Support Directory - The First Step Toward a Statewide Entrepreneur Resource Tool
The Situation
Before the Support Navigator existed, we launched the Supportedly Directory in partnership with NC IDEA. Before AI and LLM were broadly available, support resources for entrepreneurs and small business owners were an onerous Google search away. The only real way to find statewide free and low cost resources was to either depend on your local organizations to maintain an up-to-date listing or be savvy enough to search for resources using search tools. Local resource directories were notoriously outdated and/or gave preference to partnerships rather than providing an agnostic listing of available support. Search engines required that the user be savvy enough to understand what types of support existed to use the right key words. The Supportedly Directory was our first attempt at giving entrepreneurs and small business owners a single place to discover available resources.
What I Did
I managed the end-to-end development and deployment of the Support Directory.
Tool Architecture and Content
Built a searchable, filterable interface where entrepreneurs could browse programs by category and location
Oversaw the research and input of data on hundreds of regional and statewide support programs
Partnership and Launch
Coordinated with NC IDEA and regional ESOs to gather program data and encourage adoption
Created internal tools to manage updates and keep listings current
The Results
Launched the first publicly available statewide resource directory of its kind
Set the foundation for the more advanced Support Navigator
Used by thousands of entrepreneurs across North Carolina in its first year
