Miguel Lopez stepped into his role as director of Lone Star College System’s Small Business Development Center April 3 after spending 17 years as a banker.
Lopez, who grew up in Humble and has lived in The Woodlands since 1995, also has about six years of experience working in the oil and gas industry. This combined with his years in banking allowed him to work with both large and small business owners, he said.
“Having thriving businesses in and around the college service area also assures that there is places for students to work,” Lopez said. “It’s a win-win for everyone—the students, the college, the communities [and] the economy.”
LSCS’s SBDC encompasses approximately 1,400 square miles, or the same area the college system covers, Lopez said.
The center provides general consulting services funded by taxpayer dollars to small business owners with up to 500 employees in LSCS’s service area, Lopez said.
“We work with companies [that] have been in existence for 20 minutes to businesses that have been in existence 20 years,” Lopez said. “We can assist with services like helping with their business plan, their marketing plan and we can assist with their financial packaging.”
What initially made you want to become the SBDC director?
I enjoy working with small business owners. It’s fun sitting across the table from someone who, this is their dream—this is something they want to do. I love the entrepreneurial spirit that comes with small business owners. It’s not easy—it’s a challenge. I love watching others succeed, and it’s fun when you sit back and you watch a small business owner run with it and watch them grow.
Where do you hope to see the SBDC one to five years from now?
[I hope] to be able to keep up with the growth both in Harris County and Montgomery County. It’s unique [and] it’s special to be at the point where part of our service area is inside the fourth largest city in this country. The other part of this service area is one of the fastest growing counties in our country.
It’s exciting because we assist in that growth with the small businesses we work with. I want to fill [our open consultant] position, and I also want to be able to add another consultant to be able to keep up with the growth.
Growth just doesn't apply to the residential growth. Small businesses are also growing here, and we’re very excited to be a part of that and assist in that.
What are some challenges that come with being the SBDC director?
People don’t know who we are [or] where we are and what kind of services we offer. One of the things I challenge the team with is [to] not be secret service agents about what we do. I work with the team, and we all work with the different chambers throughout our region.
We are a resource to the chamber’s members, the businesses out in the communities. It’s just making sure people know the SBDC is right here inside Lone Star College. It’s a huge resource.
What are some differences between your current role as the SBDC Director versus jobs you have had in the past?
Working directly with the small business owners…as a consultant to them. We’re not their banker, we’re not their CPA [and] we’re not their attorney. At the end of the day, we can only advise and suggest to the business owner, give them options and make them think.
Another difference is just the scope. In the past I was responsible for one [business] under this umbrella. This is 1,400 square miles—granted there’s a team in place—working with small businesses and the communities.
Miguel Lopez stepped into his role as director of Lone Star College System’s Small Business Development Center April 3 after spending 17 years as a banker.
Lopez, who grew up in Humble and has lived in The Woodlands since 1995, also has about six years of experience working in the oil and gas industry. This combined with his years in banking allowed him to work with both large and small business owners, he said.
“Having thriving businesses in and around the college service area also assures that there is places for students to work,” Lopez said. “It’s a win-win for everyone—the students, the college, the communities [and] the economy.”
LSCS’s SBDC encompasses approximately 1,400 square miles, or the same area the college system covers, Lopez said.
The center provides general consulting services funded by taxpayer dollars to small business owners with up to 500 employees in LSCS’s service area, Lopez said.
“We work with companies [that] have been in existence for 20 minutes to businesses that have been in existence 20 years,” Lopez said. “We can assist with services like helping with their business plan, their marketing plan and we can assist with their financial packaging.”
What initially made you want to become the SBDC director?
I enjoy working with small business owners. It’s fun sitting across the table from someone who, this is their dream—this is something they want to do. I love the entrepreneurial spirit that comes with small business owners. It’s not easy—it’s a challenge. I love watching others succeed, and it’s fun when you sit back and you watch a small business owner run with it and watch them grow.
Where do you hope to see the SBDC one to five years from now?
[I hope] to be able to keep up with the growth both in Harris County and Montgomery County. It’s unique [and] it’s special to be at the point where part of our service area is inside the fourth largest city in this country. The other part of this service area is one of the fastest growing counties in our country.
It’s exciting because we assist in that growth with the small businesses we work with. I want to fill [our open consultant] position, and I also want to be able to add another consultant to be able to keep up with the growth.
Growth just doesn't apply to the residential growth. Small businesses are also growing here, and we’re very excited to be a part of that and assist in that.
What are some challenges that come with being the SBDC director?
People don’t know who we are [or] where we are and what kind of services we offer. One of the things I challenge the team with is [to] not be secret service agents about what we do. I work with the team, and we all work with the different chambers throughout our region.
We are a resource to the chamber’s members, the businesses out in the communities. It’s just making sure people know the SBDC is right here inside Lone Star College. It’s a huge resource.
What are some differences between your current role as the SBDC Director versus jobs you have had in the past?
Working directly with the small business owners…as a consultant to them. We’re not their banker, we’re not their CPA [and] we’re not their attorney. At the end of the day, we can only advise and suggest to the business owner, give them options and make them think.
Another difference is just the scope. In the past I was responsible for one [business] under this umbrella. This is 1,400 square miles—granted there’s a team in place—working with small businesses and the communities.
