Starting a business often begins with an idea. Turning that idea into something sustainable, however, brings an entirely different set of questions. How do you register a business? Do you need a business plan? How do you find funding? What should you charge? How do you market yourself, and what happens when your business is successful but you are not quite sure how to take it to the next level?
For entrepreneurs across New Jersey, many of those questions can be answered right here in Chatham.
The Women’s Center for Entrepreneurship of New Jersey (WCEC), home of the WCEC Women’s Business Center, has been supporting entrepreneurs from its Chatham base since 2009. Its mission is to empower women and men to invest in themselves through entrepreneurship, providing the resources they need to successfully start, own, operate, and grow a business.
Today, that support ranges from educational webinars and one-on-one business counseling to specialized programs focused on e-commerce, artificial intelligence, funding, and business growth.
“We help by providing webinars and one-on-one business counseling,” Rana Shanawani, Executive Director, shared. Behind those programs is a network of subject-matter experts covering nearly every aspect of running a business.
For someone just getting started, Rana recommends beginning with the foundation: a business plan.
WCEC helps entrepreneurs see a business plan as more than something needed for a loan. It becomes a roadmap for understanding their business, customers, and financial viability.
Entrepreneurs also learn practical essentials, from registering a business and opening a bank account to bookkeeping, accounting and preparing for financing.
The learning does not stop with the basics.
WCEC offers more than 200 educational sessions throughout the year, according to Rana, with programming evolving alongside the needs of today's business owners. Courses span social media, financial literacy, QuickBooks, loans and grants, e-commerce and emerging topics like artificial intelligence. Recent offerings have included Social Media Marketing with AI, How to Speak AI: Prompting & More, and How to Use AI in Your Business.
That willingness to evolve is intentional.
“Whatever people are asking for, we’ll just come up with it,” Rana explained. “We’re doing ‘the classics’ plus being cutting edge.”
The instructors bring real-world experience, too. WCEC maintains a network of instructors and business coaches across specialties and requires educators to update their curriculum as industries and technology change.
For established business owners ready to grow, there is GrowthVenture, WCEC’s 13-week program for entrepreneurs already generating income and looking to scale. Participants develop a strategic plan for their next stage of business.
But perhaps the best way to understand WCEC's impact is to look at the businesses its team has helped grow.
Chatham residents may already know one of them.
Mexican Spice is one of WCEC’s local success stories. When the business first connected with the organization, it was operating from a food truck. Its owner later joined WCEC’s GrowthVenture program, gaining support as she worked toward the next stage of the business. Even as the pandemic brought unexpected challenges, Mexican Spice continued to grow, eventually expanding from its food truck beginnings into a brick-and-mortar location.
Other WCEC clients have experienced significant growth, including Java’s Compost, a composting company Rana says is approaching becoming a seven-figure business.
Then there is entrepreneur Chanice Fish.
When Chanice first connected with WCEC, her ultimate business path was still taking shape. An early conversation about opening a Caribbean grocery store evolved as she assessed customer needs, explored opportunities, and connected with resources. WCEC helped her navigate the process and connect with other organizations while supporting her in obtaining initial funding.
Chanice eventually opened her business and became a finalist in WCEC's annual business plan competition, placing second. The competition provides more than the opportunity to pitch. Participants receive public-speaking coaching and practice presenting their businesses before stepping in front of an audience of more than 100 people.
Audience members are also invited to provide feedback, resources, and connections to each entrepreneur. Those notes are collected and mailed to the contestants after the event.
For Chanice, they meant enough that she displayed them on the wall of her restaurant.
Just two years after opening her original location, Chanice expanded Taste of the Caribbean beyond its brick-and-mortar restaurant into catering, corporate dining, pop-ups, and concession operations. The company’s growing portfolio now includes a café at NJ Transit, a community pool concession, and a concession at a local golf course.
Stories like hers represent what happens when entrepreneurs receive more than information; they receive people in their corner.
That support is designed to remain accessible. Most WCEC webinars are free or offered at a nominal cost. One-on-one counseling is also available, and the organization's website maintains regularly updated information about loans and grants available to small business owners. WCEC is funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration and has also received operating support from the New Jersey Department of State.
And despite “Women” being in its name, there is one thing WCEC wants the community to understand clearly: everyone is welcome.
“We help everyone,” Rana emphasized. WCEC is an inclusive resource, welcoming entrepreneurs from across the community to access its programs and support.
There is also no membership commitment. Business owners can take one class, request individual counseling, participate periodically, or apply for a structured program like GrowthVenture. The relationship can grow alongside the business itself.
For WCEC, some of the most meaningful success stories begin much smaller than a seven-figure company or a major expansion. Sometimes, success is simply watching someone finally take the first step.
After attending a WCEC class on registering a business in New Jersey, one participant told Rana she had spent a year talking about starting her business. The class finally gave her what she needed to act.
“Now I feel like I can let this business take off instead of just talking about it,” she told them.
And that may be the best representation of what WCEC offers: a place where an idea can become a plan, a plan can become a business, and a business can find the support it needs to keep growing.
For the entrepreneur who has been waiting for the right moment to begin, that first step may be closer than they think.
Whether you’re turning an idea into a business or ready to take your company to the next level, WCEC is ready to help. Explore upcoming classes, one-on-one counseling, and resources at wcecnj.org and take the next step in your entrepreneurial journey.
“We help everyone because every entrepreneur deserves support to grow.”