Haywood County’s business community hopes to set a precedent that will catch the attention of regional and state economic development leaders charged with creating jobs.

A new program that recognizes the value of entrepreneurs by awarding a $10,000 grant to a start-up business locating in Haywood County was funded entirely by donations from the private sector. The program fills a void in the paradigm that continues to dominate economic development — big companies get big bucks while entrepreneurs get quality hand-holding, advice and counseling, but no cash.

This approach has been slow to shift despite a decade of steady loss in manufacturing jobs as big corporations strive to improve their bottom line and stock price by ditching American workers and opening overseas, a trend now threatening the once-safe high-tech sector with outsourcing.

Eugene Byrd, the director of business retention and expansion with the N.C. Department of Commerce, said the state is starting to shift its philosophy.

“When you think of the Department of Commerce you normally think of incentives,” said Byrd, who attended the chamber’s press conference in Waynesville last week to announce the start-up grant. “However, we also recognize that entrepreneurs and small businesses are the bedrock of our economy in the future. We value the small businesses that support our state.”

The state might value small businesses philosophically, but it values big corporations monetarily. The Department of Commerce pushed a $240 million incentive package for Dell Computer company to bring 1,500 jobs to North Carolina over five years — that’s $160,000 per job.

If that same amount of money was available for entrepreneurs and small businesses, the same number of jobs could have easily been created, according to Greg Walker, the executive director of the Mountain Microenterprise Fund, a non-profit that helps entrepreneurs turn a passion, skill, hobby or idea into a viable business.

“My opinion is the state should be investing more money in small business,” Walker said. “It’s better to have 10 companies with 10 jobs each than one company with 100 employees.”

If one company goes under, it does not have a devastating impact on the community, Walker said.

Mike Arriola, a senior area manager with the U.S. Small Business Administration, said the idea of grants for start-ups will hopefully rub off.

“It’s always good to promote external recruitment,” Arriola said. “But it is also important to look within.”

Arriola was one of several people at the press conference who conjured up the old-saying, “don’t put all your eggs in one basket,” known in today’s Wall Street lingo as “diversification.”

When Byrd was asked whether the Department of Commerce would ever support entrepreneurs and small businesses with monetary assistance in the same manner as it does the big companies, he said “it is being actively looked at.”

Byrd also cited a small business resource center in Raleigh staffed with eight people who take calls and emails from entrepreneurs. The resource center has a Web site that informs entrepreneurs what types of permits and business licenses they will need before they can open their doors. But its primary role is as a referral service, directing the entrepreneurs to other people who can give them advice, such as the economic development office and community college in their county.

A quick visit to the N.C. Department of Commerce home page, a click on the “small business” link and then “funding opportunities,” takes entrepreneur hopefuls to a promising link for “Capital Opportunities for Small Businesses.”

Unfortunately, only a few excerpts from the 124-page, year-old report are available online.

“If you wish to find out the secrets of financing your business in North Carolina, you may purchase a copy of Capital Opportunities for Small Businesses for $25 either online, by mail, or by FAX,” the N.C. Department of Commerce site states.

On a more friendly note, however, the state legislature has approved a bill that offers tax breaks for small businesses that provide health insurance for employees.

“There is a clear recognition that small business is where the growth is,” said N.C. Rep. Ray Rapp, D-Mars Hill.