What does it take to turn an idea into a small business?

March 3, 2026

Dear friends,

Recently we enjoyed a visit with U.S. Representative Roger Williams, chair of the House Small Business Committee, who toured the Riverside Campus before speaking to a crowd of approximately 60 small business owners. During this small business roundtable, two of our Level Up graduates presented on their businesses. You know how proud and passionate I am about our work, especially when the transformation is so profound, and these two women are incredible examples.

One spoke of her mini-donut business. She’d had an idea for this family business but needed help to create business structure. The skills she learned in Level Up 101 helped her to create a business plan, learn to separate her personal and business finances, how to set up her LLC, etc. When her trailer was operational, she came back for more in our 201 Level Up program. This round, she improved her business plan, focused on marketing and growth, and understanding the investments she’d need to make in her business. She met all requirements for our $5,000 small business grant, including saving $1,250, which she used to purchase a lemonade machine for the trailer and a ‘wrap’ for the trailer to advertise (Instead of 'so that potential customers understand') her product. She is supporting herself and her family through the business and I can tell you her sample mini-donuts were a real crowd-pleaser!

The second business, C Collins Consulting Services, is operated by a woman interested in solving problems for independent truckers. She had educated herself on all the federal regulations that those truck drivers need to meet, knowing that many struggle with the initial paperwork and longer-term compliance verification. She had an idea and one customer when she engaged in the program. After developing a clear business plan, complete with marketing, ideal customer identification, and a plan for growth, today she has 63 customers and is operating in five states!

You can find many of our small business graduates through our small business directory, on the Riverside Coworking website. It is possible for mothers (and fathers) living in poverty with families to break that cycle of poverty for themselves and their children. Even more, it is possible for a neighborhood or a section of a city to break the cycle. However, to do so at any scale requires the right tools, the right education, and the right environment.

These women and their businesses are powerful examples of what can happen when we pair their creativity, tenacity, and hard work with our tools and resources. Riverside Coworking has taken this programming to a whole new level, with more than 120 members and more businesses supported every day.

If you’ve not yet toured the incredible space, book one today. If you want to support our small business programming, you can always direct your giving to support our entrepreneurs. Center for Transforming Lives isn't just focused on helping individual families, it is an important catalyst for economic development in southeast Fort Worth – one business, one family at a time.

Warm regards,
Carol