General Info

Mountain BizWorks' Mission: To build economic opportunities through business development and capital. As a nonprofit community development financial institution ( CDFI ), Mountain BizWorks supports entrepreneurship that increases the assets of individuals, families and communities in Western North Carolina. Our mission is to build economic opportunities through business development and capital. Through small-business loans, training and coaching, we deploy capital to higher-risk small businesses with the goal of helping entrepreneurs build and strengthen their businesses, stabilize their incomes, create additional employment, and contribute to the economic revitalization of our local communities. As the only Small Business Administration ( SBA ) Women's Business Center in Western North Carolina, Mountain BizWorks oversees three Women's Business Center locations: one center in the home office in Asheville, and centers in each of our satellite offices in Hendersonville and Sylva. Since becoming an SBA Women's Business Center in 2003, Mountain BizWorks has transformed the way it relates to and provides services for women entrepreneurs. Mountain BizWorks has created a strong educational curriculum to build and maintain successful women-owned businesses. We have programs and events including our annual Women's Business Conference that are geared towards women business owners only, and we receive guidance and funding from the SBA on how to run effective programs for women. In 2009, Mountain BizWorks served 786 women, 62% of our total clients. Since our founding in 1989, we have served over 6, 000 entrepreneurs, assisted in the creation of over 1, 300 locally-owned businesses, and loaned more than $4 million. In its 21st year of service in Western North Carolina, Mountain BizWorks meets the needs of its clients through in-depth business planning courses, ongoing technical support and advanced training, membership services, and small business loans. Mountain BizWorks began underwriting and brokering peer loans for up to $2, 500 via the NC Rural Economic Development Center in 1991. In 2002, after experiencing an overwhelming demand from its customers for larger and longer term loans, Mountain BizWorks decided to seek funding specifically for expansion and formalization of the lending program. Mountain BizWorks became a CDFI in 2002 and now offers loans up to $50, 000. Mountain BizWorks' small business assistance and lending programs have been critical to Western North Carolina's growing small business population and are the backbone of success for many local businesses. As an integral player in the continuing growth of the region, Mountain BizWorks' comprehensive assistance services contribute to the long-term economic vitality and financial stability of the area's residents. Because of services offer long-term assistance to small business owners, our clients have the tools they need to reach success over an extended period of time. As a 501 ( c ) recognized nonprofit, we depend upon investors, individual and corporate donors, and grants to maintain our operating budget so that we can offer our effective services at below market prices to our clients. Mountain BizWorks is partially funded by the US Small Business Administration. This U.S. Small Business Administration ( SBA ) cooperative agreement is partially funded by the SBA. SBA's funding is not an endorsement of any products, opinions or services. All SBA funded programs are extended to the public on a non-discriminatory basis. In accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance. Please contact the Women's Business Center Director to request these accommodations. For more information, visit the SBA at www.sba.gov.