The City of Corpus Christi comprises various non-profits and programs that are committed to helping women-owned small businesses thrive. Most of the programs provide business assistance in form of loans, grants, consulting, mentorship, and contracting opportunities to grow these businesses. This article provides information on the available opportunities, benefits, and funding services to businesswomen in the City of Corpus Christi in Texas.
Women Entrepreneur Society (WES) of Corpus Christi
WES is a non-profit organization formed to help drive the spirit of female entrepreneurship by supporting independent small businesses owned by women. The organization allows women to connect and create stronger bonds among them by supporting each other. Members of this organization connect through special events that enable them to network with business experts and share experiences of their success stories. For more details about the Women Entrepreneur Society of Corpus Christi, please visit https://www.wescc.org/.
LiftFund Support to Small Businesses
The Liftfund works together with the City of Corpus Christi to provide financial support to women-owned small businesses through affordable loans. The funding assistance is given to both startups and already existing businesses. The fund uses its partnership buydown program to offer low-interest rate loans to women entrepreneurs to enable them to start and run successful ventures in the City of Corpus. Besides, the LiftFund partners with organizations such as SCORE, SBA, and SBDC of the City of Corpus to ensure that women-owned small businesses can access lending in the future and manage to grow their businesses. The fund also provides help to women veterans to enable them smoothly run their businesses. Find out more at https://www.liftfund.com/support/liftfund-corpus-christi/.
Corpus Christi Type A Fund for Small Businesses
The purpose of the Corpus City Type A Fund is to support the projects that aim in assisting women-owned small businesses. The fund works by financing programs such as procurement technical assistance programs to offer support to small businesses in the City of Corpus Christi. Through this fund, the LiftFund has provided loans worth $7.1 million to almost 400 small businesses. Also, the programs supported by the fund have managed to create more than 900 job opportunities in the City and generated more qualified workers to support the growth of women-owned small businesses. Read more about the fund at https://www.cctexas.com/detail/corpus-christi-type-fund-small-business.
Coastal Bend Business Innovation Center (CBBIC)
The Coastal Bend Business Innovation Center runs several programs that are tailored towards supporting women entrepreneurs through all business development stages. Whether you need help coming up with a business idea or support to expand your businesses. Once you become a member of this organization, you will get support every step of the way until you achieve success. One of the organization’s programs is pre-incubation, which helps women entrepreneurs formulate a viable business idea, come up with a plan, and get ready to launch the idea. The program supports women through mentorship and technical assistance in all the stages to build successful ventures. Other programs help women entrepreneurs tackle the everyday challenges they face in the process of expanding their businesses and support their efforts in increasing revenue for their companies. One great thing about this center is they will do anything to ensure your success; from negotiating the price of expensive office equipment to helping you pick the right strategies for marketing your products and services. visit http://cbbic.tamucc.edu/ for more details.
Corpus Christi SCORE
The Service Corp of Retired Executives (SCORE) is an organization that operates at the national and local level to provide support to women-owned small businesses. Apart from loans, SCORE connects upcoming female entrepreneurs with business experts, including successful founders to mentor them and support them in making their enterprises thrive. SCORE also organizes workshops through the United States, that enable women to undergo training on various business topics, including financing and marketing. the mentorship sessions can be carried out either in-person or online, and they are offered free of charge. And please note that it doesn’t matter how often you take advantage of the available mentorship services. you can always get the help you need to succeed in the world of business. Find out more at https://www.score.org/find-mentor.
Entrepreneurship and Commercialization Center
The Entrepreneurship and Commercialization Center is an organization available to assist both startups and women-owned businesses. The center provides educational services designed to train female entrepreneurs on the vital business skills they should possess. The center also holds regular meetings through special events, which are meant to help enhance entrepreneurship experiences among women business owners. Those meetings are attended by mentors and business experts that help make a difference in women entrepreneurs’ career. For more details, please visit http://www.utrgv.edu/ecc/index.htm.
La Retama Central Library
The La Retama Central Library in the City of Corpus Christi provides resources to women entrepreneurs to help them start and manage successful ventures. The library consists of resources that guide entrepreneurs, step by step towards achieving growth for their companies. It consists of literature that explains the process of starting a company, from coming up with a viable idea to launching it. Also, they consist of databases that can help entrepreneurs get insights into the nature of the marketplace and regional economy. Read more about the library at http://www.cclibraries.com/.
Dress for Success
Dress for Success works to support women by empowering them in achieving economic independence. they help women by providing networking opportunities, which are meant to support them through their journey of professionalism. Through this program, women are trained on the best outfits for professional settings as well as the development tools to help them succeed in their daily work and achieve success in life. for more details, please visit https://dressforsuccess.org/about-us.
Del Mar College SBDC
The major areas of focus of their organization include helping women entrepreneurs in developing a viable business plan, mentoring, and offering funding support to boost their businesses. Mentoring services are free and confidential. In most cases, to qualify for SBDC mentoring programs, you must attend at least 1 workshop or provide a detailed business plan, explaining your intentions with the idea. It is advisable to reach out to the SBDC near your location. Find out more at https://sbdctexas.org/.