MARBLE FALLS — Just months after a pilot symposium for entrepreneurs was held in Marble Falls, the Catalyst Project has Highland Lakes couple Jeff and Becca Shafer well on their way to owning their very own business.
The Catalyst Project was launched in June as a new resource for burgeoning entrepreneurs seeking information and support in starting their own businesses. It was originally an offshoot of the Trinity Episcopal Church Ministry and Outreach Commission.
The first task of The Catalyst Project was to evaluate existing community resources to explore new collaborative opportunities.
Kathy Kasparek, a Catalyst Project volunteer, said now that the need has been established, the ongoing mission is to simply connect that need with opportunity.
And the conversation that started this summer didn’t just spur interest within the local community, it has already created results.
“The Catalyst Project came at the perfect time for us,” said Jeff Shafer, moments before signing closing documents on a $15,000 loan by ACCION Texas, a microlending institution which caters to small businesses and startups.
“I had a business plan written, but I just wasn’t sure how to make it a reality,” he said, adding that the Catalyst Project connected him with SCORE, a business mentoring organization, in addition to ACCION.
The money loaned to Shafer will enable him to start a side business called Magnetic Cheer. Beginning this month, Shafer will use his loan to make and sell decorative magnetic accessories for cars, an idea that he joked stemmed from a long-time collection of tacky magnets on his refrigerator.
While Shafer’s emerging product lime may be somewhat whimsical, the need for new business support and entrepreneurial resources is more sobering.
In June, Texas’ seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 7.5 percent, according to data released by the Texas Workforce Commission. Although the state’s rate remained well below the national rate of 9.5 percent it has steadily increased.
As a result, more individuals are considering venturing into business for themselves and need mentoring. The Catalyst Project serves as a clearinghouse of information and points clients to agencies like microlending institutions or small business support resource networks, Kasparek said.
Kasparek added that while the idea started at Trinity Episcopal Church, it has gained momentum within the community and is now a collective effort.
“We are part of the overall community, not faith-specific or faith restrictive,” she said.
As the Catalyst Project continues to gain steam, it now also has a dedicated office located at 1004 Ave. C, provided courtesy of St. Andrew Presbyterian Church.
For more information, call (512) 755-3970.
