have a project that’s just operations and administration. It’s like a living, breathing document, and each chat stays within the document. at’s where it becomes the intern who is your expert.”
Alliance MOCVD | Mebane
-Sara Cloud
AI and ChatGPT also are part journalist, part reporter. “If I needed to create a SWOT analysis, and create a prompt for this, and a market forecast, and upsell opportunities, and how to best serve customers … it just knows, and goes, ‘Boop! Here’s your summary,’” Cloud says. “AI knows what I’m looking for. It used to take me days and days to read the investor power points from our customers. Now I download it as a PDF, upload it to ChatGPT and it summarizes it for me. And I can arm my sales department with information about what customers want and how we can serve them. We’ve had the same customers 10, 15 years. at’s where the tool is valuable.” e technology doesn’t compromise company con dentiality. “I’m working on two private GPTs,” Cloud says. “One is going to be in internal quoting, and one of them will be the travel portion of it. We do government contracts, so we’re looking at per diem rates and mileage rates and travel estimates. e other is kind of a knowledge base for customer service. We answer the same questions over and over and over. ere are a lot of folks that don’t know the systems at all, so I’m working to create a GPT that answers the most common questions.”
Cloud says AI and ChatGPT have proven essential. “I’m a small business trying to make ends meet, and you can only wear so many hats,” she says.
e Clouds met while in the Marine Corps. “It was in the basic electronics course where we were technicians,” she says. “And I ended up going the microcomputer repair direction, and he was the teletype and telephone radio direction. is was in the Vietnam era, so it was pretty antiquated … equipment but de nitely a learning experience.”
Cloud says the couple eventually moved to Atlanta from New Jersey. ere her husband worked OEM for one of the systems that Alliance currently covers. “So, he was training, in the ‘90s, in all of the systems,” she says. “It ran the whole gamut. ey have a long life.”
He stayed with the OEM job while she attended graduate school and became a teacher. “He was getting so many calls from customers to come look at their systems, to get some advice, and the OEM had terrible customer service, so he’d go to consulting sites and more consulting sites, and I was like, ‘Hey, we have a business here.’” Alliance’s roots stretch back to 2006, when the Clouds lived in Georgia. “We wanted to relocate to North Carolina, which was emerging as a business-friendly, business-supported state,” she says. “And for the semiconductor industry, it made sense to be near the RTP area.” Alliance has been a Small Business and Technology Development Center client for more than 13 years. SBTDC has helped with government contracting and international business, such as export strategy, a State Trade Expansion Program grant and marketing videos, as well as recovery assistance during the COVID pandemic.
Could Alliance continue to thrive without the help of AI and ChatGPT? “Our business would survive, but it would be a lot more challenging,” Cloud says. “We would be back to where we couldn’t do the marketing we have to do now, because I just don’t have the time to do it, and hiring for marketing wouldn’t be in the budget. In my view, you are going to bring in more revenue if you use these tools. Start with one thing — your marketing campaign. at’s pretty easy, and you’ll get comfortable with it. I know it’s opened new doors for us, and it gives me more hours in the day to work, essentially. It’s like having three more employees in the o ce with me.” ■
1151 Holmes Road, Mebane 800.688.8856
info@alliancemocvd.com www.alliancemocvd.com
ALLIANCE MOCVD
Alliance MOCVD specializes in equipment that makes semiconductors. Its founders, Sara and Jeremy Cloud, lean on artificial intelligence and ChatGPT to handle many daily tasks.
TOOLS FOR THE TRADE
Bolton Construction & Service of WNC needs qualified workers, but they’re tough to find. So, it’s attracting them through apprenticeships, community college partnerships and mentoring.
Workers hired for HVAC and plumbing jobs need education and on-the-job training. But they must possess dedication and a tolerance for uncomfortable situations. “It’s a hard job to do sometimes,” says Mark Bolton, vice president of Bolton Construction & Service of WNC. “Like in the dead of winter, when the wind is blowing and you’re in the cold,” he says. “Or in the summer, when you’re in attics or nasty crawl spaces. If you’re just showing up, if you’re just looking for a paycheck, it will chew you up and spit you out.”
