Jun 22, 2022 | Staying on Top, Upstate Entrepreneur Ecosystem
Upstate Entrepreneur Ecosystem
Upstate Connector Meeting
June 21, 2022
The Upstate Entrepreneur Ecosystem met to connect and learn about some of the new resource platforms in the Upstate.
Jennifer Sutton of Bright + Co. shared the recently launched GVLInnovates, a curated ezine with resources for entrepreneurs. Brian Brady and Sam Cooper from the USC Upstate Johnson College of Business and Economics presented the Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation’s Resource Portal and the many community resources included. Ecomap’s Kevin Carter joined us virtually to train us on enhanced search and filtering features on StartGrowUpstate.com, and how to create profiles and lists of preferred resources. Click here for a recording of Kevin’s tour of the new features.
A copy of the slide deck is available here.

May 4, 2022 | Staying on Top, Uncategorized, Upstate Entrepreneur Ecosystem
UEE Partner Workshop (May 3, 2022)
How’s Business…Really? – The Story Behind the Numbers
The “How’s Business…Really” series continued with The Story Behind the Numbers: Translating Numbers into Financial Goals, presented by Jerry Smith of Piedmont SCORE. This is part the 2002 virtual Upstate Entrepreneur Ecosystem Partner Workshop Series.
Jerry discussed what financial goals are, why business owners set goals, the importance of development a written plan, and covered setting up a start-up budget, sales forecasts, break-even analysis, profit and loss statement, balance sheet, and the importance of making a plan so that your goals drive your numbers.
Click here to watch a recording of the workshop and here to view the presentation.
Cash Flow Worksheet
Break Even Analysis
Financials & Common Ratio Worksheets
The SC Small Business Development Center, the Women’s Business Center of CommunityWorks, and Piedmont SCORE are offering this series to provide tools and tips for you to assess the financial health of your small business. See previous workshops from the series below:
Workshop #1 – Show Me the Paper Trail! Identifying Important Financial Data with Ana Parra of Community Works Women’s Business Center – recap, video and presentation.
Workshop #2 – Numbers Don’t Lie – Organizing the Numbers with Earl Gregorich of SC Small Business Development Center – recap, video, and presentation.
Apr 6, 2022 | Staying on Top, Upstate Entrepreneur Ecosystem
UEE Partner Workshop Recap (April 5th)
How’s Business…Really? – Organizing the Numbers
The “How’s Business…Really” series continued with Organizing Your Numbers, presented by Earl Gregorich of the South Carolina Small Business Center. This is part of the 2002 virtual Upstate Entrepreneur Ecosystem Partner Workshop Series.
Earl discussed organizing numbers to make sense of them, keeping the audience in mind, for example, bankers and investors are looking for very specific information to provide funding. Organizing the numbers is also important for daily operations and decision-making. Here is a downloadable sample excel spreadsheet.
The SC Small Business Development Center, the Women’s Business Center of CommunityWorks, and Piedmont SCORE are offering this series to provide tools and tips for you to assess the financial health of your small business. The third of the series continues on May 3 with Translating the Numbers into Financial Goals, with Jerry Smith of SCORE. Register here for this virtual workshop.
Mar 17, 2022 | Staying on Top, Upstate Entrepreneur Ecosystem
March 16, 2022
The UEE heard an entrepreneurship legislative update from Luis Reyes, Senator Tim Scott’s Deputy Legislative Assistant for Small Business and each attendee had the opportunity to share their most recent wins, needs, and other pertinent information on their organizations’ work. The group also celebrated the South Carolina Small Business Development Center following a proclamation by Governor Henry McMaster designating March 16 “SBDC Day” in South Carolina.

Mar 3, 2022 | Staying on Top, Upstate Entrepreneur Ecosystem
UEE Partner Workshop
Show Me the Paper Trail! March 1, 2022 The 2022 Upstate Entrepreneur Ecosystem Partner Workshop Series kicked off today on Zoom with Ana Parra of CommunityWorks Women’s Business Center presenting “Show Me the Paper Trail! Identifying the Important Financial Data.” Ana noted the importance of setting up a financial binder with personal and business documents, and how to transition from one to another. The goal is to get “loan ready” so documents are readily available to help entrepreneurs make decisions regarding starting a business, purchases, hiring, and growth. The binder also tells your story if eventually you want to apply for a loan or any kind of financial assistance. Click here to watch a recording of the workshop and here to view the presentation. The SC Small Business Development Center, the Women’s Business Center of CommunityWorks, and Piedmont SCORE are offering this series to provide tools and tips for you to assess the financial health of your small business. The second and third of the series continue April 5 with Organizing the Numbers, and on May 3 with Translating the Numbers into Financial Goals. Register here for both virtual workshops.
For April 5 – https://conta.cc/36PfNxG
For May 3 – https://conta.cc/3CcIArD
Oct 8, 2021 | Staying on Top, Uncategorized, Upstate Entrepreneur Ecosystem
Upstate Entrepreneur Ecosystem | Partner Series
Mastering Hard Conversations – How to Talk While Networking: Conversations to Best Explain Your Business
October 7, 2021
Sara Carter, Program Coordinator from CommunityWorks Women’s Business Center, lead the conversation with LeKesa Whitner of Start:Me Spartanburg and entrepreneur Tamika Thompson. LeKesa hears pitches and stories from many business owners, so she has a great perspective on how to stand out. Tamika is the owner of Beyond this February, a Black women owned independent bookstore that prioritizes Black stories year-round. Tamika has been a finalist in the Start:Me and Leap program.
See Tamika’s Facebook page for her pop-up book shops, including this Sunday at the Hub City Farmer’s Market.
Visit StartGrowUpstate.com for resources to start and grow your businesses!
Shared Chat and Contact information: