Small Business Center
We believe in the power of storytelling, especially along the small business journey.
Here are some of our stories.
When Self-Care Sparked a Startup
Meet Shani. From her home in Concord, she is redefining self-care one handcrafted product at a time. As the founder of Simply Care Box, Shani is on a mission to help busy people carve out small, meaningful moments of peace in the midst of everyday life. Her business...
Buzz-Worthy Business: A Local Entrepreneur’s Sweet Mission
Meet Mike. Inside a warm and inviting storefront on Cabarrus Avenue in downtown Concord, you’ll find Mike Elliott talking about bees. Not just selling honey, but sharing insights, stories, and the incredible science behind beekeeping. As the co-owner of Cannon Honey...
From Public Service to Small Business Success
Meet Susan. A Rowan County resident with a background in local government and a lifelong passion for helping people grow, Susan Nunn has spent her career developing others. Today, as the founder of Performance Potential Uncorked, she’s building something of her own -...
Local Entrepreneur: Rooted in Legacy, Growing with Purpose
Meet Janea. Nestled on a piece of farmland just minutes from downtown Concord, Janea lives and works on the land where she grew up - a place rich with family history, stories and now, new beginnings. Her company, Good Greene Gardens, is a tribute to that legacy. The...
Concord entrepreneur creates literacy tool
Meet Meagan. A Concord resident and lifelong educator with a passion for helping struggling readers. Meagan never imagined she would one day run her own business. But after 16 years of teaching, a spark of innovation led her to create a hands-on learning tool—one that...
Rowan County Entrepreneur Starts New Chapter
Meet Amanda. A lifelong reader and storyteller, now founder of Read and Found Books, an online bookstore she launched in June 2024, specializing in books by authors of color. As a Rowan County resident living in Kannapolis, Amanda’s journey to entrepreneurship has...
An Insider’s Look at the Retail Lab Bootcamp with Grant Colgan
Meet Grant. He’s the Program Manager for Flywheel Foundation and a driving force behind the Retail Lab Program at the Cabarrus Center in Concord, NC. His passion for supporting early-stage entrepreneurs is unmistakable. The Retail Lab, made possible by a small...
From Kombucha to Community: Heri’s Journey with Borinquen Brews and the Retail Lab
Meet Heri. A Puerto Rico native who turned his love for culinary creativity into Borinquen Kombucha, a kombucha brand that’s as approachable as it is innovative. Heri’s story is one of persistence, resourcefulness, and the power of community support, culminating in a...
Concord Entrepreneur Shines Light on CabCo Small Businesses
Meet Macie. A Concord native who transformed her passion for community connection into a thriving social forum known as The Downtown Dirty. This vibrant platform, which started on Instagram, has become the go-to resource for events, small businesses, and social...
A Dog for a Business Partner: The Story of Willow’s Handcrafted Collars
Meet Melissa. She’s a Kannapolis resident and proud owner of Willow's Handcrafted Collars. But it wasn’t all that long ago that Melissa was raising her three children and heading up their school PTOs, with zero expectation of ever owning her own business. As her...