A small county on Interstate 30 with a lake that doubles the weekend crowd. Franklin County businesses live on a weekly rhythm. Apply in five minutes.
Apply Now →Franklin County had 10,359 residents at the 2020 census, and the census counted all of them as rural. The county seat is Mount Vernon, a town, and Winnsboro is a city that lies mostly in neighboring Wood County. Interstate 30, U.S. 67 and U.S. 271 cross the county, with State Highways 11 and 37 and a handful of unincorporated communities, such as Scroggins, Hagansport and Purley, filling the map.
The county covers only about 295 square miles, which keeps the lake, the highway and the town square within a short drive of each other.
An economic development study from 2013 found that most of the county's homes of higher value sit around Lake Cypress Springs, about ten miles south of Mount Vernon, and that about 91 percent of the 1,400 waterfront homes were second residences. The Franklin County Water District estimated that the county's population rises by roughly 3,000 to 8,000 people on weekends and holidays because of them.
For a business owner, that is a very particular schedule. Restaurants, bait and marine shops, cleaning and caretaking services, contractors and grocery stores see demand build from Friday afternoon, peak on holiday weekends and drop off on Monday. A Tuesday in February is a very different day from the Fourth of July.
A year-round business that makes most of its money in a few months has to treat the slow months as a planning item, not a surprise.
Franklin County was one of the last 30 entirely dry counties in Texas, until voters in Mount Vernon approved beer and wine sales in May 2013. That kind of change matters to restaurants and stores, who gained a new product line and had to buy equipment and stock to carry it. For a roadside business, Interstate 30 is the other main customer source, and a good day on the interstate does not depend on lake traffic at all.
The county's median age was 43.8 years, and 75 percent of occupied homes were owner-occupied. A steady, settled population supports repair trades, health services and local retail.
For illustration only, suppose a Mount Vernon restaurant wants $35,000 to add a covered patio, a second fryer line and extra staff before the lake season. The money goes out in March and April. The sales that justify it come between May and September. These numbers are invented to show the timing and are not terms we offer or outcomes to expect.
The question is not whether the restaurant will have customers in July. It is whether it can pay for the build-out and the early-season crew in March.
The application takes about five minutes. The credit check is a soft pull. Sole proprietors can apply, and amounts run from $25,000 to $5,000,000. Funding can arrive in as little as 24 hours. Start your application.
Yes. Winnsboro and every other Texas community can apply. The county line does not change the application.
Your recent bank statements will show the pattern. Seasonal swings are common and working capital can be used to carry the slow months.
Many owners use working capital for improvements and equipment ahead of a busy season. Describe the purpose in your application.
About five minutes, online. If approved, funding can arrive in as little as 24 hours.
No. The credit check is a soft pull.
Three months of business bank statements and a 5-minute application. FICO 500+ considered. $25,000 to $5,000,000, funded in as little as 24 hours.
Apply Now →It takes about two minutes and it will not affect your credit score.
No obligation • No impact to your credit score
