East Texas Offers Businesses a Wealth of Resources to Tap

Tyler, Texas, offers many pathways to success.

By Bill Lewis on August 8, 2022

Tyler / Antony Boshier

Success in business requires hard work and vision. And it helps to have a mentor, someone who’s been there, done that and can suggest a path around obstacles.

In East Texas, you can find plenty of great business resources in Tyler, such as the Tyler Small Business Development Center (SBDC), East Texas SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) and the University of Texas at Tyler Statewide HUB Program.

The Tyler SBDC draws on the resources of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), State of Texas and Tyler Junior College to provide small businesses with the practical assistance they need to grow and prosper in its seven-county service area of Smith, Wood, Cherokee, Nacogdoches, Shelby, Sabine and San Augustine.

Resources are available for a range of needs, from start-ups that want help writing a business plan or preparing paperwork for an SBA loan to existing businesses ready for growth or further development. Advice and services are provided by qualified professionals.

East Texas SCORE provides confidential – and free – one-on-one counseling in person as well as by phone and email. Workshops and webinars are available for those just starting out on their journey in business as well as for seasoned small business owners. SCORE is the nation’s largest network of volunteer, expert business mentors who give back to their communities and pass on their knowledge and experience to the next generation of entrepreneurs.

If you have a question about accounting, fi nance, human resources, planning or any other aspect of owning and operating a business, SCORE has the answer.

The Texas Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) Program assists certifi ed minority, woman-owned and service-disabled veteran business owners in bidding for state contracts and open market purchases.

The Statewide Procurement Division of the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts administers the Statewide HUB Program. Companies interested in doing business with the state are encouraged to become HUB certified.