Bolton Services started a century ago. Run by the fourth generation of its founding family, the company employs 65 people at its Asheville location and 35 people at its Raleigh location, which Bolton’s brother oversees. But keeping both staffed is difficult, because competition for qualified workers is increasing. “The labor pool is getting smaller,” Bolton says. “People are retiring. We would much rather make the investment [in training workers] and risk someone leaving and be proud to spend the time and money to develop their talent. Fingers crossed, they stay.”
Bolton’s work varied avenues to create more qualified workers for his company and the industry. He’s a member of the Governor’s Council on Workforce and Apprenticeships, which Gov. Josh Stein called together in March. “The goal is the governor and the state recognized that we don’t have enough capable people to build out places,” he says. “There has to be qualified manpower to build the factories and build the homes, and right now, there’s not enough. He wants to double the number, so I’m very happy to lend my expertise.”
Finding, training and retaining qualified workers requires a
company to dedicate time and money. It also must create a culture. “We invest in our employees, ensuring they have the skills, training, and support to always provide exceptional service,” Bolton Services’ website reads. “We don’t cut corners, push unnecessary repairs, or overcomplicate the process, we just do honest work for real solutions. A job should do more than pay the bills, it should set you up for success. At Bolton, we believe in investing in our people. We offer excellent rates and several benefits, including apprenticeship programs, tuition reimbursement, paid time off, health insurance, and 401(k) plans. With on-the-job training, career advancement, and company vehicles for technicians, we give you the tools to grow and succeed.”
Bolton has sought business advice from Small Business and Technology Development Center through the years, and his company addresses workforce issues with the help of Asheville-Buncombe Technical, Haywood and McDowell Technical community colleges. “The reason I want to be in partnership with the community colleges is that it helps the entire industry if you have some basic knowledge, some basic foundation,” he says. “It would be terrific if they would come out of high school and go through a program and say, ‘Hey, this is what I want to do,’ and go to work. But it’s a hard job. Some may discover it’s not for them. But then, some people go out and get a master’s degree and decide it’s not for them, and they come back and get a trade job.”
Bolton hopes to work through A-B Tech to create an associate degree in plumbing. He wants to see people train in HVAC by working Monday through Thursday and attending classes on Friday. He also would like to see a high school program that offers juniors and seniors paid summer internships and credits toward graduation.
Bolton Construction & Services | Asheville and Raleigh
Bolton Services has an apprenticeship program. “[It’s] open to candidates with a strong work ethic, solid character and a drive to grow in the skilled trades,” its website states. “A [high school] diploma or GED is required. Program includes online coursework and flexible scheduling, so self-discipline and motivation are key.” It also describes opportunities for tuition reimbursement, mentorship, benefits and journeyman certification. The last requires 146 hours of online coursework designed by industry experts and 2,000 hours of on-thejob training annually. Apprentices are tested at the end of each subject and demonstrate hands-on mastery as assessed by their mentor. Bolton Services pays it apprentices an hourly wage, which starts at $18 and escalates to $26. “That’s how quick we can move you from a decent starting wage to something pretty darn good, and you’re only two years in,” Bolton says. “Then the next question is, how much do you want to develop your skills? Which end of the business do you want to work on? The competitive market means pay scales are increasing, which is terrific. The downside is the expenses for housing … everything is going up, and we’ve seen massive increases in materials the last two years. And the lack of qualified personnel is driving labor rates up. For a customer, it’s harder.”
Bolton draws on personal experience when mentoring new and prospective employees. He knows firsthand how difficult and awkward this type of work can be and why it’s important to respect the hiring company and its management. He started working for the family business while in high school. “There was never any pressure,” he says. “It was an option. I was working with my brother in Raleigh, hanging fire sprinkler pipe, and I learned pretty quick that it’s hard work. I developed a lot of respect for those guys.”
One day Bolton arrived late to work. He blamed traffic for the delay. His brother gave him a pass but underscored that he needed to set an example as a family member, adding he needed to give the company everything he had or look for a job elsewhere. “I appreciated that,” he said. “I realized how important it was to earn it or let it go.”
