Business Resources

Download the Small Business Start-Up Kit

Entrepreneur and small business development are vital to the success of economic development in Douglas County. Please make the Business Start-Up Kit your first step toward evaluating your new business idea and getting started on the right foot.

The Small Business Start-Up Kit includes resources on:

• Feasibility and Marketing Strategy
• How-To Business Plan
• Financing Information
• Licensing and Tax Information
• Labor and Safety Regulations
• And MORE!

Download the Starting a Business in Douglasville Guide 

• Work Healthy Georgia – This resource provides assistance in developing or improving workplace health policies and programs. Start with making the business case of why worksite wellness is important, assess the business, get employees engaged, and review easy, cost-effective ways to implement policies and programs.
• American Heart Association Workplace Health Playbook – This playbook reviews key elements of effective workplace health programs and reviews case studies that detail strategies used by well-known corporations.
• Georgia. Working on Health. – By “taking the pledge” online to promote physical activity, create a healthy eating environment, support breastfeeding, and/or become tobacco free, worksites become a part of the Georgia. Working on Health network. Participants receive window clings, the Work Healthy Georgia Toolkit, and ongoing resources to maintain an environment that supports a healthier workforce and a healthier Georgia.
• Cobb & Douglas Public Health – The local health department can review current worksite wellness initiatives with employers and provide free guidance to help foster a healthy workplace.

The opioid epidemic is destroying communities and families across America. Discover how businesses can help on the new #SharingSolutions resources center from the U.S. Chamber Foundation, sharingsolutions.us

The Chamber has partnered with The University of West Georgia Small Business Development Center (UWG SBDC) which is part of the Richards College of Business. The UWG SBDC is one of 18 centers in the Georgia SBDC Network.

The UGA Small Business Development Center at UWG offers FREE and confidential one-on-one business consulting services to established businesses, as well as startups, and other aspiring entrepreneurs.  In accordance with their SBA contract, the SBDC offers these services to businesses with annual revenues from $0-50MM, and 0-500 employees.

• Access to sources of capital
• Financial Management (including one-on-one Quick Books Training)
• Business assessments: financial and marketing
• Business plans
• Certifications: WBE, DBE, and SBA’s 8(a)
• Financial projections
• Government procurement
• International trade
• Loan packaging and investment proposals
• Marketing plans and research
• Operational policies, procedures, and reviews
• Succession planning

Contact the UWG SBDC office at 678.839.5082 to make an appointment with one of our business consultants.

For an unprecedented sixth year in a row, Area Development magazine has named Georgia the Top State for Business. As Governor Kemp states, “Our efforts to cut red tape and ensure our business environment leads the nation continue to lure world-class companies to the Peach State from every corner of the map.” We are proud of the hard work from communities and partners around the state who have worked diligently to make this happen.

The Douglas County Chamber has teamed up with the Georgia Chamber and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield to administer the Georgia Chamber SMART Plan. This plan allows smaller employers to join together to share in the overall claims risk. By being part of a larger, self-funded pool, employers have financial protection backed by Anthem.

In addition to financial protection, this innovative alternative offers:

• competitive rates
• predictable, fixed monthly payments
• flexibility in choice of benefit plans
• Anthem’s broad Open Access POS network and Essential Rx

To top it off, the program also offers specialty products, including dental, vision, life, optional life and disability plans, that are offered at discounted rates to employers participating in the Georgia Chamber SMART Plan.

Who is eligible for the Georgia Chamber SMART Plan? The Georgia Chamber SMART Plan is available to small business employers with at least two employees enrolled on their medical plan and no more than 50 total employees, domiciled in Georgia. Eligible employers must also be Douglas County Chamber members in good standing.

Why Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield? Get peace of mind knowing that Anthem has been serving millions of members in Georgia for more than 80 years and is:

• one of the nation’s largest health benefits company
• part of the BlueCard® program through the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, which includes more than 96% of hospitals and 97% of doctors in Georgia