By: Sara Newman, MA, MSHA, CCC-SLP, Business Management Committee Member
Many speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and audiologists in private practice might not think of themselves as entrepreneurs or small business owners, but they should. After all, entrepreneurship is about identifying opportunities, creating solutions, and turning those solutions into a profitable business. The same applies to starting a private practice. However, SLPs often find that they need help for facets of their business outside of service delivery. The best news for SLPs in private practice is that many state and federal organizations in Texas offer free small business resources to support private practitioners of every stripe.
Federal Resources
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) offers free resources on how to plan, start, launch, manage, or grow a small business. The SBA also offers free mentoring by connecting entrepreneurs to district offices that offer funding programs, counseling, federal contracting certifications, disaster recovery, and more. Don’t miss the SBA Learning Center, which has more than 200 modules on small business topics at all levels for all entrepreneurs, or the Ascent program, designed for female-identifying business owners.
Like the SBA, the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) is a nonprofit association driven to foster vibrant small business communities through mentoring and educational workshops. SCORE's volunteer mentors have extensive real-world business experience across a variety of industries, so they can provide valuable advice based on their own experiences as business owners. In addition to mentorship, SCORE also offers live and on-demand webinars and in-person events on a wide variety of small business topics such as mastering email marketing, using Excel to analyze sales data, and more.
Resources Within the State of Texas
The Governor's Office of Small Business Assistance and the Business Permit Office “assists small and medium Texas businesses through advocacy, entrepreneurial support, education, and technical assistance.” This is a first-line resource for small business owners needing assistance with licensing and permitting in the state of Texas, offering both video resources and a free 100-page 2022 Texas Business Licenses & Permits Guide booklet. Of particular interest is the Governor’s Small Business Resource Portal, through which entrepreneurs can answer five short questions about their business and receive a customized list of resources.
Finally, for female-identifying private practitioners, the Texas Woman’s University Center for Women Entrepreneurs (TWU CWE) offers a wealth of resources (note that you do not have to be affiliated with TWU to participate). Their WomenRISE (Reflect, Interact, Shine, Enterprise) workshop series offers monthly in-person and virtual workshops on a wide variety of small business topics, including how to obtain a women-owned business certification. The TWU CWE also offers free one-on-one mentorship.
While being a private practice owner can be a challenge, these free resources can help you start and grow your business. All you need is an entrepreneurial mindset.
Looking for SLP-specific private practice resources? The Texas Speech-Language Hearing Association (TSHA) Business Management Committee has curated a collection of resources on TSHA’s website just for you.