Programs We Have To Offer

Here at CED we provide a diverse array of programs for our members to utilize. Our programs are general enough to be informational for all business leaders but specific enough to give solutions to more minute problems a specific company might have.

Conferences are first and foremost the most common program and event we host. CED conferences provide incomparable opportunities in networking, know-how and business growth. Some but not all conferences may be attended by non-members, while members can come to all and receive a great savings in enrollment.

Each of our programs contains necessary components of entrepreneurship. By addressing each business owner’s issues, we are able to set them up for a more productive and successful business and ensure growth.

A Quick Overview Of CED’s Membership Levels

As previously mentioned, there are several levels of membership offered at CED. Here’s a quick glance at all of them to help facilitate you getting involved:

• Individual – Prospective and current entrepreneurs who are free agents and do not affiliate with a specific company.
• Entrepreneurial company (with fewer than 15 members) – These companies are general at the concept, startup and seed stage; thus, they are in early product development.
• Entrepreneurial company (with 15 or more employees) – These companies are in the growth, expansion, maturity and exit-stage with products.
• Professional – Professionals who provide services to entrepreneurs (i.e. attorneys, accountants, investors, consultants, real estate brokers/developers and insurance/ benefit planners, etc.)
• Grantor – Corporations and firms seeking more visibility, in addition to membership benefits.
• Annual Supporter – Members interested in sustaining the continued growth of the entrepreneurial culture of the region, in addition to benefits of membership.
• Student – Students of all ages. This includes high school, community college, university and graduate school.

For more information, please visit the membership page of our Web site.

Signing Up With CED Is Quick And Easy!

Signing up with CED is quick and easy!  With all the benefits that membership offers, there is no time better than the present to bolster your business with the support you will receive from the entrepreneurial community created by CED.

Sign up online via the membership page. On this site you will find that there are seven member levels in conjunction with specific annual dues that coordinate with each. Under each level of membership, there is also a description that includes pricing information and a link that allows you to sign up for the one of your choice.

Check out our next blog for an overview of CED’s membership levels.

CED’s Silver B’day Party!

Mark your calendars, because September 25th marks CED’s 25th birthday, and we are hosting a great party at the American Tobacco Historic District in Durham to celebrate our first quarter century of activities. This party will be an opportunity to network and meet business owners from around the Triangle. We can guarentee lots of fun, great food and entertainment provided by entrepreneurs who are also in bands. For more information about our 25^th birthday celebration, please feel free to visit the event page www.cednc.org/birthday.

For any comments and/or questions about this blog, please contact Bob Pickens at bpickens@cednc.org.

Welcome: Meet CED

Let me tell you about CED – the Council for Entrepreneurial Development.

CED is the place for entrepreneurs to come together and share ideas, experiences and resources that can help better their respective businesses.

CED’s formal mission as a private, nonprofit organization is to identify, enable and promote high growth, high impact companies and to accelerate the entrepreneurial culture of the Research Triangle and North Carolina. WOW – that’s a mouthful, but what does it mean and how do we accomplish it?

It means that CED is trying to maintain and grow this special and vibrant entrepreneurial community by assisting those in it. We do this by offering educational programming to give entrepreneurs tactical resources and by leveraging the expertise of our most successful members to help provide resource to those who are most in need of it. We try to put the “right” people in the room to facilitate the exchange of resources – ideas, expertise, money, and shared experiences.

And we like to think that over the last 25 years we have been pretty successful. CED is widely viewed as the oldest and largest entrepreneurial support organization in the nation, with more than 5,500 active members (70 percent of our members are entrepreneurs and 30 percent are service partners, investors and academics). In addition, our executive committee and board of directors are influential leaders in this community and are key components in directing the impact CED can have on your business.

For any comments and/or questions about this blog, please contact Bob Pickens at bpickens@cednc.org.