PRINCEVILLE — Juanita Royal is turning a hobby into a small business.
With the help of Project GATE (Growing America Through Entrepreneurship), the Princeville resident began a full-service event planning business in April that has been in overdrive from day one.

GATE provides dislocated workers from rural counties with free, personalized business counseling and scholarships at community colleges.

Royal took an online course in business management and entrepreneurship through Western Piedmont Community College, and currently she is working with Shari Dickens, GATE program assistant at Edgecombe Community College.

 “I’m still in awe, everything has happened so fast,” Royal said.
ince launching Sweet Occasions, she has planned a wedding vow renewal, several family vacations, a family reunion and a couple of business forums with more events under way.

Edgecombe is one of eight GATE sites in North Carolina. The project is a cooperative venture of the N.C. Department of Commerce, N.C. Community College System, Small Business Center Network, Employment Security Commission of North Carolina, North Carolina REAL Enterprises, local JobLink Career Centers and the Rural Center.

SOURCE: THE DAILY SOUTHERNER