x
  
  
Posted: 4/27/17

TAMIU SBDC Celebrates Small Business Week with Franchising Seminar Tuesday

 

Michael Gonzalez
Michael González directs the TAMIU SBDC.  

Texas A&M International University’s (TAMIU) Small Business Development Center (SBDC) will celebrate Small Business Week, observed from Sunday, April 30 – Saturday, May 6, with a series of events and training opportunities.

The keynote event titled, “Buying a Franchise: How to be Part of America’s Great Brands,” will be held on Tuesday, May 2, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Senator Judith Zaffirini Student Success Center, room 101.  This event is free and open to the public. It aims to provide information necessary for potential business owners interested in starting their own small businesses through the purchase of a franchise.

Michael González, director of the TAMIU SBDC, said the TAMIU SBDC supports entrepreneurs interested in purchasing a franchise.

“Purchasing a franchise is a great option for many entrepreneurs and potential entrepreneurs to leverage their management skills and experience to start their own small business while still having the support of the national franchise offices including operating processes and marketing support,” Gonzalez said, “If you couple an entrepreneur’s business experience with national franchise support and the support of the SBDC, that increases the chances of success for the small business.”

The franchise information session is a collaboration between the TAMIU SBDC and FranNet, a national leader in franchise consulting services with over 30 years of experience and over 100 consultants throughout North America.

Research indicates that franchises are a safer bet for long-term success than startups or existing business purchases, González said. FranNet conducted a five-year study starting in 2006 that showed 92 percent of FranNet franchise placements were still in business after two years. This is even more significant when compared to only 67 percent of other small business ventures that continue beyond two years, according to studies conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Other training events during celebration of Small Business Week include “The ABCs of Government Contracting” on Tuesday, May 2, from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. in Bob Bullock Hall 206, and “Understanding Credit & Budgeting” on Wednesday, May 3, from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. in Western Hemispheric Trade Center, room 125.  Registration for the Tuesday event is $50 and for the Wednesday event, $30.

The SBDC has assisted small businesses in the community for over 20 years. It is a unique partnership between TAMIU and the University of Texas at San Antonio, with its main office located in TAMIU’s Western Hemispheric Trade Center.

Since 2011, the TAMIU SBDC has had a total of 2,961 new clients, and provided 14,364 counseling hours to new and existing businesses. In 2016 alone, some 63,000 businesses in the region were served.

For registration information for Small Business Week celebration events, please contact the TAMIU SBDC at 956.326.2827, or visit the TAMIU SBDC website at sbdc.tamiu.edu.