United States Small Business Association (SBA)
The official mission of the SBA is to serve "as an independent agency of the federal government to aid, counsel, assist and protect the interests of small business concerns, to preserve free competitive enterprise and to maintain and strengthen the overall economy of our nation." Click here to find resources targeted to the specific needs of North Carolinians.

SCORE
SCORE "Counselors to America's Small Business" is a nonprofit association founded in 1964 that is dedicated to educating entrepreneurs and the formation, growth and success of small business nationwide. SCORE is a resource partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

The Small Business Center Network (SBCN)
The Small Business Center Network of the North Carolina Community College System, comprised of 58 Small Business Centers throughout North Carolina, supports the development of new businesses and the growth of existing businesses by being a community-based provider of training, counseling, and resource information. Local small business center locations include Durham Tech and Wake Tech Community Colleges.

Small Business & Technology Development Center (SBTDC)
The Small Business & Technology Development Center (SBTDC) is The University of North Carolina's business and technology extension service, "committed to providing knowledge, education and other supportive resources that enable existing small and mid-sized businesses, emerging entrepreneurs and local/state leaders to innovate and succeed."

National Women's Business Council (NWBC)
Billed "a bi-partisan federal advisory council created to serve as an independent source of advice and policy recommendations to the President, Congress, and the U.S. Small Business Administration on economic issues of importance to women business owners. Members of NWBC are prominent women business owners and leaders of women's business organizations."

The North Carolina Institute of Minority Economic Development
Billed as a "statewide nonprofit organization representing the interest of underdeveloped and underutilized sectors of the state's economic base," this site offers a useful guide to many aspects of entrepreneurship specifically geared toward women and minority business owners.