Small Business Services Center becomes the Business Advancement Resource

BAR Mission Statement: “The Business Advancement Resource (BAR) strives to provide small, existing, and emerging businesses with resources to succeed.”

When the Cumming-Forsyth Country Chamber of Commerce (CFCCOC) says, “we mean business,” we mean YOUR business. Jason Mock, Director of Small Business services for the CFCCOC, says “To make sure all of our members and (the Cumming-Forsyth community) knows about the services we offer to small businesspeople, the CFCCOC has re-tooled the Small Business Services Center to become the Business Advancement Resource, or BAR. Starting next month, the BAR will continue to offer the same classes and events, and hopefully make all these resources more visible to entrepreneurs in the area.”

Small business is the lifeblood of any great community, and the Cumming and Forsyth areas are no different.  With the metro Atlanta area’s great resources of talent, infrastructure support, consumer demand, and the availability of growth capital, the BAR has the ability to provide a wide range of programs. There’s a bi-monthly “Lunch and Learn” series, where small business owners can network and listen to speakers who share their knowledge of the tools necessary to support a small business; a business expo, where businesses and consumers can connect; meetings with local entrepreneurs who are trying to get an idea going; and an awards program that motivates and recognizes the CFCCOC’s best small businesses.

Here are some statistics from the CFCCOC:

•     Forsyth County continues to be ranked as one of the fastest growing counties in the nation

•     The Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce has nearly 1,000 members with 84 percent of Chamber members having 25 or fewer employees

The BAR also works with outside sources such as SCORE, whose volunteers provide face-to-face mentoring for small businesses around the Atlanta area, and the Small Business Development Center of the University of Georgia.

For the latest Business Advancement Resource events and learning opportunities, watch the CFCCOC’s newsletter, and our Facebook and Twitter pages. For more information on the BAR, please contact Jason Mock, Director of Small Business Services, at jmock@cummingforsythchamber.org or 770.887.6461.