Month: September 2019

What’s the Biz, Houston? 

Business Licenses – Needed or Not?

Operating a home-based business can make a lot of sense to entrepreneurs. A business at home can cut down on overhead and operating expenses, it can allow a parent to be home with young children or provide a flexible schedule. Whatever the motivation, it is important to know and follow all rules and regulations as set down by the federal, state, county and municipal governments, as well as industry licensing required for your type of business.

State Licenses

Each state has specific occupations that require a license. In Texas, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation oversees issuing state licenses. Texas requires licenses for nine professions that can all be home-based: air conditioning and refrigeration workers, auctioneers, barbers and cosmetologists, electricians, for-profit legal service providers, property tax professionals, tow truck operators and vehicle storage facility operators.

Besides specific licenses, the state requires a sales tax permit for any business selling, leasing, renting or providing taxable goods or services.

Municipal Licenses

Some communities require a general business license or a home-based business license. The City of Houston does not require a general license but does regulate licenses for specific types of business. For instance, a home-based business dealing with animals, such as dog grooming, must have a license from the city’s Bureau of Animal Regulation and Care and a home-based day care would require a license from the city’s Department of Human Services (See Resources).

County Licenses

Counties can require licenses for businesses operating within their jurisdictions. Harris County in Texas does not require specific licenses for any type of business except those dealing with alcohol and selling of food. The county clerk issues licenses for beer and mixed beverage sellers, package stores and wholesale alcohol distribution in case you want to operate a microbrewery or vineyard.

In addition, the county clerk issues DBA— Doing Business As— forms that are required for businesses operating in the City of Houston.

Industry Licenses

Certain professions are regulated by professional boards that issue licenses. These licenses are often required to work in a given municipality. For instance plumbers in Houston must be licensed by the Plumbers Examiners Board, a Veterinary Medical Examiners Board licenses veterinarians, landscape irrigation installers are licensed by the Texas Extension Service. In Houston, attorneys, appraisers, construction contractors, accountants, engineers have professional licensing requirements to operate a business.

Federal Licenses

Home-based businesses dealing with importing or exporting items abroad require a federally issued import/export license. Other home-based businesses may also require a federal license. Businesses pertaining to alcohol, tobacco, firearms, transportation, fish and wildlife require a federal license.

Looking to Start a Business in Houston?

Businesses are always evolving, and keeping an eye on the trends is one of the best ways to make sure to take advantage of the trends that are relevant to your industry. If you haven’t already started a business, maybe one of these trends will inspire you to create an entire new business.

With the opportunities for businesses booming, why wait another moment. What is keeping you down? Financial restraints have been a complaint for many of the dreamers, limiting themselves to their immediate funds. There is an alternative. If you have the dreams and decent credit, Small Business Loans and No Doc Loans are available to you. Our goal is to provide you with the knowledge you need and the resources available to make your dream a reality. Give us a call – we have the education and the perspective to help you obtain the loans you need for your small business. Visit our website or give us a call to find out what financial backing is available to make your business soar!

Unsecured Finances has over 10 years in the consulting business! We specialized in educating and assisting clients on acquiring Unsecured Business Loans and Start-Up Business Specialty Loans including; Unsecured No Documentation (No-Doc Stated Income) Loans, Unsecured Business Loans, and Unsecured Start-Up Business Loans and Lines of Credit from $10,000 to $500,000 without Assets.

Apply on our website to find out if you qualify, or call today for a free consultation: 1-888-294-2584

Houston, Texas: Big Opportunities in Small Business

Top 5 Small Business Investment Opportunities in Houston

Texas, the Lone Star State, is known for oil, heat waves, and George W. Bush. Aside from those facts, Texas is also a great place to start a business; Houston in particular is a very fertile ground for small businesses. So if you are in Houston (or willing to relocate) and are looking to start a business that will thrive for years to come, there are many options to choose from. Here we have created an inspirational list of the top 5 business opportunities! 

1. Artsy boutique

Many people in Houston love artsy clothing, so there is huge demand for these special wears. You can make a lot of money by starting a small business that sells artist-designed clothing for men, women, and children, as well as accessories like jewelry, ties, and cufflinks. You can also offer custom-designed pieces.

2. Real estate

This business is a money-spinner everywhere. In Houston, there is good demand for all types of property, such as homes and other facilities. Real estate development and property leasing are particularly very lucrative. So, if you have both the startup capital and know-how required to venture into this business, you will be made within a short period.

3. Chocolate store

Houston residents are chocolate addicts, so there is a lot of money to be made in Houston from chocolate sales alone. You can open a store that offers everything from chocolate truffles to chocolate-dipped fruit to chocolate pizza. You can make them even more compelling by turning them out in various shapes—computers, animals, cars, and so on.

4. Pet care

Many residents of Houston have dogs and other pets. So, there is huge demand for pet care services. If you love animals and can take good care of them, then consider starting a business that caters to pets in a way. You can start a pet-sitting service, a boarding facility for pets, a pet food processing business, and so on. Whichever aspect of pet care you choose to venture into, you’re sure to make cool cash.

5. Car wash service

A huge fraction of Houston residents are car owners, which means there is an alluringly high demand for car wash services. No one likes to be seen cruising around in a dirty car, so car owners will readily pay you to wash and make their cars sparkle once again.

If you have no problems with getting your hands wet and dirty, then this is a cool business opportunity for you. Better yet, you can hire someone else to do the washing while you take a cut off each pay.

Looking to Start a Business in Houston?