At Bolton, we believe in investing in our people. We offer excellent rates and several benefits, including apprenticeship programs, tuition reimbursement, paid time off, health insurance, and 401(k) plans. With on-the-job training, career advancement, and company vehicles for technicians, we give you the tools to grow and succeed. BOLTON
Bolton also can commiserate with the physical aspect, having worked with an HVAC and plumbing business while studying at the University of Wyoming. “I remember working 10-, 11-hour days, and they had me carrying toilets and setting toilets in a dorm,” he says. “I would carry it up the flight of stairs then go down and get the next one. I’d do that for weeks. And I appreciated it, because I was learning how to do the work and being put through the paces. If your heart is in it, there’s an opportunity here.”■
1623 Old Louisburg Road, Raleigh 919.861.1500 www.boltonservice.com
For 100 years, Bolton Services has solved HVAC and construction issues for its customers. Now it’s working on one of its own — finding enough qualified workers.
-Bolton Construction & Service website
WHAT IS GENERATIVE AI?
Generative AI creates new content like text, images, music, or code rather than just analyzing existing data. It learns patterns from vast datasets and uses that knowledge to generate original outputs based on prompts or instructions.
AI STATISTICS:
98% of small businesses use AI-enabled software, while 40 % specifically use generative AI tools like chatbots or image creators to boost productivity and efficiency
27% of small businesses are significantly increasing tech spending due to AI
91% of small & medium-sized businesses (SMBs) say AI boosts their revenue
75% of SMBs are at least experimenting with AI, with 83 % of growing SMBs leading the adoption
50% of small business owners plan to deploy AI agents within a year
27% cite AI implementation as their second-biggest tech challenge
ACTIONABLE TIPS:
WAYS SMALL BUSINESS ARE USING AI:
Creating content
(e.g correspondence, articles and websites)
Customer engagement
Email marketing personalization
Tracking competitor activities
Managing inventory
Creating project timelines
Making data driven decisions
Do more with less - nearly all small businesses using AI report financial benefits
Track ROI early - specific examples like time reduction and inventory efficiency show where AI pays off fast
Planning and communications - even small operations saw 40 % growth incorporating AI
Combine human oversight with automation-agentic - AI reduced processing time by over half while keeping humans involved
SOCIAL MEDIA BEST PRACTICES:
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) MARKETING
TOP DIGITAL MARKETING TIPS:
Research your customers and their online preferences
Build a presence on the right social media networks
Set goals and create a content strategy
Use analytics to audit your social media performance
Schedule your content calendar in advance
Practice “social listening” by scanning social media, or company & product mentions
Ask your audience for feedback
Use social media as a customer service channel – 70% prefer to solve issues online
1. Prioritize Brand Consistency
Consistency improves recognition and revenue (up to 23%)
2. Be Authentic & Transparent
Highlight real employees, stories, and customer experiences
3. Follow the 80/20 Rule
80% of your content should be engaging, educational, or entertaining; only 20% should be promotional
4. Emphasize Visual Storytelling
Leverage platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok
5. Lead with Value-Based Marketing
Share expert tips or advice related to your niche
6. Build Customer Trust
RESOURCE: DIGITAL MARKETING GUIDE
The SBTDC’s Digital Marketing Guide is designed to help businesses get started with digital marketing. Topics include branding and messaging, websites, email marketing, social media, and crafting a digital marketing plan. It also includes worksheets and other tools to help businesses through the process.
Available at http://www.sbtdc.org/pdf/digitalmarketingguide.pdf
66% feel connected to brands they trust
7. Know and Listen to Your Audience
Adapt content to follower preferences
8. Make Storytelling Central to Your Strategy
Use storytelling to showcase your mission, values, and people
9. Plan for Long-Term Growth, Not Just Quick Wins
Review your strategy regularly and adapt as platforms evolve
BUILDING A STRONG FINANCIAL FOUNDATION
Improve Your Credit:
Work on both business and personal credit scores by paying down debt and paying bills on time.
Create a Comprehensive Budget Detail all income and expenses, including fixed costs (rent, payroll) and variable costs (supplies, marketing).
Understand Your Cash Flow: Accurately track how money moves through your business.
