Small Businesses are no small part of Georgia’s economic lifeblood. Fueling job growth as well as personal pride, their success depends on a supportive environment for the entrepreneurial spirit. Georgia has that supportive environment and a host of innovative resources demonstrate a statewide commitment to it.

Created in 2004, the Georgia Entrepreneur and Small Business Coordinating Network unites state and federal agencies in their efforts to provide entrepreneurs and small businesses with advocacy programs, and ways to leverage operations like training, marketing and service delivery. One result of the Network: the OneGeorgia ESB Loan Guarantee Fund, which opens opportunities in the state’s rural areas.

For communities wanting to create and sustain entrepreneurial activity locally, the “Entrepreneur Friendly” Initiative helps them incorporate small businesses into their long-term development strategies. A program of the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s Small Business & Innovation Division, the “Entrepreneur Friendly Initiative helps communities better understand their existing entrepreneur environment and develop sustainable, effective local strategies.