START YOUR BUSINESS. KICK-START YOUR SUCCESS

Small communities throughout Wise County provide connections at every level—from personal relationships to digital networks and business mentorship. Our cost of living is over 30% below the national average, and real estate taxes are significantly lower. With fast permit approvals, you can launch quickly and leverage our comprehensive broadband infrastructure and strategic location—reaching 70% of the U.S. population within a one-day drive.

Tap into a variety of support services, including:

• Small Biz Basics, a service of the Wise County Office of Economic & Industrial Development, is a free, online, and self-paced learning guide for entrepreneurs, covering topics like: 
  • Writing a business plan
  • Financing a business
  • Accounting and cash flow
  • Hiring and managing personnel
  • e-Commerce
  • Marketing
• Growing a Business is a course designed specifically for established entrepreneurs ready to scale, covering topics such as franchising, family succession and expanding through acquisition.
  • Virginia Small Business Development Center (SBDC) offers a range of free and low-cost services for business planning, marketing, capital access, export assistance, innovation commercialization and more. Business One-Stop is an online resource tailored to entrepreneurs.
  • CO-STARTERS is a ten-session program that provides once-a-week sessions led by a certified facilitator who is an experienced business owner. Guest speakers also address the group.Cash and in-kind rewards are available.

Oxbow Center co-working space: Created and sponsored by UVA-Wise to spur innovation, the Oxbow Center offers personalized workspace, free meeting room space, free wifi, keyed entry and more.

Connect with the Wise County/City of Norton Chamber of Commerce, a hub for networking, business intelligence, and professional development through programs like Business After Hours, Lunch & Learn, and Leadership Development.

Some of these resources include:

• VCEDA (Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority) aids new business in target industries with programs such as the Seed Capital Matching Fund for qualified businesses that are less than one year old, with less than 10 employees.  The Seed Fund has supported more than 80 new small businesses in the Southwest Virginia region,helping to create more than 500 jobs and generate $4.8 million in private investment. For more information on Seed Capital, see the VCEDA website.
• Small Business Development Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) available from the Wise County Office of Economic & Industrial Development, provides low-interest microloans for qualified small businesses (less than 50 employees) to support the acquisition of land, equipment and machinery and for the purchase and renovation of business facilities.