SCORE Houston's Podcast cover art

SCORE Houston's Podcast

SCORE Houston's Podcast

By: SCORE Houston
Listen for free

This Season's Biggest Deal | £0.99/mo for 3 months + £10 Audible bonus

£5.99/mo after 3 months - terms apply. Cancel monthly

Our podcast features three series:


Mentor Conversations — In-depth interviews with experienced SCORE mentors, including former CEOs, industry leaders, and successful entrepreneurs sharing their decades of business expertise.


Small Business Success Stories — Real journeys from Houston small business owners who have built thriving companies, often with SCORE mentoring support.

Lessons from the Greats — Insights from renowned business leaders and successful global companies, distilled into practical guidance for small business owners.


Topics include: starting a business, business planning, financing and SBA loans, marketing and digital strategy, leadership, scaling and growth, financial management, resilience, adaptability, AI for small business, and Houston's evolving business landscape.


Whether you are launching a startup, navigating challenges, or scaling your business, this podcast delivers actionable insights to help you succeed.


Connect with a free SCORE Houston mentor at scorehouston.org

Join the conversation at scorehoustonpodcast.blogspot.com

New episodes weekly. Subscribe and follow on your favorite platform.







© 2026 SCORE Houston's Podcast Economics Leadership Management & Leadership Personal Finance
Episodes
  • SBA Small Business Awards 2027: How to Nominate Your Business Ep 48

    SBA Small Business Awards 2027: How to Nominate Your Business Ep 48
    Oct 27 2026
    How to nominate your business for the SBA Small Business Awards during National Small Business Week 2027. Nominations close December 7, 2026 at 2:00 PM Central — two SBA Houston specialists explain every category and requirement. Valerie Maher and Elizabeth Charles, Economic Development Specialists at the SBA Houston District Office, join host, SCORE Mentor, PV Bala to walk through the full SBA awards process for National Small Business Week, May 2–8, 2027. Valerie brings nearly 20 years of SBA experience; Elizabeth serves as the Houston office's Veteran Business Development Officer. The conversation covers the six national award categories — Small Business Person of the Year, Exporter of the Year, Small Business Manufacturer of the Year, Blue Collar Business of the Year, Rural Small Business Owner of the Year, and Veteran Small Business of the Year — and how Houston winners advance automatically to state or regional and then national judging. They also explain the five Houston district awards: Woman-Owned Small Business, Young Entrepreneur, Family-Owned Small Business, Innovation (SBIR/STTR), and Small Business Community Partner of the Year. You will learn the SBA award eligibility requirements (51% ownership, three years in operation, good standing on federal obligations, and at least one form of SBA assistance, including free SCORE mentoring); the required nomination documents (SBA Form 3300, SBA Form 3301, release form, and a 300 dpi photo, plus up to 10 pages of supporting material); and the three criteria federal judges use to score nominations: staying power, financial performance and growth, and community impact. Self-nominations are accepted, and solopreneurs are eligible. All submissions are electronic via sba.gov/nsbw. SBA Houston hosts nomination webinars every other week until the deadline. 0:00 — Intro & SBA series overview0:26 — Host introduces guests1:54 — Main conversation begins2:21 — History of National Small Business Week (est. 1963)4:39 — Award categories: national vs. Houston-only5:04 — Small Business Person of the Year6:10 — Exporter of the Year6:29 — Manufacturer of the Year7:16 — Blue Collar Business of the Year7:60 — Rural Small Business Owner of the Year8:20 — Veteran Small Business of the Year9:01 — Houston-only awards begin (woman-owned, young entrepreneur, family-owned)10:00 — Innovation Award & Community Partner12:11 — Houston → regional → national progression12:49 — Eligibility requirements16:01 — Who is NOT eligible17:23 — Nomination package components21:49 — Self-nominations accepted23:11 — Deadline: Dec 7, 2026 at 2:00 PM Central24:07 — Judging panel (federal employees from other agencies)25:30 — What judges look for28:00 — What to do now — sba.gov/nsbw & webinars28:54 — Encouragement to apply30:44 — National virtual summit workshops32:01 — Wrap-up & thanks33:14 — Outro & contact infoSBA National Small Business Week Awards: https://www.sba.gov/nsbw Free Business Mentoring – SCORE Houston: https://www.score.org/houston YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwYwZdflYjHJeI8oTA_fRJw Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/score-houstons-podcast/id1845697492 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3DTCZlNpp4FWgp1xdgrhQb Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b4ac4d74-acb2-43cc-b5f0-433ad259fccb Shorts: https://www.youtube.com/@SCOREHouston/shorts The SCORE Houston Podcast shares practical insights from SBA leaders, SCORE mentors, and successful small business owners. Free, confidential business mentoring is available through SCORE Houston, an SBA resource partner. Let us know what you think of this episode. What subjects you would like us to cover in next episodes. Give your comments at https://scorehoustonpodcast.blogspot.com or write to pv.bala@scorevolunteer.org. Let us know what you like of this episode and suggest subjects on which you wish to know more.
    Show More Show Less
    33 mins
  • How to Start a Childcare Center: 3 Students to 350+ Children Ep 47

