Starting a business can be complicated. 
View the Guide to Starting a Business page for step-by-step assistance.

The organizations at the James E. Guinn Entrepreneurial Campus provide the framework to cultivate the next generation of entrepreneurs, create a robust pipeline of micro-enterprises and provide growth opportunities for established small businesses. These organizations identify specific initiatives to address the challenges faced by business owners in Fort Worth, and partner with other organizations to provide services that include:

  • Access to the city’s Economic Development programs.
  • Assistance with emerging businesses’ growth.
  • Specialized assistance in understanding financial statements, start-up counseling, business planning development and access to capital.

The Devoyd Jennings Business Assistance Center (BAC) is a one-stop shop for small business, dedicated to providing small business owners with the tools they need to be successful. The BAC is home to 11 on-site collaborative partners, with a mission of promoting a strong economy by providing training, technical assistance, funding opportunities, and business support services to established, start-up small businesses and micro-enterprises. The BAC provides assistance on topics ranging from how to start a business or writing a business plan to becoming minority certified. Free one-on-one business counseling is available for all clients.

 

On-Campus Partners

Workshops and one-on-one counseling

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Score (Suite 108)

The mission of the Fort Worth SCORE chapter is to provide free business counseling, mentoring and coaching to existing and emerging businesses in Fort Worth and North Texas cities. It also offers training workshops on various topics, including business planning, marketing, sales, profit and loss statements, and information technology.
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Tarrant Small Business Development Center (Suite 229)

Tarrant SBDC offers small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs free business consulting and educational assistance. The consulting services provided are in-person, one-on-one and cover areas such as business plan development, capital acquisition, marketing and market research.
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PeopleFund (Suite 106)

PeopleFund provides small business loans, business assistance and financial education to people with otherwise limited access to such resources. With flexible underwriting and no pre-payment penalties, PeopleFund offers loans up to $350,000 with additional benefits for veterans.
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Alliance Lending Corporation (Suite 215)

Alliance Lending Corporation (ALC) provides low, fixed-rate loans to for-profit, owner-occupied businesses throughout Texas. ALC specializes in commercial real estate financing with its loan limits ranging from $250,000 to $5.5 million.
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William Mann Jr. Community Development Corporation (Suite 118)

William Mann Jr. CDC provides financing to small, minority-and-women-owned businesses in and around Dallas/Fort Worth. It offers loans to be used for the purchase of equipment, facility improvements, permanent working capital and business acquisition.

Community development organizations

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Fort Worth Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce (Suite 211)

The Fort Worth Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce is a business advocacy organization with a foundation rooted in economics and education. It supports and advocates for minority business owners and assists the City of Fort Worth staff in economic development efforts throughout the city.
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Southeast Fort Worth, Inc. (Suite 148)

Southeast Fort Worth, Inc. is one of the city’s primary engines for economic development, affordable housing, small business development, neighborhood revitalization and financial education. SEFWI is charged with leveraging the city’s assets to drive growth, create jobs and improve the quality of life in Southeast Fort Worth. Its boundaries are south of I-30, north of I-20, east of I-35 and west of Lake Arlington.
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Regional Hispanic Contractor Association (Suite 114)

The Regional Hispanic Contractor Association promotes and supports the advancement and economic growth of Hispanic contractors in Texas. It is committed to developing programs and facilitating the resources needed to help Hispanic contractors reach their potential.

Off-Campus Partners

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Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce

The Fort Worth Chamber is an advocate for the Fort Worth business community, providing networking opportunities and other support for its membership in order to help promote a strong local business climate.
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Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

As the fourth Mexican-American Chamber of Commerce established in Texas, the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber promotes international trade, education, opportunity and economic mobility for all, serving its members through business and professional seminars, workshops, networking opportunities, and business procurement.
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Sparkyard

Sparkyard cultivates a connected and vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Fort Worth area through a comprehensive platform that connects entrepreneurs and business owners to the resources they need to launch and scale their companies. Its vision is to make the Fort Worth area nationally recognized as a place where people come for their ideas and companies to thrive.
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Texas A&M School of Law

Texas A&M School of Law partners with the BAC to offer an Entrepreneurship Law Clinic that helps clients who have limited financial resources start, organize and develop their business.

 

Additional organizations on campus

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Tech Fort Worth encourages the development of the technology business community by helping regional entrepreneurs commercialize innovative technology. TechFW identifies entrepreneurs and startup companies with technologies that have a high potential for success in the marketplace and match resources of the community with the passion of entrepreneurs. TechFW is the resource that will push entrepreneurs toward success.
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Accelerate Fort Worth Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that was formed in 1999 to create and implement programs and services that would significantly impact economic growth in Fort Worth. Helping entrepreneurs and advocating for the importance of entrepreneurship in our community has been, and continues to be Accelerate FW’s key focus.

 

Annual Reports

Devoyd Jennings Business Assistance Center (BAC) Annual Reports

Supporting information

Additional small business resources

Business license

Demographic information

Employees

Licenses and permits

Miscellaneous

Taxes