Nussbaum Center for Entrepreneurship Inc
Business is built here.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
EASE Program
EASE is our incubator without walls program. Designed to assist early stage entrepreneurs who are working from home or in the idea stage. Typically these participants are pre-revenue or they have specialty space needs that require more than a desk and a chair.
Small Business Incubator
The Nussbaum Center for Entrepreneurship(NCFE) is the largest small-business incubator in North Carolina, with a 35-year history of helping area entrepreneurs and small business owners develop their business concepts into successful and sustainable companies. Since 1987 we have helped entrepreneurs become business owners by providing affordable scalable office space, training and the support services necessary for their businesses to scale.
Where we work
External reviews

Photos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of jobs created and maintained
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Nussbaum Center Associates self report number of full and part time employees quarterly.
Additional revenue and wages generated attributable to the organization's efforts
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Small Business Incubator
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Nussbaum Associates self report quarterly revenue. Since 2012, our Associates have generated over $100M in revenue.
Average wage of clients served (in dollars)
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Small Business Incubator
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Nussbaum Associates self report quarterly payroll. Nussbaum Associates self report quarterly revenue. Average household income in our census tract is $25,000. Average household income in City of Green
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
We aim to make entrepreneurship the key economic growth driver in Greensboro. This is achieved by reducing small business failures. 98% of businesses in Guilford County are classified as a small business by the SBA.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
The Nussbaum Center has hired an Entrepreneur Manager who will act as a case manager for entrepreneurs by conducting interviews and intake assessments, making referrals to appropriate ESOs, tracking and evaluating data collection efforts and helping navigate the entrepreneurs through the ecosystem as they learn to take their ideas to market.
The pandemic forced the world to pivot from in person to technology based learning. This pivot highlighted the inequities that exist in our society from the lack of broadband services to the absence of the necessary electronics needed to learn remotely. Many entrepreneur support organizations believe that an app or an online search engine is the best way to support the entrepreneur community. And while that may be true for those entrepreneurs with access to high speed internet, smartphones and tablets or computers, for those entrepreneurs without the necessary tools, this becomes a barrier to their ability to create wealth for themselves and their families. This perpetuates the cycle of generational poverty.
The Entrepreneur Manager will provide individualized high touch counseling to these underserved at risk entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs are expected to carry the whole load. The Entrepreneur Manager will walk alongside the entrepreneur to ensure that their needs are met throughout the life cycle of their business. Needs that differ with every entrepreneur. Additional partnerships with higher educational programs and other SDOH will help make certain we maintain what is needed versus what is thought “should be done for those people”.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
NCFE’s mission is to turn “Entrepreneurs into Business Owners”. NCFE creates wealth by teaching key business skills to new and seasoned business owners to prevent smallbusiness failure. NCFE is the largest small-business incubator in North Carolina, with a 35-year history of helping area entrepreneurs and small business owners develop their business concepts into successful and sustainable companies.
Since 1987, NCFE has taught entrepreneurs to become business owners by providing affordable and scalable office space, as well as the training and support services necessary for their businesses to grow.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Since 2012 Q4, NCFE Associates and Graduates have generated $100M in revenues for their products and services and paid $50M in salaries. These statistics speak to the vast economic impact that NCFE has on local entrepreneurs.
Despite COVID-19, in 2020, NCFE Associates created/retained 198FTE jobs, paid average salaries of $69,000, and generated $23M in revenue; a10% growth over past year. $3.9M of that revenue was generated by MWBE (Minority and Women Business Enterprise) businesses which account for 74% of our Associate base. 79% of Nussbaum Graduates are still in operation after 5 years.
Over the next few years, The Nussbaum Center for Entrepreneurship (NCFE) will re-develop an under-utilized building at 1431 South Elm Eugene Street known as “The Steelhouse” which will create a placemaking project inspiring people to collectively reimagine and reinvent The Steelhouse as the heart of the East Greensboro community.
This type of transformative investment will be a community catalyst for additional foot traffic, businesses, eateries, and retail shops. The main focus of the redeveloped space will be to provide scalable Manufacturing and Entrepreneur Space in an Opportunity Zone and a Qualified Census Tract.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Nussbaum Center for Entrepreneurship Inc
Board of directorsas of 09/28/2023
Barry Frank
Stanley and Dorothy Frank Family Foundation
Term: 2021 - 2022
George Lothian
Goodwill Industries of Central Carolina
Laura Collins
NCAT University
Zac Engle
Kontoor Brands
Ben Brown
Retired
Charlie Younce
Attorney
Charlie Melvin
Retired
Scott Leighty
Elon University
Jacqueline MacCracken
Ready for School, Ready for Life
Wilson Lester
Partners in Equity
Johnny Wood
Aprio
Andy Scott
Consultant
Rodney Roberts
City of Greensboro
Andrea Bunn
First National Bank
Marcus Thomas
Truliant Federal Credit Union
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Not applicable
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 07/03/2023GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.