Carolina Small Business Development Fund

Our mission is to foster economic development in underserved communities by providing capital, business services, and policy research to support small businesses.

When Cheryle Lakes decided to start a venture to serve expecting mothers, Blooming Baby 4D, she called an advisor at Carolina Small Business Development Fund for assistance.

“The folks at Carolina Small Business guided me through the entire process,” Lakes said. “I felt comfortable asking the hard questions and there was always someone available to answer them.” Carolina Small Business Development Fund assisted with Lakes’ business plan, projections worksheet — and offered encouragement to persevere in the face of uncertainty.

“This experience was much different from one that you would receive at a traditional bank,” she said. “They believed in me sometimes when I didn’t believe in myself. I highly recommend Carolina Small Business Development Fund.”

Nicole’s event space and company, The Cloth Mill at Eno River, officially opened its doors in December 2015 with the help of funds from Carolina Small Business Development Fund. ”CSBDF has helped me tremendously with the funds that I needed to start my business. CSBDF was willing to take a risk on me and I’m very appreciative of it. My biggest challenge was accessing funds and finding someone that would take a risk on me. I now have 10 employees — a staff of bartenders and an event coordinator as well.”