Small Business Resources

Minority, Women, Veteran and Other Contracting Resources

Minority- & Women-Focused

• City of Irving: Minority/Women Business Enterprise Program works to ensure that qualified minority- and women-owned businesses are actively solicited and given an equal opportunity to compete and participate in the city’s contracting opportunities. 
• Dallas Fort Worth Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Business Center is an affiliate of the U.S. Department of Commerce and provides management and technical assistance to minority-owned businesses (MBEs). The center delivers a variety of services to assist MBEs in growing their businesses and increasing capacity.
• Dallas Fort Worth Minority Supplier Development Council (MSDC) advances business opportunities for certified minority business enterprises and connects them to corporate members.

Veteran-Focused

• UTA Veteran Business Outreach Center (VBOC) is formed in cooperation with the SBA and provides training programs, one-on-one business counseling, accredited university courses, seminars, workshops, referrals and veteran-focused outreach activities for veterans, National Guard, active and reserve component members and their spouses. 
• Vets First Verification Program helps verified firms owned and controlled by veterans and service-disabled veterans the opportunity to compete for U.S. Veterans Administration set-asides and sole-source contracts.

Contracting Assistance

• UT-Arlington Cross Timbers Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) is a partnership of the U.S. Department of Defense that helps companies find contracts for work with local, state and federal governments. PTAC provides one-on-one counseling, events, up-to-date research related to selling to government agencies, and assists with certifications.

Small Business Administration (SBA) Assistance Programs

• SBA Contracting Assistance Programs provides several programs to help small businesses win a fair share of federal contracts; qualify for exclusive set-aside and sole-source contracts; partner with established contractors to win contracts; and get business mentoring and education to learn how federal contracting works.

Disadvantaged and Historical Underutilized Business Programs

• Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) Program assists businesses through the process to be a certified HUB. State agencies are required by procurement rules to include HUBs in the purchasing bid process and look to the state for verification. Only certified HUBs are listed in the online Texas HUB Directory. 
• Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program: The U.S. Department of Transportation DBE Program is designed to remedy ongoing discrimination by providing small businesses owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals a fair opportunity to compete for federally funded transportation contracts.

Starting a business involves planning. Preparation is the key to success. 

Resources and Guides

• City of Irving Small Business Guide
• Ciudad de Irving Empresas Pequeñas Guía de Recursos
• U.S. Small Business Administration: 10 Steps to Start Your Business  
• 2022 Texas Business Licenses & Permits Guide
• City of Irving: Business Licenses, Permits and Requirements

Counseling Services

• North Texas Small Business Development Center-Dallas Metropolitan

Small Business Resource Center

• Irving Hispanic Chamber

Resources and Guides

• City of Irving-Library: Business Databases contain hundreds of articles from key publications, as well as company profiles and business information.  
• City of Irving-Library: LinkedIn Learning offers more than 12,000 courses ranging from computer programming to project management, including instruction on various computer software, programming languages and business topics. The video courses are taught by industry experts and are designed for any skill level. 
• Texas Governor’s Small Business Webinar Series include private and public small business resources, practical solutions, best practices and expert assistance on a number of business topics and challenges.
• Broadening Urban Investment to Leverage Dallas (Dallas B.U.I.L.D.) is a locally based resource navigator that offers information on various resources for small businesses, such as funding, technical assistance programs and spaces to work (co-working). 
• Texas Governor’s Small Business Resource Portal offers a customized list of useful business resources to assist entrepreneurs in starting or growing a business in Texas.

Networking

Local organizations to connect with peers for mentorships, networking and collaboration.

• Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce 
• Irving Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Counseling and Mentoring Services

• Dallas Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) Counseling is a network of volunteer business mentors, many of whom are retired experts in their field. These mentors donate thousands of hours to help small businesses succeed. 
• North Texas Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is a partnership program with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). The SBDC provides small businesses with the practical assistance needed to survive, grow and prosper.
• Women's Business Center/Lift Fund is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the SBA and is dedicated to supporting business owners through business education and business consulting. 
• Dallas Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Business Center is an affiliate of the U.S. Department of Commerce and provides management and technical assistance to minority-owned businesses (MBEs). The center delivers services to assist MBEs in growing their businesses and increasing capacity.  
• UTA Veteran Business Outreach Center (VBOC) is formed in cooperation with the SBA and provides training programs, one-on-one business counseling, accredited university courses, seminars, workshops, referrals and veteran-focused outreach activities for veterans, National Guard, active duty and reserve component members and their spouses.

Small Business Resource Center

• Irving Hispanic Chamber

Cohort-based Training

Discover cohort-based training opportunities to help you grow your business. 

• Dallas College Cohort-based Training

Capstone Consulting

Capstone Consulting Service is the culmination of a MBA student's education put into practice to address an organization’s strategic or operational issues. Students combine work experience and knowledge from their practical business education to develop solutions for their client firms.

• University of Dallas Gupta College of Business Capstone Consulting 

E-Commerce

• Amazon: How to Sell Your Goods as an Amazon Marketplace Vendor
• Facebook: Facebook for Business
• Twitter: Learn the Basics of Business on Twitter
• Google: Grow Stronger with Google
• Google: Google for Small Business 

Workforce

• Workforce Solutions of Greater Dallas works to promote economic growth, opportunity and a skilled workforce. Programs assist in hiring new employees and training or supporting existing staff.
• Dallas College Workforce Training is committed to strengthening the local economy by offering workforce training options to businesses.
• Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) Skills Development Fund provides grants to site-specific, customized training opportunities for Texas businesses and their employees to increase skill levels and wages of the Texas workforce.