The SBTDC is a business and technology extension program of the UNC System. With offices at the 16 campuses, counselors provide personalized management counseling and education services that help entrepreneurs make their businesses better, create and retain jobs, and improve the economy of North Carolina. The SBTDC's office at UNC Wilmington is affiliated with the UNCW Cameron School of Business and is located next to the UNCW Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

THE UNCW TEAM

Heather McWhorter

Regional Director

(910) 962-4248

hmcwhorter@sbtdc.org

Mark Everett

Business Counselor

(910) 962-2869

meverett@sbtdc.org

Sherri May

Business Counselor

(910) 962-3744

smay@sbtc.org

Gloria Monroe

Business Counselor

(910) 962-7307

gmonroe@sbtdc.org

Paige O'Neill

International Business

Development Counselor

(910) 962-0592

poneill@sbtdc.org

Jamie Stalfort

Business Launch Specialist

(910) 962-0537

jstalfort@sbtdc.org

Cheryl Young

Business Resiliency Counselor

(910) 962-3744

cyoung@sbtdc.org

YOUR BUSINESS. BETTER.

Is it time for your annual business check-up? As you review end-of-year financials and goals, did your business meet expectations?

The experienced professionals at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington (UNCW) Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC) have access to a variety of tools to help small business owners make decisions to improve the performance of their businesses.

The SBTDC partnered with Sageworks to utilize high-powered software ProfitCents® to give North Carolina businesses a quick, no-cost analysis of their finances. The SBTDC's counselors then help business owners turn that knowledge into better business decisions.

Some examples of what can be learned from this analysis:

Key business ratios for assessing your business's performance
An evaluation of current results compared to previous years
Real-time comparisons of your results with others in your industry

In business, knowledge is power. Identify weaknesses and opportunities that exist in your liquidity, sales, and profit margin ratios and design strategies to save and make more money today. For more information about the SBTDC's free and confidential business counseling services, please visit our website.

Heather McWhorter

UNCW SBTDC Regional Center Director

hmcwhorter@sbtdc.org

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO

1 MILLION CUPS WILMINGTON

Contributed by Jamie Stalfort, Business Launch Specialist

1 Million Cups Wilmington has just celebrated its two year anniversary! UNCW SBTDC Business Launch Specialist Jamie Stalfort provided insights in the Greater Wilmington Business Journal on the anniversary and what’s next for the Wilmington chapter.

Based on the notion that entrepreneurs discover solutions and engage with their communities over a million cups of coffee, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation developed 1 Million Cups in 2012 -- a free program designed to educate, engage, and inspire entrepreneurs around the country.

1 Million Cups Wilmington meets weekly at the UNCW Center For Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE). More information and the names of the presenters can be accessed here.

ALTERNATIVE RECRUITING RESOURCES

Contributed by Cheryl Young, Business Resiliency Counselor

Are you challenged with identifying, attracting, and hiring employees? If so, the SBTDC can help.

A list of local resources unique to Southeast North Carolina has been developed with college job boards and military/veterans, youth, senior workers, workers with disabilities, and refugee employment opportunities.

In addition, information about the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, Federal Bonding for “High Risk” employees, and the local NCWorks office may be of interest. If you would like a copy of the alternative recruiting resources or would like to discuss recruiting challenges, please contact your SBTDC Business Counselor or email us at uncw@sbtdc.org.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR EMPLOYER IDENTIFICATION NUMBER

Contributed by Jamie Stalfort, Business Launch Specialist

Struggling to understand how to register or re-classify your business for taxes? The IRS website has a ton of tips! Every business needs an Employer Identification Number (EIN). Think of it as a Social Security number for your business. You can use it to open a bank account, get a loan, and file your taxes at the end of the year.

When registering, the IRS will ask you what type of entity you want to classify as. This can be confusing for a lot of new business owners or those simply wishing to change the way they file their business taxes. Luckily, there’s a helpful IRS Understanding your EIN Guide that discusses how to choose the right entity classification for your business. It’s always a good idea to meet with your accountant for more guidance, but this is a great resource to start learning more.

BECOME A CERTIFIED GLOBAL BUSINESS PROFESSIONAL

Contributed by Paige O'Neill, International Business Development Counselor

Confirm your knowledge in international trade and ensure others that you are able to practice global business on a professional level in today’s competitive environment by becoming a Certified Global Business Professional.

The online CGBP Program is designed to help individuals working in the field of international business successfully prepare for and pass the CGBP Exam or re-certify their existing CGBP credential. Business owners and their managers can also benefit from taking the CGBP Program by learning ways to help their firms become more competitive and profitable.

Click here to view registration options for the CGBP Program. For more information, contact Dr. Mike Seibert.

SUCCESS STORY:

THE WALL PRINTER

Contributed by Paige O'Neill, International Business Development Counselor

What happens when you bring together seven Executive MBA Students from seven disparate backgrounds and assign them seven days to solve a business issue? A recipe for disaster? Add in one University Professor, Dr. Rebecca Guidice, to manage expectations and a large cup of international business advice and market research from SBTDC Counselor Paige O’Neill and suddenly the ideas are simmering. Mix in a passionate business leader from the community, CEO Paul Baron, with a lofty goal to double revenues in one year and the Cameron School of Business and the UNCW Learning Alliance project is formed.

