Emerging Enterprises Graduates a New Round of Entrepreneurs

By Monica Willey, HTIA Program Administrator

The Austin community will find an eclectic mix of establishments who recently graduated from Emerging Enterprises, a business development center located in East Austin. The second cycle of classes ran from February to April, resulting in the successful launch and expansion of 11 businesses. Among the graduates are a European Coffee Bistro, a physical therapy center, a plumbing company, and a website developer, just to name a few.

Highlighted is one entrepreneur’s success story. Jose Lagunas, owner of Excellent Housecleaning, took full advantage of the resources available to clients at Emerging Enterprises. Jose attended continual consulting with the Service Core of Retired Executives (SCORE) and the Emerging Enterprise Program Manager. He also attended small business events hosted by the Hispanic Chamber. Jose found the Business Management class provided the structure needed to develop a successful business plan. During the class, Jose researched his target market and established a strategy to achieve his profit goals. Jose’s dedication and commitment to the class made it possible for him to attain his dream, opening his own business.

Congratulations to Jose and our newest batch of Emerging Enterprise graduates, Zully Crespo, Maria Hung, Daniel Martinez, Jacob Acosta, Rita Dal Bianco, Veronica Forsyth, Fernando Gutierrez, Jose Lagunas, Victorina Lara and Elva Tristan.