Planned new businesses in Pearland will include Crust Pizza, which will join existing businesses in Pearland Parkway Marketplace at 2110 Pearland Parkway. Succeeding as a small business in Pearland requires a combination of networking, planning and tapping into available resources, local business officials say.
To build a successful business in Pearland, you should use networking, find coaching, seek out resources and be willing to pivot when necessary, local business leaders advise.
“There are resources out there that you can tap into, and there are people who want to see how they can help you grow,” Pearland Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Jim Johnson said at Mayor Kevin Cole’s Oct. 7 Talk of the Town event, held at at Vallensons’ Brewing Company in conjunction with the chamber’s First Friday networking event. The event, which included a panel discussion, can be viewed here.
Johnson and Brandy Guidry, who leads the Pearland Innovation Hub, a project of the Pearland Economic Development Corp., advised those looking to start or grow a business to partner with their organizations to gain visibility and credibility, which translates to making money.
“We’re not the experts on everything, but we’re the experts on knowing who the experts are,” Johnson said of the chamber.
Johnson said it’s crucial that business owners reach out to the chamber to express their specific needs.
Johnson referenced the Small Business Development Center at San Jacinto College and the chamber’s peer-to-peer initiative and ongoing networking and business events.
The Small Business Development Center offers no-cost, one-on-one business advising services and low-cost workshops that help entrepreneurs start new businesses, grow existing ones and boost productivity and profitability.
What: A project of the Pearland Economic Development Corp., the hub is a virtual service contracted through The Cannon Workplace to connect entrepreneurs and small businesses with resources.
Contact: www.pearlandinnovationhub.com/
What: Part of the University of Houston Texas Gulf Coast Small Business Development Center Network, the business advising and training center offers no-cost, one-on-one business advising services and low-cost workshops to help entrepreneurs start new businesses, grow existing ones and boost productivity and profitability.
Contact: https://bityl.co/EzIL; 281-485-5214
What: The chamber stages events to help businesses network, find resources and keep updated on issues facing the business community.
Contact: https://www.pearlandchamber.org, 281-485-3634
At the Innovation Hub, the focus is developing entrepreneurs and offering opportunities for talent development, education, coaching and mentorship, Guidry said. She said nurturing homegrown, aspiring businesspeople is not only good for them but a boon to Pearland’s economy as well.
“To help keep the money in the city and help it grow allows us all to eat, live, work and play in the same location,” she said.
Guidry counseled those looking to launch a small business to ignore detractors and focus on taking advice from those who have been successful and lean into community support.
She also urged people to educate themselves on how much capital they’ll need, particularly in the beginning, and be receptive to necessary change.
“Think with the end in mind. What is your goal?” she said. “You have to be honest with yourself, responsive to listening (to others) and understand that (the process) is going to be fluid and you may have to pivot and you have to be ready for those changes.”
Guidry also encouraged those hoping to start a small business to become a member of the Innovation Hub to gain access to events and to take advantage of connecting with other members.
A panelist at the event, L.K. Henderson, owner of the Little STEM Academy childhood learning center, told how she expanded her business during the pandemic.
In her case, she said, making appearances at chamber events was a smart move, just to let people know what she had to offer. From there, she slowly built relationships within the Pearland business community.
“You have to get connected, stay connected and do good business,” Henderson said.
Carissa D. Lamkahouan is a correspondent for the Houston Chronicle.
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