    How to Start a Childcare Center: 3 Students to 350+ Children Ep 47
    Oct 20 2026
    How to start a childcare center from scratch and grow it from 3 students to more than 350 children. Kaye Boehning opened Tomorrow's Promise Montessori in Huntsville, Texas, in 1997, two weeks after completing her Montessori teacher certification. On this episode of Small Business Success Stories, Dr. Jeffrey Ricken talks with Kaye Boehning, M.Ed., Founder and CEO of Tomorrow's Promise Montessori Schools, a nonprofit organization based in Huntsville, Texas, in Walker County. The organization now operates three campuses serving children from birth through age 12. Kaye received the SBA Houston District's 2023 Rural Small Business Owner of the Year award. Kaye explains how she launched an early childhood education business with $10,000 in savings and $3,500 in classroom materials. She priced Montessori for middle-class families and built demand in a rural market unfamiliar with Montessori by presenting to local Rotary, Kiwanis and Lions clubs. Opening at 5:00 AM year-round to serve correctional facility shift workers gave the school a clear competitive position. She also covers how the school stayed open and expanded during COVID-19, why she bought a second childcare center after its price dropped by $50,000, and how she built a third campus. The third campus required owner-financed land, $180,000 of soil remediation, a 22-foot sewer connection, and a state license issued on deadline day, which secured a $375,000 grant. Kaye's advice for new small business owners: plan to go without a salary in year one; know your own numbers (payroll runs 55–65% of revenue in childcare); never stop learning; and build the mindset to handle setbacks and online criticism. As a nonprofit, the school also administers the Dolly Parton Imagination Library in Walker County and has mailed more than 70,000 free books to children under five. 0:00 — Intro, SCORE Houston welcome0:41 — Subscribe prompt0:59 — Guest intro: Kay Berning, Montessori founder1:43 — Starting with 3 students in 19972:09 — Montessori vs. traditional education3:13 — Early SCORE connection in Oklahoma3:29 — Commuting 70 miles for training5:00 — $10K savings, $3.5K in materials5:15 — Pitching service clubs5:40 — Educating a rural town about Montessori6:10 — Pricing & longer hours strategy7:15 — Daycare vs. childcare distinction8:14 — COVID: childcare as essential9:04 — Expanding during COVID — the Pink House12:02 — 70 children enrolled in 4 months13:56 — Buying Children's House — second campus16:22 — Third campus property search17:33 — $180K "bad dirt" problem18:46 — Race to meet licensing deadline for $375K grant20:50 — License secured Feb 1st21:15 — Nonprofit transition (2000)22:24 — Dolly Parton Imagination Library23:26 — 70,000 books delivered locally25:10 — SBA Rural Business Owner of the Year (2023)25:55 — Advice: margins, learning, mindset29:25 — Closing & thanks29:33 — Subscribe prompt30:10 — SCORE Houston contact info & outro Links Tomorrow's Promise Montessori Schools: https://tomorrowspromise.info/. Free SCORE Houston mentoring and workshops: https://www.score.org/houston Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwYwZdflYjHJeI8oTA_fRJw Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/score-houstons-podcast/id1845697492 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3DTCZlNpp4FWgp1xdgrhQb Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b4ac4d74-acb2-43cc-b5f0-433ad259fccb Shorts: https://www.youtube.com/@SCOREHouston/shorts Let us know what you think of this episode. What subjects you would like us to cover in next episodes. Give your comments at https://scorehoustonpodcast.blogspot.com or write to pv.bala@scorevolunteer.org. Let us know what you like of this episode and suggest subjects on which you wish to know more.
    Show More Show Less
    31 mins
  • How to Get an SBA Loan: What Lenders Want to See | SBA Series Ep. 46

