Business Funding in Bastrop County, TX

The county in numbers

Bastrop County was established in 1836, covers 888 square miles and had 97,216 residents at the 2020 census. The seat is the city of Bastrop (9,688 residents), located about 30 miles southeast of Austin and part of the Greater Austin metropolitan area. Elgin, the county's other principal city, had 9,784 in 2020 and sits in both Bastrop and Travis counties. In 1995 the Texas Legislature proclaimed Elgin the "Sausage Capital of Texas."

Two towns, two flavors

Both are small enough that an owner knows most of their regular customers by name, and both are close enough to Austin that the metro's wage levels, rents and expectations leak into the local market.

What growth does to a small business's cash

Growth is good, but it moves costs faster than revenue. A restaurant in Bastrop that is booked on weekends may still run behind on payroll in the middle of the week. A contractor who is busy has to buy materials sooner than customers pay. A retail shop that expands into the next suite pays rent on both before the added floor space produces added sales.

• New-hire lag. A new employee is paid before they are fully productive.
• Lease and build-out. Deposits and fixtures are paid up front.
• Vehicles and equipment. Larger orders require better tools and more trucks.
• Tax timing. Quarterly unemployment reports and taxes are due by the last day of the month after quarter end.

Illustration: the contractor who says yes

For illustration only, a remodeling and light-commercial contractor in Bastrop has $85,000 in monthly costs and wins a pair of overlapping jobs. Doing both means buying materials for each and keeping two crews on the clock, while the first draw does not arrive for several weeks. If the contractor passes on one job, the customer may go elsewhere. If it takes both without a cushion, a late payment from either might stretch payroll. Working capital is a way to take the work. It is not a promise that either customer pays on time.

Visitors, commuters and old-timers

Bastrop County's customers come from several directions. Longtime residents keep the farm-and-ranch and main-street businesses going. Commuters who work in Austin spend in the county in the evenings and on weekends. Visitors drawn to the area's restaurants and lodging add weekend traffic. An owner has to decide which of these groups to serve and how many staff to carry for each. A weekend crowd that needs six servers on Saturday and two on Tuesday makes labor planning a puzzle that cash can help solve.

Growth markets reward owners who prepare for the customers they expect, not just the ones they already have. That might mean an extra bay, a second shift or a bigger kitchen. Each costs something before it earns, and each is the kind of decision working capital is designed to support.

Terms

We fund $25,000 to $5,000,000. The application takes about five minutes with a soft credit pull, and funding can arrive in as little as 24 hours. Sole proprietors can apply. Bastrop County owners can start on the application page.