Fayetteville Cumberland Regional Entrepreneur Business HUB and Economic Development Director Dr. Tamara Colvin plays a pivotal role in connecting local small businesses and entrepreneurs with the resources they need to succeed.

When she was first getting started on her professional journey, Colvin entertained several ideas for what her future might look like. From an interest in journalism and communications to a degree in speech therapy and then a degree in human resources, Colvin was always learning and exploring the options available to her. Human resources presented itself as the frontrunner, and Colving began to take steps towards working her way up the HR corporate ladder. 

“There was a certain part of the human resource industry I wanted to be in, and that was training and development,” shared Colvin. 

She began working part-time at Fayetteville Technical Community College, teaching human resource development classes. Even though her original goal had been to work in corporate America, she found that she fell in love with academia. 

Colvin also had a background in small business ownership, and when the opportunity to become the director of FTCC’s Small Business Center opened up, Colvin was eager to combine her interests in academia, talent development and small business. 

“It wasn’t corporate America, but it was still business and developing people, but it was developing from a small business perspective,” shared Colvin.

From there, Colvin went on to become the director of Fayetteville State University’s Veteran Business Outreach Center. And then another opportunity came in 2022 when Colvin was asked to help spearhead a vision that Chancellor Allison had of creating a resource for the community to help them grow and sustain their business. 

The Fayetteville Cumberland Regional Entrepreneur Business HUB serves as a one-stop resource for local businesses and entrepreneurs in the greater Fayetteville area. As the director of this new institution, Colvin was largely responsible for communicating to the community what it was and how it could serve them.

“I knew that I had to identify quickly who we are and what we do, and we were also fortunate to have other resource partners inside the hub that helped us to execute our vision and our goals of helping small businesses be successful in this community. I was also very intentional about collaboration and collaborating with other partners to allow this space to be successful,” explained Colvin. “It has been an honor and immensely rewarding to execute Chancellor Allison’s vision as an intrapreneur, delivering tangible results and meaningful impact in the community.”

In just over three and a half years, the FSU HUB has served over 7,800 clients. Colvin’s work ethic and drive to make a positive impact stem from her upbringing. 

“I was very fortunate to have a father and aunts who showed me what excellence, hard work and discipline look like. They modeled it every day. So I grew up wanting to be like them… I grew up with excellence as the standard,” shared Colvin. 

She has always prioritized self-improvement and maintained a growth mindset. 

“I was an avid reader, and continuously read books like ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’ and ‘The Magic of Thinking Big,’” shared Colvin. 

Colvin takes pride in her work and enjoys seeing people come through the FSU HUB and discover new possibilities. Colvin noted that the most rewarding part of her work is seeing businesses thrive after utilizing her resources. Whether they are securing capital, winning contracts or hiring new staff, she finds deep satisfaction in helping them navigate the landscape and connect with key decision-makers.

Part of helping find your right career path is playing to your strengths. Colvin has reflected on her professional journey and evaluated her strengths and worked to utilize those to further the progress of the FSU HUB.

“I feel like one of my greatest strengths is collaboration and building and cultivating relationships. I know success is not a solo journey, and I’ve done well with creating and establishing strategic partners for the HUB to be successful,” shared Colvin.

Colvin offered a few pieces of advice to young professionals just getting started on their career journey. 

Colvin emphasizes the importance of a perpetual growth mindset and daily self-improvement. She advocates for leaders to become strategic collaborators and articulate communicators who can clearly define their vision, cultivate high-value relationships and maintain a firm sense of purpose and direction.

Learn more about the Fayetteville Cumberland Regional Entrepreneur Business HUB by visiting www.fsuhub.com.