Become a Partner

Sparkyard℠ Partnership

Becoming a Sparkyard partner is an exciting opportunity to join the largest network of organizations dedicated to supporting Fort Worth small businesses and entrepreneurs. There is no cost to join and your participation in the network is voluntary.

Becoming a partner is easy:

1. Be an organization that offers services at no or low cost for entrepreneurs and small businesses in the Fort Worth area. In most cases, you must be a legal nonprofit.
2. Complete the Partner Intake Form below.
3. Agree to:

 

  • Allow Sparkyard to market your organization and services
  • Be responsive to entrepreneurs referred from Sparkyard
  • Promote the Sparkyard community and website, with reciprocal website links, if possible
  • Help Sparkyard identify ways to track small business success so we can measure and publicize the impact of entrepreneurial support in the community

4. Sparkyard will work with you to build an accurate profile of your offerings for the website. You will have control over your profile, including the ability to request updates.

Sparkyard partnership is limited to organizations that share a mission of strengthening the Fort Worth small business and entrepreneurship community. Partner status does not reflect an endorsement of any kind.

Your quick description will be displayed in the directory listing.

(250 characters remaining)

Your full description will be displayed on your profile page.

Overview

Some organizations support all types of entrepreneurs and business owners, others specialize in serving only specific sub-groups. In each category below, please check the types of clients which you provide direct technical services for. Please mark all that apply, see below for an example.

Example
Support Specialize Description
Your organization provides this option
Your organization specializes in providing this option
Your organization does not provide this option

Opportunity Populations

Does your organization specialize in serving one or more of the following audiences?

Support Specialize Opportunity Populations
African American
Asian
Hispanic
Immigrant
LGBTQIA
Middle Eastern North African
Native American
Refugee
Returning Citizens
Veteran
Woman
Youth

Business Type

Select the types of business your organization serves.

Support Specialize Business Type
Innovation-led
Main Street
Microenterprise
Second Stage


Business Stage

Select the stages of business your organization serves.

Support Specialize Business Stage
Inception / Idea
Proof of Concept / Prototype / Market Intro
Rollout
Growth / Expansion


Industry

Select the industries your organization serves.

Support Specialize Industry
Agriculture
Arts
Bioscience & Manufacturing
Construction
Education
Energy & Utilities
Finance & Insurance
Health & Childcare
High Tech Services and Manufacturing
Information Technology
Management
Manufacturing
Mining
Not for Profit
Other Services
Personal Services
Professional Services
Real Estate
Restaurant
Retail
Tourism
Transportation & Warehousing
Wholesale

Services You Offer

This section will match prospective clients with the services you offer. The services indicated will determine what assistance clients are contacting your organization for assistance with. Please use the list below and indicate ONLY those services that you directly provide, as opposed to services for which you would know where to refer the client. This will save entrepreneurs time and your organizations frustration. Please indicate a specialty area if one applies.

Accelerators and Incubators

Provide Service Specialize in Service Service
Accelerator
Incubator

Business Planning

Provide Service Specialize in Service Service
Business Plan Consulting
Business Succession Planning
Demographic and Census Data
Diversification
Feasibility Studies
Forming a Business
Identification and Research of Foreign Markets
Market Plan Development
Market Research

Buying or Selling a Business

Provide Service Specialize in Service Service
Buying or Selling a Franchise
Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)
Purchasing or Selling an Existing Business
Tax Services
Valuation

Economic and Site Development

Provide Service Specialize in Service Service
Economic Forecast
Environmental Compliance
Lease Review
Revitalization
Site Location Assistance
Tax Credits
Watershed Planning

Events and Community Building

Provide Service Specialize in Service Service
Hackathon / Startup Week or Weekends
Neighborhood Fairs and Festivals
Pitch Events
Startup Drinks

Financial Resources and Assistance

Provide Service Specialize in Service Service
Accounting and Bookkeeping
Angel Investment
Bonding
Budget, Financial Statement and Cash Flow Training
Crowdfunding
Debt Funding
Equity Funding
Government Funding
Grant Funding
Insurance Requirements
Loans
Matching Funds
Microloans
Real Estate Finance
Revenue Based Financing (i.e. factoring)
Tax Credits
Technology Grants
Trade Show Financial Assistance
Venture Capital

Human Resources, Workforce and Talent

Provide Service Specialize in Service Service
Apprenticeship
Employee Development
Hiring and Firing
Insurance
Policies and Templates
Recruiting
Retention
Workforce Incentives
Workforce Training

Import and Export Assistance

Provide Service Specialize in Service Service
Certification and Licensing
Financial Assistance for Exporting Activities
Identification/Research of Foreign Markets
Locating Foreign Distributors
Networking/Exploring Exporting
Trade Education and Training

