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Big Austin is a non-profit organization whose mission is to assist Austin entrepreneurs to grow their business by providing comprehensive education, streamlined business counseling and flexible financing. The organization was founded by Jeanette Peten in 1992 as a city-funded project that aims to help low and moderate income minorities in Central Texas, who otherwise have no means to start their own business. Today, BigAustin is governed by a Board of Directors and obtains its funds from private and public sources. To date, the organization has helped more than 1,352 small business owners since 1995.
How They Help Austin Entrepreneurs
BigAustin’s approach to help aspiring entrepreneurs is focused on these aspects:
Education
The organization’s education programs are designed for people who wants to start their own business, entrepreneurs who wish to develop their existing small business, and include classes that deal with important topics such as marketing and credit management. The classes are tailored to suit the entrepreneur’s needs. For example, for someone who is just starting out the entrepreneurial journey, there’s the How to Start Your Business Now Seminar. For someone who may already harbor a business idea, Smart Start training will help the entrepreneur get the idea off the ground by equipping him with the necessary skills and tools to create a viable business model.
Financing
BigAustin is also authorized by the US Small Business Administration to provide SBA-Micro Loans to fourteen counties across Central Texas. Since BigAustin is a non-profit organization, their loan program is more attainable, flexible, and has a more competitive rate than the usual bank loans. Furthermore, the application, loan amount, and payment structure is tailored to fit the real needs of the business. Every loan application is thoroughly evaluated to make sure that the business is not over or under-funded and the business owner won’t get saddled with repayment structure that’s very burdensome.
How to Contact
BigAustin’s office is located at 5407 North IH 35, Suite 200 Austin, Texas, 78723. To those who want to inquire or sign-up for workshops and classes, they may call (512) 928-8010 or send a message to melissa@bigaustin.org. For those who are interested in the loan program, they may apply online or download the pre-qualification application, and fax it to Karen Diggs at 512-926-2997