Optimize Operations:
Invoice customers promptly and follow up on overdue payments, manage inventory, and manage and reduce expenses.
Maintain an Emergency Fund:
Have enough cash to cover at least 3 months of operating expenses.
FINANCIAL CHALLENGES: (past 12 months)
75% Increased costs of goods, services, and/or wages
56% Paying operating expenses
51% Uneven cash flow
48% Weak sales
35% Making payment on debts / interest rates
28% Credit availability
RESPONSE TO FINANCIAL CHALLENGES: (actions taken)
55% Used personal funds
51% Used cash reserves
48% Raised the prices the business charges
38% Obtained funds that must be repaid
36% Cut staff, hours, and/ or downsized
24% Made a late payment or did not pay
USE OF FINANCING AND CREDIT 2025
REASONS FOR
56% Meet operating expenses
46% Expand business, pursue new opportunity, or acquire business assets
40% Have available credit for future use
27% Refinance or pay down debt
27% Make repairs or replace capital assets
REASONS
FOR DIFFICULTY
Too few applicants
WORKFORCE
HIRING WORKERS:
Applicants lack job-specific skills, education or experience
Competition from other employers
Difficulty retaining newly-hired workers
Applicants unable to pass background check, credit check or drug test
Other reasons
TIPS TO NAVIGATING THE LABOR SHORTAGE
Consider unconventional workers, such as retirees, student interns, independent contractors, or those with disabilities or in recovery
Get creative about outreach — job fairs, family and friends, social media
Consider how you sell the job — showcase company culture, perks (flexible schedule, onsite childcare), and current staff
Focus on employee retention by listening and responding to your team
Consider limiting hours or simplifying product offerings
Outsource tasks such as payroll, marketing, bookkeeping
Evaluate your operations for repetitive tasks that may be automated
Invest in AI tools to help enhance productivity
The N.C. Small Business Center Network, operated through the N.C. Community College System, is the largest state-supported small business assistance program, serving more than 70,000 North Carolinians each year. The 61 centers located at community colleges throughout the state are aligned with the state’s eight Prosperity Zones. Potential or current business owners can take advantage of high-quality, readily accessible assistance that includes resource and referral information for a variety of business needs; free confidential one-on-one business counseling services; and high-impact seminars and classes available.
Anne Shaw, State Director N.C. Community Colleges 910-938-6319 shawa@nccommunitycolleges.edu
Mark Hagenbuch, Deputy Director North Carolina Community Colleges 984-249-1409 hagenbuchm@nccommunitycolleges.edu
WEST REGION
Jill Sparks, Regional Director Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College 828-398-7949 jillmsparks@abtech.edu
NORTHWEST REGION
Morgan Buchanan, Regional Director Mayland Community College 828-766-1295 mbuchanan@mayland.edu
SOUTHWEST REGION
Renee Hode, Regional Director South Piedmont Community College 704-290-5218 rhode@spcc.edu
PIEDMONT/TRIAD REGION
Martha Larson, Regional Director Forsyth Technical Community College 336-757-3804 mlarson@forsythtech.edu
NORTH CENTRAL REGION
Suzanne Ross, Regional Director Johnston Community College 919-209-2224 smross@johnstoncc.edu
SANDHILLS REGION
Pamela Young-Jacobs, Regional Director Southeastern Community College 910-788-6419 pamela.jacobs@sccnc.edu
SOUTHEAST REGION
Jerry Coleman, Regional Director Cape Fear Community College 910-362-7469 jdcoleman338@mail.cfcc.edu
NORTHEAST REGION
Holly Staples, Regional Director College of the Albemarle 252-335-0821 x2370 holly_staples72@albemarle.edu
N.C. DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATION OFFICE FOR HISTORICALLY UNDERUTILIZED BUSINESSES
The HUB Office was established to promote economic opportunities and eliminate barriers for historically underutilized businesses in state government contracting and procurement. HUB’s primary mission is to educate HUB firms and certify them to do business with the state of North Carolina.
