Tarrant County College
Tarrant County College’s Office of Corporate Solutions & Economic Development has selected five small businesses for the third cohort of the Everyday Entrepreneur Venture Fund.
The businesses were selected from a field of 25 applicants.
According to financial information website Fortunly, more than 20% of small businesses fail in their first year and almost 30% don’t make it due to running out of money. Additionally, a Forbes article citing research from technology company Kabbage shows that mentors were key to small business success.
EEVF offers small business owners in Tarrant County the opportunity for seed funding, customized education and access to mentors.
“Entrepreneurial success is vital in elevating the economic mobility of our community,” said Zarina Blankenbaker, TCC Northwest Campus president. “Optimized operations and growth of a new small business requires a solid plan, critical awareness, skilled problem-solving, agile leadership and effective communication. Through the EEVF program, Tarrant County College ensures entrepreneurs and small businesses develop these crucial elements of success. This is an essential contribution in enabling our community to flourish.”
Businesses chosen for the third EEVF cohort are:
Body Spring
Develops innovative fitness tools for adults to thrive in their active hobbies by aligning their joints to quickly decrease discomfort.
Coach Dee Fitness & Nutrition
@GarageGymFitnessCoachDee Personal trainer that creates customized nutritional and fitness programs.
Lifestyle Transitions
https://lifestyletransitions.net/
Service that helps older adults continue to be independent through assessments, living space evaluations, care transitions and scheduled check-ins.
SLP Customs
https://slp-customs-and-collision-repair.business.site/
Automotive body shop that offers services including custom paint, body repair, automotive glass replacement and paintless dent repairs
That Eye Place
Eyeglass provider that offers straightforward pricing on high-quality products.
In addition to seed funding, the business owners will also receive customized education to enhance their knowledge on how to successfully operate their business. They will also benefit from mentorship, which includes one-on-one communication at least twice per month with a dedicated mentor who is a former or current small business owner. The education and mentorship are conducted through Tarrant County College and take place over a 12-month period.
“The education component of the EEVF program is intended to help funding recipients enhance their entrepreneurship and small business management competencies,” said Lourdes Ramboa, chair of the Business & Entrepreneurship Program at TCC and administrator of TCC's EEVF program.
“We have each entrepreneur complete an initial assessment, which helps us best diagnose their specific, individual educational needs. Once this diagnosis is complete, we then develop a customized learning program, which may include business plan development, marketing, social media marketing, finance management, etc. From the education perspective, our goal is to provide each entrepreneur with the knowledge they need to get their business to the next level.”
The application process for the fourth cohort is scheduled to open this fall and will be open to small businesses located in Tarrant County. For more information, visit https://corporate.tccd.edu/everyday-entrepreneur-venture-fund/