    How to Get an SBA Loan: What Lenders Want to See | SBA Series Ep. 46
    Oct 6 2026

    SBA loans explained by the SBA's Houston Deputy District Director. You borrow from an approved bank, credit union, or lender, not the SBA, and the SBA guarantees 75% to 90% of the loan.

    In Episode 46 of the SCORE Houston Podcast SBA Series, host PV Bala talks with Winston Labbé, Deputy District Director of the U.S. Small Business Administration's Houston District Office. A Houston native and U.S. Army veteran, Winston spent more than 25 years in commercial lending, including senior roles at JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Amegy Bank, PrimeWay Federal Credit Union, and Unity National Bank of Texas, where he served as Chief Lending Officer. He has evaluated small business loan applications from both sides of the desk.

    Winston walks through the main SBA loan programs in plain language: the 7(a) loan (up to $5 million for working capital, equipment, inventory, and owner-occupied real estate), the 504 loan for owner-occupied real estate and major equipment, and microloans of up to $50,000 through community development financial institutions (CDFIs). He also covers the Working Capital Pilot revolving line of credit, the new MARC loan (Manufacturers' Access to Revolving Credit) for small manufacturers, and current guarantee fee relief for manufacturing and food supply chain loans.

    For anyone preparing a small business loan application, Winston explains what lenders actually review: three years of business and personal tax returns, a personal financial statement, bank statements, a specific loan amount, and, for startups, a business plan with monthly cash flow projections for year one. He discusses why credit score minimums vary by lender, how the SBA guarantee offsets limited collateral, the 10% minimum equity injection for startups and business acquisitions, why startup lenders look for a secondary source of income, and how a seller note on full standby can count toward the down payment when buying a business.

    The episode closes with guidance on finding an SBA-approved lender in Houston, choosing between a national bank, community bank, or credit union, and the first steps to take before applying.

    Chapters

    00:00 How SBA loans really work

    02:23 SBA loan programs: 7(a), 504, microloan, Working Capital Pilot

    06:58 What lenders look for: business plan and cash flow projections

    11:16 Credit score, collateral, and equity requirements

    14:18 Startup financing, CDFIs, and finding an SBA lender

    20:33 MARC loan, fee relief, and buying a business with an SBA loan

    Resources

    Free SCORE Houston mentoring: https://www.score.org/houston | 713-487-6565

    SBA Houston District Office: https://www.sba.gov/district/houston

    SBA Lender Match: https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/lender-match

    Subscribe on:

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwYwZdflYjHJeI8oTA_fRJw

    Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/score-houstons-podcast/id1845697492

    Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3DTCZlNpp4FWgp1xdgrhQb

    Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b4ac4d74-acb2-43cc-b5f0-433ad259fccb

    Shorts: https://www.youtube.com/@SCOREHouston/shorts

    The SCORE Houston Podcast features practical conversations with small business owners, SCORE mentors, and SBA leaders. SCORE Houston, a nonprofit SBA resource partner, offers free, confidential one-on-one business mentoring.

    Let us know what you think of this episode. What subjects you would like us to cover in next episodes.

    Give your comments at https://scorehoustonpodcast.blogspot.com or write to pv.bala@scorevolunteer.org. Let us know what you like of this episode and suggest subjects on which you wish to know more.

    Show More Show Less
    30 mins
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
No reviews yet