N.C. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE & CONSUMER SERVICES
The N.C. Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services can assist business owners in planning, expanding or financing new or existing agribusiness-related industries. The Marketing Division leads the Got To Be NC campaign, which promotes North Carolina-made products across the state. The department also oversees the issuance and regulation of licenses and permits for a wide variety of industries.
919-707-3002
ncagr.gov
N.C. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
The N.C. Department of Commerce is the state’s lead agency for economic, community and workforce development. NCDOC works with local, regional, national and international organizations to fulfill its mission to improve the economic well-being and quality of life for all North Carolinians. It provides local communities with grants and planning services to spur infrastructure development and economic growth and administers the state’s economic incentive programs.
919-814-4600
commerce.nc.gov
N.C. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
The N.C. Department of Labor is charged with promoting the health, safety and general well-being of more than 4 million workers in the state. The department administers the state’s workplace safety program and enforces employment discrimination and wage legislation.
800-625-2267 labor.nc.gov
N.C. DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE
The Department of Revenue oversees collection of state business taxes and provides information on changes to tax laws that concern business owners. DOR offers online filing and payment services, as well as an online business registration, which allows business owners to electronically register for an account ID number for income tax withholding, sales and use tax, and machinery and equipment tax.
877-252-3052
ncdor.gov
N.C. DIVISION OF EMPLOYMENT SECURITY
The duty of the Secretary of State is to ensure uniform compliance with the statutes governing the creation of business entities, record the information required to be kept as a public record, and provide that information to the public. The Business Registration Division acts in an administrative capacity only and cannot give legal advice.
888-737-0259
des.nc.gov
N.C. STATE INDUSTRY EXPANSION SOLUTIONS
Industry Expansion Solutions, an outreach and extension organization affiliated with the N.C. State College of Engineering, was established in 1955 to help North Carolina industries grow and prosper. IES’ tailored solutions, university and community connections, and engineering know-how help companies stay abreast of the latest technologies and best practices in engineering and business management.
800-227-0264
ies.ncsu.edu
N.C. SECRETARY OF STATE’S OFFICE BUSINESS REGISTRATION DIVISION
The Business Registration Division is responsible for the examination, custody and maintenance of the legal documents filed by more than 400,000 corporations, limited partnerships and limited liability companies. The office ensures uniform compliance with the statutes governing the creation of business entities, records the information required to be kept as a public record and provides that information to the public.
919-814-5400
sosnc.gov/divisions/business_registration
NCWORKS ONLINE
NCWorks Online is a powerful online job seeker/workforce services system, designed specifically for job seekers, students, employers and job trainers. The system provides fast access to a complete set of employment tools in one website. Business owners can use the site to post jobs, recruit employees, research salaries and labor market information, and communicate with job trainers.
ncworks.gov
COUNCIL FOR ENTREPRENEURIAL DEVELOPMENT
The CED provides education, mentoring and capital formation resources to new and existing high-growth entrepreneurs through annual conferences, forums, workshops and programs on entrepreneurial management and finance.
919-549-7500
cednc.org
The Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC) is a business advisory service of the UNC System. With 16 offices across the state, business counselors help entrepreneurs make better business decisions, create and retain jobs, and improve the economy of North Carolina. The SBTDC offers specialized assistance in exporting, technology commercialization, and government contracting. For more information, visit sbtdc.org.
Byron Hicks, Executive State Director Small Business & Technology Development Center (SBTDC) 919-600-5953 bhicks@sbtdc.org
828-827-6111 (Hickory)
2 SBTDC at Western Carolina University 828-227-3504 (Cullowhee) 828-251-6025 (Asheville)
3 SBTDC at UNC Charlotte 704-687-0440 (Charlotte)
4 SBTDC at Winston-Salem State University 336-750-8340 (Winston-Salem)
5 SBTDC at N.C. A&T State University 336-256-9300 (Greensboro)
6 SBTDC at UNC Chapel Hill, N.C. Central University 919-962-0389 (Chapel Hill) 919-962-0389 (Durham)
7 SBTDC at N.C. State University 919-342-7928 (Raleigh)
8 SBTDC at Fayetteville State University, UNC Pembroke 910-672-1727 (Fayetteville) 910-775-4007 (Pembroke)
9 SBTDC at UNC Wilmington 910-962-3744 (Wilmington)
10 SBTDC at East Carolina University 252-737-1385 (Greenville)
11 SBTDC at Elizabeth City State University 252-335-3334 (Elizabeth City) 252-335-3334 (Kill Devil Hills)
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP OF NORTH CAROLINA
In October 2014, the N.C. Department of Commerce entered a contract with a new public-private organization, EDPNC, to take the lead in recruiting and marketing functions. EDPNC oversees the state’s efforts in business and job recruitment and retention, international trade, and tourism, film and sports development. The partnership fosters collaborations between business and government, and provides a robust analysis of facilities and sites available for relocation.
