Tarrant Small Business Development Center

What Tarrant Small Business Development Center does

Tarrant Small Business Development Center (Tarrant SBDC) is a non-profit business development organization founded in 1987 and headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, that provides free one-on-one advising, business training seminars, and curated resources to small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs in Tarrant County and the broader 49-county North Central Texas region. The center's core service model centers on confidential, personalized advising sessions covering startup feasibility, business planning, loan packaging, market research, government contracting, and exit planning, supplemented by a structured Start Your Business workshop that serves as a pre-qualifying entry point and an Eventbrite-registered training calendar covering topics from cash flow management to international trade. Services are delivered at no cost to clients, with the organization operating under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration and hosted institutionally by Tarrant County College District.

The center's distribution combines two physical Fort Worth locations (1150 South Freeway headquarters and the Tarrant County College Opportunity Center satellite) with digital self-service through tarrantsbdc.org and Eventbrite, and is amplified by a referral ecosystem that includes the Fort Worth Business Assistance Center (11 on-site partners), SCORE Fort Worth mentoring, the U.S. Export Assistance Centers (Dallas USEAC), the Norman E. Borlaug Institute at Texas A&M, and a network relationship with Regions Bank for financial calculators. Customer segments are hybrid: pre-venture entrepreneurs (startup feasibility, licensing, taxation), existing small business owners (growth planning, cash flow, accessing capital), and government contractors/exporters (8(a), HUBZone, WOSB, SBIR programs).

There is no proprietary technology product; Tarrant SBDC functions as a human-capital resource hub rather than a software or platform business, and revenue is not commercially derived from clients but flows from the SBA cooperative agreement and TCC institutional hosting. The organization is nationally accredited by the Association of SBDCs and is a member of America's SBDC, the national coordinating body. Because it is a publicly funded mission-driven entity rather than a venture-backed or private-equity-relevant business, traditional revenue and growth metrics are not applicable; financial viability depends on continued federal and state appropriations rather than commercial traction.

Name

Tarrant Small Business Development Center

Legal name

Tarrant County Small Business Development Center

Website

https://tarrantsbdc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tarrant Small Business Development Center is a non-profit providing free one-on-one business advising, training seminars, and resources to small business owners and pre-venture entrepreneurs across Tarrant County and the 49-county North Central Texas region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Small Business Development Services

NAICS

Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Small Business & Entrepreneurship Community Education (EDAAAFAK)

Keywords

• Small business advising
• Business training workshops
• Startup consulting
• Government contracting assistance
• Business resource curation

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Worth

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. SBDC Advising and Training Services: All services provided by the Tarrant SBDC are free of charge to clients. The organization is funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and is hosted by Tarrant County College District.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Tarrant SBDC provides free, confidential one-on-one business advising and group training seminars to small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs in Tarrant County and the broader North Texas region. Its portfolio covers the full business lifecycle, including startup feasibility, business plan development, financing, growth planning, government contracting, and exit strategies, supplemented by curated online business resources.

Product overview

Tarrant SBDC offers a portfolio of free business development services centered around One-On-One Advising, Business Training Seminars, and curated Business Resources. The Start Your Business Workshop serves as an entry-point educational offering. Services are provided at no cost to clients and cover the full business lifecycle from pre-venture feasibility through growth planning and exit strategies. The organization connects clients with partner resources including the Fort Worth Business Assistance Center and SCORE Fort Worth mentoring.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• One-On-One Advising Personalized, confidential, free business development advising sessions tailored to client needs, covering startup feasibility, business planning, exit strategies, market research, loan packaging, and growth planning.
• Business Training Seminars Seminars and workshops designed to provide tools, techniques, and knowledge for business success, ranging from startup basics to government contracting and cash flow management.
• Business Resources Curated business resources covering financing, franchising, government contracting, human resources, international trade, legal and tax matters, permits and licenses, and technology topics.
• Start Your Business Workshop Free 90-minute workshop designed to help entrepreneurs launch their business in Texas, recommended before requesting one-on-one advising for those not yet in business.

