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!

• 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.

For an unprecedented fifth year in a row, Area Development magazine has named Georgia the Top State for Business. As Governor Deal states, “Behind this ranking are hundreds of thousands of jobs for Georgia families and billions of dollars of meaningful investment in our communities.” We are proud of the hard work from communities and partners around the state who have worked diligently to make this happen.

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.