These agencies offer a multitude of services to include financial assistance, professional guidance on development, information on corporate taxes, a checklist of requirements for new businesses, networking opportunities, legal requirements, and so on.

Local Agencies
City of Columbia eBid System
City of Columbia’s Business Licensing Office
City of Columbia’s Office of Economic Development
City of Columbia’s Office of Economic Development Entrepreneur Spaces & Support
Columbia Better Business Bureau
Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce
Richland County Office of Small Business Opportunity
Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE)
Richland Library Employment & Small Business Help

Local Business Development Centers
Benedict College Women’s Business Center
City Center Partnership
South Carolina Small Business Development Center
Engenuity South Carolina
Women’s Business Center of South Carolina at Columbia College

State Agencies, Councils, and Other Groups
Carolinas Associated General Contractors of America
Carolinas-Virginia Minority Supplier Development Council
National Association of Minority Contractors – Columbia, SC
SC Commission on Minority Affairs
SC Division of Small and Minority Business Contracting and Certification
SC Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation
SC Chamber of Commerce
SC Department of Commerce
SC Department of Revenue
SC Department of Transportation 
SC Economic Developers Association
SC Retail Association
SC Secretary of State Office
SC Department of Employment and Workforce
SC Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC)
SC Small Business Chamber of Commerce
SC APEX Accelerator (formerly PTAC SC)

Federal and National Agencies
U.S. Small Business Administration
Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC)
National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC)
National Women Business Owners Corporation
U.S. Department of Labor – Wage and Hour Division
U.S. Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA)

COVID-19 Assistance
U.S. Small Business Administration COVID-19 Relief Options
U.S. Small Business Administration COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL)
U.S. Small Business Administration Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)
U.S. Small Business Administration Shuttered Venue Operators Grant
National Institutes of Health

Veteran and Disabled Veteran Entrepreneurs
U.S. Small Business Administration

Information for African American Entrepreneurs
Chase For Business – Advancing Black Entrepreneurs

Additional Information from U.S. Small Business Administration
U.S. Small Business Administration Events Calendar
U.S. Small Business Administration – Contracting 101
U.S. Small Business Administration – SAM Entity Registration Checklist