Creating
Business
Opportunities
S. Gary Bullen
North Carolina State University
Creating Business Opportunities
• CBO’s goal is to support the development
and establishment of agricultural business
opportunities
• Partnership between North Carolina State
University, N.C. Department of Agriculture
and Consumer Services N.C. Farm Bureau
and N.C. Rural Center.
• Sponsored by Golden LEAF Foundation
Objectives
• Prepare county personnel to help
entrepreneurs with new business ideas
• Develop a business training curriculum
• Develop a set of business development
tools to support county personnel
• Create a network that will foster
information sharing between groups working
in business development
If We Offer the Training Will They
Come?
• Expected outcome: train 75-100 people
CES Agents, NCDA, Community Colleges,
NGO’s SBTDC, Economic Development
Offices
• How do we get 100 people to attend?
– The time was right for this training
– Create expectations
– Got All administrator's buy-in early
– Asked District Directors to nominate 10 people
– Nominees applied for the training
• We had 117 applications for the training
How will you benefit from training?
“As a commercial horticulture agent I am asked all
the time “What can I do to make money?”
“I see this as a valuable tool that I need
desperately! I do not have formal training in
business management, only production and
diseases. It will better enable me to guide my
clientele in the business management aspects of
building a new business.”
How will you benefit from training?
“ I am lacking in business development
knowledge and skills. As an extension agent, I
have no problem working with producers on
production related issues.
However, I do not feel as confident when issues of
business planning, development and marketing
arise. I hope I gain needed knowledge and skills
to help clients with their endeavors”
The Training Curriculum
• Find existing business curriculum
• Must work through a design committee
• What topics should we include and the depth of
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•
•
training?
Four two day trainings: Feb, March, August and
September, with summer months for practicum
Comprehensive business training, 60 hours
Offered 3 hrs graduate credit
The Training Curriculum
• Training was designed as if someone
walked into your office asking for
helping with new business idea
• Combined lectures with group exercises
• Teams formed based on geographic areas
• Each session had time to introduce groups
•
•
•
working in business development
TEAM Marketing plan practicum
Complementary training resource manual
Creating Business Opportunities Website
CBO Training
Short Lectures
Team Exercises
The Training Curriculum
• Session 1:
Evaluating a new business
idea
• Session 2:
Regulatory issues, taxes,
financial statements
• Session 3:
Market research and
development
• Session 4:
Business planning and money
sources
Teams Work
Networking
Marketing Plan Practicum
• Marketing plan was a
five page summary to
included
– Market analysis
– Business Proposition
– Strategies and Action
Plan
– Projected Budget
– Evaluation
– Legal issues
Marketing Plan Practicum
• Each team developed a marketing plan for a real
•
business
Practicum's
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Full Circle Bed and Barn
Microwavable Bagged Snap Beans
Flint Hills Vineyard
Farm Raised Shrimp Co.
Mountain Harvest Organic
Cross Creek Tourism Farm
Hydroponics Greenhouse Mixed Greens
Bakerville Community Market
Shitake Mushrooms
Timber creek Sod Farm
Northeastern Peanuts
Marketing Practicum
Business Tools
• Manual/CD
• Business books
• Other tools and templates
– Initial visit of potential business owners
– Will it make money?
– Market research
– Market Planning
– Legal and Regulatory information
– Case studies
What have you used from Business
Development Network?
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Information on marketing
Using information to develop a seminar
Shared information with county manager
Legal contact information
Small business textbook
I have used the notebook as a resource
Have used financial record keeping and analysis
materials
Evaluations
• Started with 95 attending with first training…
ended with 83
• Participants rated over all program a 1.85 with 1
being highest
• Some of the committee from participants
“No suggestions for improvement-this is
the most helpful real world training I’ve
had in entrepreneurship”
“Extensive resources provided, liked the
networking”
What worked? / What I Would
Change?
• Laid foundation for business network
• County personnel now have business
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•
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development resources
Training was good overview of business
development
Next training less topics more time for
each topics, more hand-on exercises
Smaller number for class
What Happened As Result of
Training?
• Five teams have organized Business
Development Workshops
• Ten business case studies
• Three business training workshops offered
• Create county teams for business
development