Ask a Mentor: I’m Ready to Grow! Where is Help?

Edited by Sandra Kleinsasser

Dear WCA mentors,

How do you grow your business from a sole proprietor to a bigger group or where is there good support to help me? — Big Dreams

Dear Dreamer,

A good start is to find a WCA member who has done this successfully and discuss a potential plan of action. There are also some super free programs in the greater Austin area to help entrepreneurs grow their businesses, points out Jane Baxter Lynn:

• City of Austin’s Small Business Development Program
• Austin Chapter of SCORE, a nonprofit association dedicated to educating entrepreneurs and helping small businesses start, grow and maintain their businesses through low cost services
• Texas State University Small Business Development Center (SBDC)  with offices in Austin, Round Rock and San Marcos.

In addition, Andrea Schulle and Sandra Kleinsasser suggest BiGAUSTIN as a great resource for learning more about growing your business. Free March classes listed there range from Financial Foundations to Business Law Basics. And according to BiGAUSTIN, women-owned businesses are 26 percent of the greater Austin area’s privately held firms, generate $5.3 billion in sales and employ 43,000 workers.

Go for it!

We’re Here to Help

Need some career advice? Wondering how others have handled a situation? Got a question or comment for our mentors? Contact us at wcamentors@wcaustin.org. Our volunteers are glad to help. Confidentiality will be respected.