The UNCW Learning Alliance program partnered with The Wall Printer® to kick off the New Year with a one-week intensive on-site project. The Wall Printer® is the only US-based supplier of vertical wall printer units. The wall printer machine paints large digital graphic files of any artwork vertically on interior or exterior walls on brick, glass, tile, vinyl, cement, or wood. The quality of the paint ensures that the walls remain vibrant for years. The goal of the company is to create new business opportunities and revenue for start-up entrepreneurs and established businesses.

In the first year of business, CEO Paul Baron was able to create an entrepreneurial “first mover” advantage for 80 small businesses across the US and internationally. The company is experiencing rapid growth. The key issue to solve was how to focus sales efforts on the right type of B2B customer to double revenues in the next year.

After a dash of chaos and a focus on assigning responsibilities, the team toured The Wall Printer® facility, met with employees, and asked a multitude of questions. Blending in 400 hours of research and analysis, the enthusiastic overachievers developed solutions for the following areas: social media marketing campaigns, customer relationship management processes, and identification of buyer personas. The outcome was a quality banquet of recommendations and an extensive year-long phased implementation plan. CEO Paul Baron said, “I was very impressed with the team’s knowledge, depth of research, and quality of the recommendations."

An unforeseen benefit of the team being onsite was that website updates and changes to social media analytics were occurring in real-time during the week-long process. The students left Wilmington with real-world marketing and entrepreneurial experience and The Wall Printer® left energized to implement their new 2022 targeted growth strategy.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Webinars: NCDOR Business and Income Tax

March - April | Online

The North Carolina Department of Revenue conducting a series of free webinars to proactively inform businesses of their state tax responsibilities.

Some of the topics include:

Business Tax Essentials
Spanish Business Tax Essentials
Working with NCDOR
Sales and Use Tax Basics

SBA Business Women's Summit

March 29-30 | Online

This free event will include power-packed panels, inspirational fireside chats, and 'Ask an Expert' workshops to help you build, scale, and grow your business.

Panels and discussion topics include:

Innovation and Investment
Building an Equitable Recovery Framework for Women Entrepreneurs
From Essential Worker to Essential Entrepreneur: CARE Economy Entrepreneurship Opportunities
The $100B Marketplace: Contracting Opportunities for Women-Led Firms
Exporting & E-Commerce
The Changing Landscape for Entertainment and Hospitality Industries

Taking the Leap: Kickstart Your Business in 4 Weeks

Tuesdays, April 5-26 | 6-8 p.m. | UNCW Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CIE)

Tuesdays, June 7-28 | 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. | Online

In this four-week long cohort, participants will learn about different aspects of starting a business, including identifying potential markets, writing a business plan, running the finances of a business, and marketing a business. You'll work with mentors and peers in fun breakout activities designed to help strengthen your business ideas and prepare you for success!

2022 Southeast Region Federal Construction, Infrastructure & Environmental Summit

April 6-7 | Wilmington Convention Center

The Summit is the premier, best-established, and most-recognized federal construction event in the Southeast. Businesses that are already engaged or want to perform in the federal market need to be there!

Over 750 representatives of the Corps of Engineers, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Fort Bragg, Marine Corps Installations East, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, other Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps installations, US Coast Guard, Department of Veterans Affairs, General Services Administration, other federal agencies, general and specialty contractors, designers, and construction suppliers from throughout the Southeast will be in attendance.

Webinar: International Costing and Pricing Strategies

April 13 | 2 p.m. - 3 p.m. | Online

Companies cannot assume their domestic pricing will mirror international pricing. International consumers often pay more for products that have been imported than consumers in the home market where the products originate due to tariffs, freight and logistics, local market conditions, and more.

Learn more about:

Calculating landed costs
Full absorption
Variable absorption costing and pricing strategies

How to Think Like a Lender

May 10 | 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. | UNCW Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CIE)

Speakers: Mark Everett (SBTDC), Chris Lovegreen (Thread Capital) & Cheryl Young (SBTDC)

This 1-hour, in-person seminar will assist any business owner in preparing for debt financing. Presenters will cover the "Six Cs of Credit" -- what lenders look for in your financials and your business and how you can prepare.

Webinar: Supply Chain Management -- Documentation

May 11 | 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. | Online

When transporting goods internationally, proper documentation and correct packaging are critical to the process. One of the main differences between selling domestically and exporting is the documentation that is required.

Webinar: Supply Chain Management -- Logistics

May 18 | 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. | Online

A freight forwarder is a person who is hired to move shipments between foreign and domestic locations, or a portion of the way. Freight forwarders also handle many of the formalities involved in exporting such shipments. Interviewing potential freight forwarders can aid in selecting the right one for your business and overseas market. In this session, learn more about supply chain management, incoterms freight forwarders, and 3PLs.

2022 Manufacturing Conference (MFGCON)

May 18-19 | Durham

MFGCON is a two-day conference that offers manufacturing-based businesses the opportunity to learn about workforce excellence, leadership and culture, operational excellence and technology, and innovation and growth. There will also be ample time to network during the conference.

Coalition Consolidated Events Calendar

There are even more programs hosted by members of the Business Coalition. Access the consolidated calendar of Coalition events in the region here. The Coalition is a group of organizations in Southeast North Carolina with a goal of helping small business owners and entrepreneurs.

If you are in Onslow County, also check out the upcoming workshops and events at the Coastal Carolina Community College SBC. Columbus County should check out the Southeastern Community College SBC programs and Duplin County should visit the James Sprunt Community College SBC. Please email us at uncw@sbtdc.org if you need assistance from or information about any of these organizations.