The Small Business Center at Sampson Community College has always been on a mission to foster business growth in the community. That mission has expanded to include offering established businesses a chance to feed off each other as well.
Sampson Community College recently has teamed up with James Sprunt Community College and hosts an exciting initiative they call “B2B OpenMeet”. B2B, or ‘Business To Business’ is an opportunity to provide a neutral and supportive space welcoming entrepreneurs to be open and honest about their businesses and the challenges they face as a business owner.
Held on the first Wednesday of each month, two presenters give a short presentation about their business and its challenges. A panelist board then has 20 minutes to creatively bounce ideas and offer constructive feedback to each presenter following their presentation. In other words, we are creating an explosive networking opportunity filled with content and nuggets of wisdom.
Amanda Bradshaw, Director of SCC’s Small Business Center says it works.
“Peer-to-peer teaching is not a new concept within traditional education standards but is very much a different thought pattern in the business world,” she says. “The advantages of this style learning is that everyone brings something to the table and everyone leaves a bit more knowledgeable regardless of type business they own. The inner networking that happens during B2B OpenMeet is also such a tremendous value to the participants too. Very excited to see this initiative grow as our small businesses grow while learning from one another.”
Typically, presenters from businesses will answer questions such as who they are what product or service they offer, offer a short background of their business and what specific challenges they feel. In other words, what are their goals and what is holding them back? The group assembled is completely supportive of each business with its suggestions and critiques.
Bradshaw encourages those wanting to attend these free sessions to visit the website 1millioncups.com. The SCC initiative is laid out similarly to that concept but tweaked to meet the needs of the people of Sampson and Duplin County. For questions, please call Bradshaw at 910-592-7176 ext. 2032.
Then next date is March 2 at 9:30 a.m. at Simpson Real Estate Group, Inc. at 101 W. Main Street, Wallace. In the month of April, the group returns to Clinton as part of the rotation between counties.