7th Annual Meet The Lender

Hey Austin! Meet the lender that can make it happen for your small business. The City of Austin Small Business Development Program is hosting its 7th annual Meet the Lender business loan fair. Get to know dozens of banks, community lenders, and other investors. As you take your business from booth to booth, you'll learn how to secure financing and start forming those critical relationships with lenders.

BizAid Orientation and BizOpen Orientation classes are offered during the fair.

• Palmer Events Center
• Thursday, August 5th
• 3-7PM

There is no charge for any part of the event – not even the parking! Click here for more information and to register for classes.

Austin Tops the Rankings

Austin Ranked #1 for Growth Potential

Austin has 2020 vision for the next ten years according to Kiplinger's Personal Finance (read more)
Click here for full article

Austin is #1 for Small Business

The nation’s top score for small-business vitality, according to a new Portfolio.com study, belongs to Austin (read more)
Click here for full article

The Federal Administration is taking actions to make a big dent in the small business credit crunch by offering new incentives to small business borrowers and lenders through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and Department
of Treasury actions. Click here for more information...

Tasty Tips

Developing a food business requires knowing the right ingredients for success. The City of Austin Small Business Development Program has whipped up a menu of websites you can use to create a savory and successful business, including regulatory websites for food businesses, helpful sites for small businesses, networking organizations and beyond. Click on the logo for the pdf!

Why should you 'shop local' in Austin?

Many people talk about the importance of shopping at locally-owned businesses, but do they really know why it's important? We have done some research and have found some very interesting facts about shopping locally and what it means for a community. You can open the article here (pdf).

small business mapping project

With direction from City Council, SBDP has developed an online, interactive map of small, locally-owned businesses in Austin: www.explorelocalaustin.org. The purpose of this project is to provide a more significant presence on the Web to these businesses--increasing visitors' and residents' awareness of local businesses. The project now includes seven areas of town to choose from, or you
can explore by business types. Click on the logo or the link above to check it out!

SBDP developed the BizAid program to provide customized business solutions to transition entrepreneurs from one growth phase into another.
To register for classes, click here. To find out more about our BizAid program, click here.

Check out our commercial with local success stories!

Click here for a list of the
business owners included in this commercial.

These are some of our most popular resources. Take a look at the Gold Pages online database, or download the Silver Pages and Bronze Pages directories today!

A directory containing information about services available through other organizations.

A Networking Resource Guide
for Small Businesses

A self-referral resource directory of local women
and ethnic minority professional associations.

Join the Small Business Development Program's e-mail list

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