wnc’s small business landscape

Weaverville, Waynesville, and Burnsville, there is a thriving part of the region’s economy that remote workers bring to the area,” he said. “Many are bringing in salaries above the average pay grade for WNC, and they all want to connect and be a part of the community. We want to help facilitate these connections in the best way that we can.”

Hubs of Support and Networking for Remote Workers

Remote working seems to be here to stay, and organizations are creating ways to help foster this type of work environment. There are now at least 10 coworking spaces in Asheville and more popping up in other towns around the region. Coworking spaces offer standard office necessities including desks, meeting spaces, high-speed internet access, private call rooms, printers, scanners, and coffee makers.

Coworking spaces also encourage networking among members. Sean Comeaux and Erika Gifford of Hatch Innovation Hub and 1 Million Cups Asheville said they have seen new partnerships created from entrepreneurs engaging with others within their coworking space. “People have opportunities to meld and develop ideas as well as help each other solve problems. They are bouncing ideas off each other and even creating new businesses,” Comeaux said.

Many coworking spaces offer learning opportunities as well. Educational and inspirational workshops as well as networking events for members are offered regularly at several area coworking offices, expanding the benefits of memberships.

Newcomers to Western North Carolina seem to enjoy the opportunity to meld into the local business community. Comeaux and Gifford said that 60% to 70% of their members are new to town within the last two years. “We are plugging people into their community, and opening up the community in a way that people didn’t know was even possible,” Gifford said. “It’s a feel-good place to be.”

A New Opportunity for Hispanic and Latin Entrepreneurs

During the last quarter of 2022, Pharus Global Executive Vice President Rudy Chacon and his wife, Pharus Global Director of Business Development Ellen Chacon worked with the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce to create the Latin Business Council.

Rudy Chacon said the Council was created based on the needs of the many Latin and minority entrepreneurs in the Asheville area and to make sure that they are aware of and receive the same resources and opportunities available to entrepreneurs of any descent.

“We are able to create connections and open doors, providing an opportunity that wasn’t there before,” Rudy Chacon said. “Speaking the same language provides a level of comfort to these people and allows us to be a voice for the Latin business community. It’s also really a fun culture; these people are really passionate about the things they are doing.”

With previous experience creating programs and bringing in resources for Hispanic communities with the Florida State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Chacon and other Chamber members presented a survey to Latin businesses in the Asheville area to discover the needs of the local Hispanic and minority entrepreneur community. According to their survey’s results, the largest need of these entrepreneurs is access to capital in order to grow their business.

To meet this need, one of the programs that will be put in place is called Access to Capital. The Asheville Area Chamber has already granted approval to launch this program, which should occur sometime in 2023.

The Latin Business Council has also begun work to create initiatives and sponsorships that can help provide real solutions to real problems that are faced by minority entrepreneurs. “We are reaching out to large companies like Pratt & Whitney that may be able to provide funding that can help some of these small businesses grow and succeed,” Rudy Chacon said.

Established businesses that are ready to level-up are in the right space to work with the Latin Business Council. Using the Chacon’s business, Pharus Global, in addition to other local business resource organizations like Mountain BizWorks to provide an entire ecosystem of resources, entrepreneurs can have access to more than just capital.

“Our business really helps reduce the operating costs for any growing business,” Ellen Chacon said. “We help identify backend issues that a business may have and