The Tarrant County College Office of Corporate Solutions & Economic Development is accepting applications for the third cohort of the Everyday Entrepreneur Venture Fund (EEVF).
The program is open to residents of Tarrant County or people who own a business in Tarrant County. The business must have existed for three years or less, and revenues to date should be no greater than $500,000.
Business owners selected for the program will receive customized education to enhance their knowledge on how to successfully operate their business, TCC said in a new release. They will also benefit from mentorship, which includes one on one communication at least twice per month with a dedicated mentor who is a former or current small business owner and seed funding. The education and mentorship are conducted through Tarrant County College and take place over a 12-month period.
“The education component of the EEVF program is intended to help funding recipients enhance their entrepreneurship and small business management competencies,” said Lourdes Ramboa, chair of the Business & Entrepreneurship Program at TCC and administrator of TCC’s EEVF program. “From the education perspective, our goal is to provide each entrepreneur with the knowledge they need to get their business to the next level.”
“Starting a new business is like planting a new flower,” said Shannon Bryant, TCC’s Executive Vice President for Corporate Solutions & Economic Development. “You need the right soil, the perfect light, the appropriate fertilizer and just the perfect amount of water. If not all of these items come together, the flower either struggles to survive or simply withers away and dies. A new business operates no differently. Hence, the importance of the EEVF program. TCC wants to ensure the entrepreneurs participating in this program not only survive, but thrive.”
“Small businesses are the lifeblood of our ecosystem,” Bryant added. “We look forward to working closely and intently with the second cohort. We had great results with cohort one last year. Four of the nine businesses became profitable within the first twelve months. TCC is proud to support our local business owners and want to see each of them succeed. We are a better community and a more fruitful ecosystem when we work together through education and development of our entrepreneurs.”
For more information and to apply, visit the fund webpage.