919-447-7777
edpnc.com
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MINORITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Formerly known as North Carolina Institute of Minority Economic Development, the Institute has 35 years of experience helping clients harness the power of diversity to achieve business and economic objectives. It brings deep industry knowledge of how to help business owners turn barriers of race, gender and disability into opportunity; companies diversify their supply chains; and communities broaden their business base.
NCIMED helps clients focus on three core elements — money, markets and management — to create diverse, globally competitive companies.
919-956-8889
theinstitutenc.org
NORTH CAROLINA BIOTECHNOLOGY CENTER
The North Carolina Biotechnology Center is a private, nonprofit corporation established in 1981 as the United States’ first statewide initiative in biotechnology. The center’s primary focus is to strengthen the biotechnology research capabilities of the state’s universities; assist biotechnology business development; educate the public about the science, issues and application of biotechnology; encourage collaborations among the state’s universities, industry and government; and strengthen North Carolina’s national and international leadership in biotechnology. 919-541-9366
ncbiotech.org
NORTH CAROLINA BAR FOUNDATION ENTREPRENEURS ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
NC EAP provides pro bono legal services to low-wealth entrepreneurs who are starting or expanding their businesses in North Carolina. Through one-on-one representation, community education and self-help materials, NC EAP empowers low-wealth business owners to build businesses in North Carolina that create jobs, improve communities and boost participants out of the poverty cycle. Services range from basic transactional legal needs as struggling entrepreneurs strive to establish their businesses and create jobs, to potential long-term client-counselor relations as their businesses grow.
NCMBC was created to leverage military and other federal business opportunities to expand the economy, grow jobs and improve quality of life in North Carolina. NCMBC’s Business Development Team includes 12 experienced business development and procurement specialists operating from 10 community colleges across the state to identify lucrative federal contract opportunities, notify firms of specific opportunities and help businesses prepare winning proposals. NCMBC also administers the state’s official web portal for federal contracting www. MatchForce.org.
877-245-5520
ncmbc.us
N.C. RURAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CENTER
The Rural Center’s mission is to develop, promote and implement economic development strategies that improve the quality of life of North Carolinians in the state’s 85 rural counties, with a special focus on individuals with low to moderate incomes and communities with limited resources. Key programs include capital access and microenterprise funding initiatives, entrepreneur and youth business counseling and a leadership development institute.
919-250-4314 ncruralcenter.org
SERVICE CORPS OF RETIRED EXECUTIVES
SCORE is a national nonprofit dedicated to helping businesses get started and grow, supported by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Retired business executives provide mentoring, counseling, local workshops and online webinars to business owners.
800-634-0245
score.org
VETERAN’S BUSINESS OUTREACH CENTER
The Veterans Business Outreach Center Program is designed to provide entrepreneurial development services, such as business training, counseling and resource partner referrals to transitioning service members, veterans, National Guard & Reserve members and military spouses interested in starting or growing a small business. Located at Fayetteville State University, it serves all of North Carolina.
910-672-2683
fsuvboc.com
WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTERS IN NORTH CAROLINA
The U.S. Small Business Administration provides funding for five WBCs in North Carolina in conjunction with local partners including NCIMED, The Support Center and the N.C. Center for Economic Empowerment and Development. WBCs seek to level the playing field for women entrepreneurs, who still face unique obstacles in the business world. They provide entrepreneurs, especially women who are economically or socially disadvantaged, comprehensive training and counseling on a variety of topics. sba.gov/local-assistance/resource-partners/ womens-business-centers
