America's SBDC at Texas Tech University

09/04/2026

What connects mission, values, vision, objectives, and timing into a practical direction for a business?

Strategy.

Part II of the W⁵ Plus Framework focuses on How as the hub of the business machine.

The five W⁵ spokes provide orientation:

Why — Mission
Who — Values
Where — Vision
What — Objectives
When — Milestones and Review

Together, those five elements help define the business, but they do not determine the route forward. How connects them and turns that understanding into strategy.

This installment looks at strategic choice, tradeoffs, opportunity cost, strategic drift, evidence and judgment, and the difference between strategy, objectives, tactics, and actions.

It also explores an important idea:

Changing the route is not the same as changing the destination.

Read Part II of the W⁵ Plus Framework here:
https://www.abilenesbdc.org/post/the-hub-how-strategy-connects-the-w-framework

Part II of the W⁵ Plus Framework for the SolopreneurIn Part I of this series, I introduced the five spokes of the W⁵ Framework:Why — MissionWho — ValuesWhere — VisionWhat — ObjectivesWhen — Milestones and ReviewThose questions give the solopreneur orientation. They help establish why t...

09/04/2026

Small Business Tip of the Week: Use Testimonials

What your customers say about your business can be just as powerful as what you say about it.

Authentic testimonials, reviews, and customer success stories provide social proof that helps potential customers feel more confident about doing business with you. Consider featuring them on your website, social media, marketing materials, and other places where customers are making purchasing decisions.

And remember, the best testimonials start with delivering an experience worth talking about.

Need help putting this tip into practice? The Abilene SBDC offers confidential, no-cost business advising to help entrepreneurs start, grow, and strengthen their businesses. Contact us to learn more.

09/02/2026

08/28/2026

Small Business Tip of the Week: Know the Competition 🔎

Understanding your competition isn't about copying what someone else is doing. It's about learning from the marketplace.

Take time to study your competitors' strengths, weaknesses, products, services, pricing, customer experience, and positioning. That knowledge can help you identify gaps in the market, improve your own offerings, and discover opportunities you may have overlooked.

The goal isn't simply to keep up with the competition. It's to understand the landscape well enough to make smarter decisions for your own business.

Need help putting this tip into practice? The Abilene SBDC offers confidential, no-cost business advising to help entrepreneurs start, grow, and strengthen their businesses. Contact us to learn more.

08/25/2026

Small-business information is everywhere. The harder question is whether that information actually fits the person trying to use it.

Our latest article, “Why Do I Write the Way I Do?”, looks at why business education should account for more than models, terminology, and strategy. Small businesses operate at very different scales, in very different communities, and with very different resources. The person making the decisions matters too.

For many of the owners we serve, “management” may be one person. Marketing may be handled from a phone. Strategic planning may happen while driving between jobs. And a recommendation that makes sense for a company serving thousands of customers may not make sense for a business serving a rural community of a few hundred people.

That reality shapes how we approach business education: practical problems, plain language, and information that owners can connect to the business sitting in front of them.

Read “Why Do I Write the Way I Do?” and see why sometimes the most useful place for small-business education is somewhere between the textbook and the kitchen table.

Small business advice does not always reflect the reality of the people actually running small businesses, especially in rural communities. I write to help bridge that gap by focusing on the person making the decisions, using plain language, practical examples, and business concepts that owners can....

08/23/2026

A Proposed Change to How the Federal Government Defines “Small”

The U.S. Small Business Administration recently proposed significant changes to the size standards used to determine whether a business qualifies as a small business for federal programs.

Under the proposal, SBA would simplify its current system of nearly 1,000 industry size-standard categories into 338 broader groupings and increase many of the thresholds used to determine whether a company is considered small.

For growing businesses, this could create new opportunities by allowing some companies to remain classified as small for a longer period of time.

There is another practical consideration as well.

If more businesses qualify as small, the pool of companies competing for certain small-business federal contracting opportunities could also become larger. Depending on the industry, that could mean competing against businesses with considerably more employees, resources, contracting experience, and capacity than companies currently participating in the small-business marketplace.

That does not necessarily make the proposal good or bad. It does mean small-business owners should understand how a change in the definition of “small” could affect eligibility, growth planning, and competition within their industry.

Importantly, this is a proposed change, not a final rule.

We encourage small-business owners, particularly those involved in or considering federal contracting, to review the SBA announcement and learn more about what is being proposed:

https://legacy.sba.gov/article/2026/08/20/sba-proposes-overhaul-simplify-small-business-classification-expand-access-federal-programs

If you have questions or concerns about how the proposed changes could affect your business, reach out to the America’s SBDC at Texas Tech University – Abilene. We are here to help you understand what these changes may mean for your business and your future plans.

WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S.

08/14/2026

🚨🚨Abilene SBDC will be closed next week🚨🚨

08/10/2026

The economic impact of drought does not stop at the farm gate.

The U.S. Small Business Administration has announced Economic Injury Disaster Loan assistance under Disaster TX-20088-01 for eligible small businesses and private nonprofit organizations affected by the ongoing drought that began March 31, 2026.

Within the Abilene SBDC service area, eligible counties include Nolan, Fisher, Jones, Mitchell, Runnels, Scurry, and Taylor counties.

This assistance is not limited to agriculture. Eligible non-agricultural small businesses that can demonstrate drought-related economic injury affecting their ability to meet normal operating obligations may also qualify for SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans.

EIDL assistance provides working capital to help eligible businesses meet ordinary and necessary operating expenses that cannot be met because of the disaster.

Key loan details:

🏦 Loan amount: Up to $2 million
💳 Business interest rate: Up to 4%
💰 Loan term: Up to 30 years
📅 First 12 months: No interest or payments
📝 Application deadline: March 29, 2027

SBA determines eligibility, loan amount, and repayment terms.

Learn more or apply under Disaster TX-20088-01:

https://lending.sba.gov/search-disaster/?disaster=TX-20088

America’s SBDC at Texas Tech University – Abilene provides confidential, no-cost business advising and can help affected small business owners review their financial situation and prepare for the application process.

08/07/2026

A business can remain busy, generate sales, and still be struggling financially.

Declining cash balances, recurring shortages, increasing debt, overdue obligations, and repeated owner contributions may indicate that the business needs a closer examination. Recognizing these warning signs early can give an owner more time, better information, and more options.

Our latest Business Knowledge Library article, “When a Small Business Is Struggling: Understanding Turnaround Options,” explains how owners can examine profitability, cash flow, expenses, customer demand, operations, financing, and other factors affecting the health of a business. It also discusses when restructuring, selling, downsizing, or orderly closure may become reasonable options.

The purpose is not to provide every owner with the same answer. It is to help owners better understand the questions they should be asking.

The Abilene SBDC provides confidential business advising at no financial cost to the client.

When a small business begins to struggle, the choices extend beyond simply continuing or closing. This article explains how owners can identify financial warning signs, examine cash flow and profitability, and evaluate turnaround, financing, restructuring, sale, or orderly closure options.