About BERO

BERO | Business Enterprise Resource Office

BERO advocates and serves as a voice for small and underutilized businesses, microenterprises, and aspiring entrepreneurs in Tennessee by promoting education, resources, and tools—including access to capital and best practices—for those businesses, Entrepreneur Support Organizations (ESOs), and the communities in which they operate.

The office also submits an annual report on its status to the Governor and the General Assembly.

📌 BERO Annual Report FY2025

"Tennessee ranked #1 in the Southeast and #4 nationally for small businesses with fewer than 10 employees, posting a 20% job growth increase from 2021 to 2024. The state also led the region and ranked #3 nationally for job growth among firms with fewer than 5 and fewer than 50 employees during the same period."

For previous annual reports please contact us.

BERO was legislatively established within the Department of Economic and Community Development in 1977 by Title 4, Chapter 26 as the office of business enterprise.