‘Many winners’: How a UTSA program uplifts small-town businesses

Ron Richardson

The approach has been especially effective in New Braunfels where the rapidly growing municipality collaborates with the SBDC to provide full-time support to the region’s business owners and entrepreneurs.

The partnership began in 2012, when the city’s Economic Development Corp. (EDC) launched the New Braunfels Spark Small Business Center (SPARK). The EDC is responsible for funding the center and the UTSA SBDC provides oversight, resources and two full-time staff members at the SPARK office.

Ron Richardson is the center’s business advisor and project manager.

“I’m here to help entrepreneurs and small business owners start or grow their business here in New Braunfels,” Richardson said.

His support of small businesses includes providing no-cost advising on tasks such as setting up a limited liability company (LLC) and applying for a Small Business Administration (SBA) loan. He also helps with creating business plans and making financial projections while encouraging business owners to broaden their skills.

“The UTSA offers nearly 300 trainings a year, and most are no-cost,” said Richardson. “A lot of business owners are paying for expensive courses because they’re not aware of this resource that’s available to them.”

Another component of Richardson’s work is offering referrals to help entrepreneurs build a team and delegate tasks to experts.

“I always believe that in order to start a business, you need a team to help you with that business,” he said. “For small businesses, money is tight, but I think the value proposition is, for example: You can spend eight hours creating a basic website or you can pay an expert to do it and you can make double that money back if you spend that time doing what you do best. It’s a good investment.”

Richardson connects business owners with service providers he has personally vetted, experts who can handle tasks like bookkeeping and accounting, commercial real estate, insurance, legal issues and marketing.

SPARK has provided support to 560 clients since 2023. Some, like business owner Laurilyn Warren, come to the center with new product ideas. Warren aimed to launch “the ultimate yoga mat with integrated padding.”

MOREMAT’s yoga mats feature anti-fatigue cushioning that helps support body weight and protect joints from contact with the ground.

Over the course of more than 25 advising sessions, Richardson helped Warren as she built her business by patenting, finding a manufacturer, marketing and launching the product. Her company, MOREMAT, is now thriving and is marketing the unique product to customers around the world.

“What began as a vision for a better yoga mat quickly grew from concept to patent and into a full-scale entrepreneurial journey, and I couldn’t have done it without the support of Spark Small Business Center and my invaluable business advisor,” Warren said of Richardson. “This successful collaboration demonstrates what’s possible when small business owners tap into the wealth of guidance available right here in our community.”

Other clients, like co-owners Rachel and Bob Pineda of Otto’s Cheese Shop, approached Richardson with the aim of expanding an existing New Braunfels-based business.

“Their initial location was very small,” Richardson said. “There were some parking constraints, and the owners had plans of offering classes and being able to hold events, maybe a drive through … and just a lot of different ideas that their location wouldn’t allow.”

Richardson connected the Pinedas with commercial realtors and helped them create a business plan. The couple was able to secure a larger storefront and recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“It was very rewarding to go in there and see their shop, to see their new location and how much they’ve grown,” Richardson said.

Since 2023, the SPARK center has helped clients like Warren and the Pinedas to secure roughly $8.5 million in establish more than 100 new jobs. Over 1,000 people have attended SBDC training workshops.