Start a
Business
Ready to start a business? In a state hailed as “Best Place to Start a Business” (Lendio 2023), Harlingen offers uniquely empowering local advantages for entrepreneurs and small business, including:
Significantly lower costs
Under capitalization is a leading cause of small business failure, so it’s good to know that Harlingen puts your operation on stronger fiscal footing from the start. In a city that has been named Top 3 Least Expensive Urban Areas in the U.S., operational budgets go farther from Day One. And as a Texas resident your income taxes are zero.
Local financial support
A pro-actively pro-business community, Harlingen gives a powerful boost to entrepreneurs and small businesses with crucial financial support. Partnering with PeopleFund, a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution, the city offers a revolving loan program providing $2 million in loan capital designated for qualified companies. Other incentives that encourage small business growth include the city’s Equip Harlingen, a small business matching grant program providing up to $3,000 for new equipment needed for expansion.
Working environments that work for
small business
Lower-cost operational settings, including co-working spaces, foster growth and stability for your new venture and help open the door for strategic expansion.
A skilled & agile workforce ready to drive success
Harlingen’s youthful workforce is largely bilingual, allowing them to think more quickly on their feet, and to problem-solve and multi-task more effectively. In Harlingen, we speak the language of invention and reinvention with ease, a boon for entrepreneurs.
A location for innovation
Harlingen is a place that sparks new ideas: A culturally-rich environment steeped in history and diversity, where spectacular outdoor recreation offers getaways every day to help keep thinking fresh. Harlingen’s year-round temperate climate combined with an unbeatable business climate make conditions ripe for entrepreneurial success.
Looking to identify the best business structure?
Want to know more about licensing? Find start-up guides and more from the Texas Secretary of State’s office here.
Entrepreneurial support
The Harlingen EDC brings together all the resources for startups to be successful. They have also partnered with UTRGV to provide additional assistance offered by the Small Business Development Center. Harlingen also hosts the Kauffman Foundation FastTrac program annually and has even launched an accelerator program that culminates with a pitch competition for cash-grant funding.