HOUSTON—The money crunch has hit home for almost everyone in the past year or so, but hope may be on the horizon—especially for some small businesses here in Houston. One owner shared a success story she says can be yours as well.
It’s taken Denise Flores decades to turn Sunrise Delivery into a small empire.
She started working out of her car 28 years ago. These days, she has a staff of 18, operates a full-service warehouse, and ships freight across the country.
“Just do the best you can with what you have, where you are and you grow from there every single day,” said Flores.
Small businesses have long been seen as the backbone of the nation’s economy.
With near-record unemployment, economists say more and more unemployed Americans are becoming small business owners, hoping to have success stories like those of Denise Flores.
“A large company didn’t start off as a multi-national corporation. They started off small,” said Roger Harris, City of Houston.
Getting help to get small businesses off the ground is critical. So the City of Houston, plans to host hundreds of small business owners at the George R. Brown Convention Center next week to help them find the resources they need and match them with potential contracts.
One of the biggest resources is a $23 million slice of the federal stimulus.
“There are more small businesses in this country than large companies. They employee the most people, which contributes more to the tax base that keeps, you know, this economy going,” said Harris.
Denise Flores knows the help is vital.
“You have to have the belief and the hope and use everything that’s possible,” she said.
Money is needed to get a business off the ground, helps it to hire people and more importantly, pumps money into Houston’s economy.
“Some days it is difficult, but you just keep getting up and doing it all over again,” said Flores.
Advice, she says, no small business owner should ever forget.
Click here to learn how to get federal stimulus aid for your business.