Businesses are always evolving, and keeping an eye on the trends is one of the best ways to make sure to take advantage of the trends that are relevant to your industry. If you haven’t already started a business, maybe one of these trends will inspire you to create an entire new business.

With the opportunities for businesses booming, why wait another moment. What is keeping you down? Financial restraints have been a complaint for many of the dreamers, limiting themselves to their immediate funds. There is an alternative. If you have the dreams and decent credit, Small Business Loans and No Doc Loans are available to you. Our goal is to provide you with the knowledge you need and the resources available to make your dream a reality. Give us a call – we have the education and the perspective to help you obtain the loans you need for your small business. Visit our website or give us a call to find out what financial backing is available to make your business soar!

Unsecured Finances has over 10 years in the consulting business! We specialized in educating and assisting clients on acquiring Unsecured Business Loans and Start-Up Business Specialty Loans including; Unsecured No Documentation (No-Doc Stated Income) Loans, Unsecured Business Loans, and Unsecured Start-Up Business Loans and Lines of Credit from $10,000 to $500,000 without Assets.

Apply on our website to find out if you qualify, or call today for a free consultation: 1-888-294-2584

Business Trends in Houston, Texas


A positive outlook on industrial development is not just apparent in the Southeast submarket, but can be seen throughout the entirety of the Houston Metro. The staggering amount of products being built is likely due to several trends, both at the market and national levels. Despite oil being down over the past year, Houston added the third most jobs of a major MSA in 2018, signifying overall market health is not as dependent on the energy sector as prior years. Intuitively, job growth is a causal factor of the population growth Houston experienced last year. 

The increased population, compounded with the prevalence of e-commerce, creates the need for more final-mile logistics facilities. The population growth is also positively correlated with land prices. While land is getting more expensive, and interest rates are remaining relatively low, developers are choosing to build now in anticipation of Houston’s projected growth.

Vacancy 

The Industrial vacancy rate in the Houston market area increased to 5.8% at the end of the first quarter 2019.  The vacancy rate was 5.6% at the end of the fourth quarter 2018, 5.6% at the end of the third quarter 2018, and 5.4% at the end of the second quarter 2018. 

Flex projects reported a vacancy rate of 9.7% at the end of the first quarter 2019, 9.2% at the end of the fourth quarter 2018, 8.9% at the end of the third quarter 2018, and 9.1% at the end of the second quarter 2018.

Warehouse projects reported a vacancy rate of 5.5% at the end of the first quarter 2019, 5.3% at the end of fourth quarter 2018, 5.3% at the end of the third quarter 2018, and 5.1% at the end of the second quarter 2018.

Rental rates 

According to CoStar, the average quoted asking rental rate for available Industrial space was $7.44 per square foot per year at the end of the first quarter 2019 in the Houston market area.  This represented a 1% increase in quoted rental rates from the end of the fourth quarter 2018, when rents were reported at $7.39 per square foot. At the end of the first quarter 2019, Flex rates were $10.04 per square foot, while Warehouse rates stood at $7.05. 

Absorption

Net absorption for the overall Houston Industrial market was positive with 2,000,490 square feet in the first quarter 2019 but down from positive 2,416,742 square feet in the fourth quarter 2018. Third quarter 2018 was positive 2,972,855 square feet, and positive 957,709 square feet in the second quarter 2018.

Tenants moving into large blocks of space in 2019 include: Home Depot moving into 770,640 square feet in the Grand National Business Park. Plantgistix moved into 337,040 square feet at 5623 Ameriport Parkway in  Baytown and Norlyn Enterprises moved into 134,900 square feet at 9800 Derrington Road. 

Positive net absorption was most prominent in the North, Inner Loop, South and Southwest Corridors. New inventory was delivered in the Northwest Corridor which resulted in a negative net absorption.

The flex building market recorded net absorption of negative 120,275 square feet in the first quarter 2019, compared to negative 136,144 square feet in fourth quarter 2018. Third quarter 2018 was positive 198,2015 while second quarter 2018 was negative 129,603 square feet.

The warehouse building market recorded net absorption of positive 2,120,765 square feet in the first quarter 2019 compared to positive 2,552,886 square feet in the fourth quarter 2018, positive 2,774,650 in the third quarter 2018, and positive 1,087,312 in the second quarter 2018.

Looking to Start a Business in Houston?

Businesses are always evolving, and keeping an eye on the trends is one of the best ways to make sure to take advantage of the trends that are relevant to your industry. If you haven’t already started a business, maybe one of these trends will inspire you to create an entire new business.

With the opportunities for businesses booming, why wait another moment. What is keeping you down? Financial restraints have been a complaint for many of the dreamers, limiting themselves to their immediate funds. There is an alternative. If you have the dreams and decent credit, Small Business Loans and No Doc Loans are available to you. Our goal is to provide you with the knowledge you need and the resources available to make your dream a reality. Give us a call – we have the education and the perspective to help you obtain the loans you need for your small business. Visit our website or give us a call to find out what financial backing is available to make your business soar!

Unsecured Finances has over 10 years in the consulting business! We specialized in educating and assisting clients on acquiring Unsecured Business Loans and Start-Up Business Specialty Loans including; Unsecured No Documentation (No-Doc Stated Income) Loans, Unsecured Business Loans, and Unsecured Start-Up Business Loans and Lines of Credit from $10,000 to $500,000 without Assets.

Apply on our website to find out if you qualify, or call today for a free consultation: 1-888-294-2584

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