The Women's Business Center provides free and confidential counseling services to women business owners in new and existing businesses. We can also assist you with access to information and referrals to financial institutions, mentors and other training opportunities.

SMALL BUSINESS COUNSELING

Our counseling services are designed to take a client through the development of their small business by assisting them with their planning and organization of the business. Here’s a quick look at just a few of topics we can help you with:

Organizing your business plan

Creating strategic plans

Marketing

Cash Flow

Small business loans

Appointments are required and you must already be in business or have attended our Women's Coaching Class to schedule an appointment with one of our counselors. Please call 817/871-6025 to schedule an appointment.

WBC Small Business Mentoring

The WBC offers free mentoring services through the established BusinessLINC program. Mentoring is a program that formally matches an informal relationship.

Mentors are generally business owners who have found success in business and have the desire to transfer their knowledge to newer business owners.

Mentors and Protégé are generally not in the same industry, but do share common goals and business structure. The process begins by a protégé (the business owner looking for a mentor) identifying areas in which they need assistance. The mentor is matched based on expertise in the needed area AND by mutual expectations regarding duration of mentor relationship.

To inquire about a mentor, please call Toni Booth at 817-212-2662, or email her at tbooth@fwbac.com

Small Business Help - Training

The Women’s Business Center offers free/low cost training to men and women who are starting or ready to grow their businesses. These include:

Small Business Coaching - This FREE workshop covers the basics of small business ownership. Held twice monthly. Pre-registration is required. More information.

After Coaching Care - If you've already been through coaching, but are still 'dazed and confused' from all the information you received there, then After Coaching Care should be your next step. This group (for women in business less than 2 years), meets the 2nd Wednesday of each month from 6:00pm - 7:00pm. This session focuses on peer-to-peer mentoring, assistance in getting your business moving and networking. Reservations are not required, but if you would like additional information, please contact Jeanine Stevenson at 817/871-6025.

Project NEW- This dynamic 10-week course was developed for women in business less than a year, or those who are 'just beginning to spread their wings.' More information.

Love My Computer Series Various training opportunities in computer software (QuickBooks, MicroSoft Excel, PowerPoint and more and web design

Small Business Help - Loan Assistance

Banks make money by lending money. Often the inexperience of small business owners results in loan requests being denied.

To be successful in obtaining a loan, you must be prepared. You need to know exactly how much you’ll need, why you need it, and how you plan to pay it back. This should be described in the Executive Summary of your business plan. You must be able to convince your lender that you are a good loan risk.

Although the Women’s Business Center does not lend money to small businesses, it has several venues for assisting you in your financing endeavor. We are partners with area banks in the SBA’s Community Express Loan Program, which is geared toward new start-ups. For more information, call 817/871-6025.

Small Business Help - Certification

If your small business is 51% owned and operated by a woman or minority, it could be worth your while to investigate business certification program. The purpose of these programs is to give small, disadvantaged businesses and women-owned businesses a more level playing field in competing with larger, entrenched firms.

Small Business Help, Small Business Coaching, Small Business Advisor for Fort Worth, DFW, Arlington, Tarrant County with the Fort Worth Women's Business Assistance Center