Internship Programs and Student Services

Provide Service Specialize in Service Service
Internship Program
Student Marketing Projects
Student Placement
Student Research Projects
Student Training
Youth Entrepreneurship Education

Legal Services

Provide Service Specialize in Service Service
Contract Review
Employee Relations
Environmental Compliance
Forming a Business
Labor Relations
Lease Review
Patent Seminars
Patent, Trademark & Copyright Information

Libraries and Research

Provide Service Specialize in Service Service
Business Research Resources
Demographic/Census Data

Management Issues

Provide Service Specialize in Service Service
Human Resources
Insurance Requirements
Leadership/Professional Development
Recruiting Assistance

Manufacturing, High Tech, Life Sciences Development

Provide Service Specialize in Service Service
Augmented / Virtual Reality and Holographics
Commercialization
Hazardous Waste Generation Avoidance Training
Health and Safety Training
High Tech Development
Industrial Technology Research
Life Sciences Development
Manufacturing Development
Pollution Prevention
Quality Improvement (Supply Chain, Six Sigma)
Science/Bioscience Seminars
Technology Transfer
Wet Lab Incubator

Marketing and Sales

Provide Service Specialize in Service Service
Advertising/Brochure Design
Award Recognition
Call Center Services
Competitive Analysis
Demographics/Census Data
E-Commerce/Internet Marketing
Feasibility Studies
Identification/Research of Foreign Markets
Market Plan Development and Training
Market Research
Student Marketing Projects
Website Development

Mentoring

Provide Service Specialize in Service Service
Formal Mentoring Programs
One-on-One Counseling
Peer Mentoring

Networking and Associations

Provide Service Specialize in Service Service
Demographically Based
Geographically Based
Home Based
Industry Specific
International Trade
Small Business/General

Nonprofit and Social Enterprise

Provide Service Specialize in Service Service
Accounting
Board Development
Funds Development
Human Resources
Organizational Audits
Strategic Planning
Technical Services

Operations and Logistics

Provide Service Specialize in Service Service
Freight and Distribution
Hazardous Waste Generation Avoidance Training
Health and Safety Training
Locating Freight Forwarders/Customs Brokers
Pollution Prevention
Quality Improvement (Supply Chain, Six Sigma)

Product Development

Provide Service Specialize in Service Service
Patent Information
Product Assembly and Packaging
Product Design and Development
Prototype Development
R&D Support

Public Policy and Government Relations

Provide Service Specialize in Service Service
African-American Business
City Business Issues
Hispanic Business
LGBTQIA Business Issues
Native-American Business
Small Business Policy
State Business Issues
Women's Business Issues

Regulatory Compliance

Provide Service Specialize in Service Service
Bonding
Certification
Codes
Environmental Compliance
Government Requirements
Insurance Requirements
International Regulatory Compliance
Patent Information
Registration, Licenses and Permits
Trademark and Copyright Information

Selling to the Government and Large Corporations

Provide Service Specialize in Service Service
Bid Matching and Preparation
Government and Military Specifications
HUBZone Certification
Obtaining Certification
Obtaining Corporate Contracts
Obtaining Government Contracts
Price History
Registration Assistance
Selling to Foreign Governments and Businesses
Subcontracting Opportunities

Space

Provide Service Specialize in Service Service
Commercial Kitchen Facilities
Conference/Meeting and Event Space
Coworking
Lab Space
Lease Review Assistance
Makerspace / Hackerspace
Office Space
Retail Space
Site Location Assistance
Wet Lab

Starting a Business

Provide Service Specialize in Service Service
Business Research Resources
Feasibility Studies
Forming a Business
Home-Based Business Training
Registration, Licenses and Permits
Site Location
Startup Business Counseling
Startup Classes

Tax Services

Provide Service Specialize in Service Service
State and Federal Tax Training
State Tax Credit Information
Tax Credits
Tax Preparation Assistance
Tax Registration

Technical Assistance

Provide Service Specialize in Service Service
Bookkeeping/Accounting Software Training
Coding Schools, Bootcamps, Classes
Commercialization
Design Services
Industrial Technology Research
Pollution Prevention
Technology Transfer
Virtual Consulting and Online Services
Website Development

Training

Provide Service Specialize in Service Service
Bookkeeping/Accounting Software Training
Budget, Cash Flow and Financial Statements Training
Business Management Training
Business Plan Training and Assistance
E-Commerce/Internet Marketing
Hazardous Waste Generation Avoidance Training
Health and Safety Training
Health Care Training
Home-Based Business Training
Human Resources Training
International Trade Education and Training
Marketing Plan Training
Online Courses and Videos
Startup Classes
Trade Education and Training