Quantifiable outcome

• Clearwater Plumbers grew from startup in 2001 to $2M company employing 17 people, with 40-50% growth since 2012 and projected $3M revenue in 2016
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Tarrant SBDC is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). The SBA provides funding, programmatic guidance, and support for SBDC services. The SBA cannot endorse any products, opinions, or services of any external parties.
• Tarrant County College DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Tarrant SBDC is hosted by the Tarrant County College District. TCC provides institutional hosting and support for the SBDC operations. The organization is nationally accredited by the Association of SBDCs.
• America's SBDCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Tarrant SBDC is a member of America's SBDC, the national organization for Small Business Development Centers, providing access to national resources, best practices, and network-wide coordination.
• North Texas SBDC NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Tarrant SBDC is part of the North Texas SBDC Network, which provides expert management and technical assistance to start-up and existing businesses throughout 49-counties in the North Central Texas Region.
• Norman E. Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture & Development at Texas A&M UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Center for Coffee Research and Education, a Tarrant SBDC success story, is a collaborative initiative involving the Borlaug Institute at Texas A&M University and New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church. Pastor Kyev Tatum and memberships collaborated on this coffee research and education initiative.
• Fort Worth Business Assistance Center (BAC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Fort Worth Business Assistance Center is a one-stop shop for small business with 11 on-site collaborative partners. The BAC provides free one-on-one business counseling, training, technical assistance, and funding opportunities for startup and existing small businesses and micro-enterprises.
• SCORE Fort WorthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCORE Fort Worth provides free business mentoring and coaching to existing and emerging businesses in Fort Worth and North Texas cities. SCORE mentors are certified professionals with experience in Finance, Marketing, Accounting, Engineering, Social Media, and Human Resources.
• U.S. Export Assistance Centers (USEAC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSEACs are federal export assistance offices that integrate services of the U.S. Commercial Service, EXIMBANK, SBA, and U.S. Agency for International Development (AID) to streamline export marketing and finance assistance. The nearest USEAC to Tarrant SBDC is in Dallas.
• Regions BankminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegions Bank provides business finance calculators and business management calculators through the Tarrant SBDC resources page, helping users track small business finances including loan calculators, debt consolidation, break-even analysis, and gross margin analysis.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• America's SBDC: National network and parent association of Small Business Development Centers, including Tarrant SBDC. Operates the same SBA-affiliated model across the U.S., but at network scale with national coordination and accreditation oversight.
• U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA): Federal agency that funds and accredits Tarrant SBDC through its SBDC program. Provides broader programming (loans, counseling, federal contracting) with overlapping free advisory services for SMBs nationwide.

Emerging players

• Small Business Majority: Nonprofit small business advocacy and education organization that conducts research, policy advocacy, and direct outreach to entrepreneurs. Comparably positioned as a free resource for SMBs but with stronger policy and research focus than direct advising.

Direct peers

• Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC) Program: SBA-funded program providing free business development services to veteran-owned small businesses. Highly comparable funding structure, free service model, and SMB advisory mandate.
• SCORE: National nonprofit that provides free small business mentoring, training, and resources. A direct peer to Tarrant SBDC; in fact, SCORE Fort Worth is listed as a partner, and the two organizations deliver overlapping free advisory services to SMBs.
• Women's Business Center (WBC) Program: SBA-funded network providing free advising, training, and resources targeted at women entrepreneurs. Operates under a similar SBA cooperative model and offers directly comparable services to Tarrant SBDC's client base.
• Dallas Small Business Development Center: Sister SBDC serving the Dallas market as part of the North Texas SBDC Network. Offers the same SBA-funded free advising and training model to small businesses in an adjacent Texas metro, making it the closest direct comparable.
• Fort Worth Business Assistance Center (BAC): City of Fort Worth one-stop shop offering free counseling, workshops, and resources to small businesses, with 11 on-site collaborative partners. Listed as a Tarrant SBDC partner but independently delivers substantially overlapping services.

Regional players

• Houston SBDC: Texas SBDC peer serving the Houston metro, hosted by the University of Houston. Operates the same SBA-funded model for SMB advising and training but in a different regional market than Tarrant SBDC's North Central Texas footprint.
• SCORE Fort Worth: Regional chapter of SCORE providing free business mentoring in the Fort Worth/North Texas area. Listed as a Tarrant SBDC partner and operates with significant functional overlap in delivering free advisory services to SMBs locally.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tarrantsbdc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tarrant Small Business Development Center