He had the hope. BCL gave him the how. When Carlos Daniel first walked into the 2024  Austin Homebuyer Fair, he carried with him both hope and uncertainty. Having moved from Venezuela a few years earlier, he dreamed of giving his family a stable home but didn’t know where to begin.

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At BCL of Texas, we have the privilege of working with entrepreneurs who are committed to serving their communities. Yeneli Flores-Hurtado, owner of Children’s Town Center Daycare, is a shining example of this. We had the pleasure of sitting down with her to hear her inspiring story of transformation, a journey we were proud to be a part of.

Yeneli came to us with a vision: to acquire a second daycare location in Bastrop, Texas, and transform a neglected space into a safe, welcoming environment for children. The building was an old, dilapidated structure with holes in the walls, outdated floors, and a general state of disrepair. Yet, Yeneli saw its potential. As she told us, “The walls had holes. The floor was really outdated. The carpet was old and dusty, but I had a dream of a second location, and I knew I could make it work.” The location was perfect, with retail, housing, and schools nearby. Her dream, however, hit a significant roadblock.

Traditional banks refused to provide financing, forcing Yeneli into owner financing, a challenging path that nearly ended her dream before it began. With no capital to fund necessary renovations, the building sat empty and uninviting. Parents would tour the facility, but as Yeneli shared, “…the place was not ready to show. The paint is horrible, there are holes in the wall… as a parent, I hated that I had to do tours and people had to see all those things.” Without the ability to enroll new students, there was no way to finance the needed improvements.

That’s where BCL of Texas stepped in. Our team worked with Yeneli to secure a loan to fund the full remodel. Yeneli found the process a breath of fresh air. “BCL of Texas was very easy to work with,” she said. “The openness and the way that [our loan officer] made it so clear, so easy, I mean, as opposed to what I’ve been through before, it was really easy.” The funds were disbursed quickly, allowing her to begin renovations almost immediately. The loan covered a new entrance, fresh paint, new walls to define classrooms, new windows, and even roof repairs.

The results have been transformative. The once-neglected space is now a bright, clean, and safe environment. With renovations well underway, parents are now comfortable paying full tuition rates, and enrollments are on the rise. “This transformation means that parents will have access to daycare in their neighborhood,” Yeneli told us. For Yeneli, this success is about more than just business; it’s about giving back. “To me, it’s not just about being able to run a business… but also having the ability to serve the families of this community. Those that needed a safe and happy place to leave their children.”

We are proud to have supported Yeneli’s vision and look forward to seeing Children’s Town Center Daycare thrive. Her story is a powerful reminder that with the right partner, every entrepreneur has the potential to make a meaningful difference. If you have a business dream that you are struggling to finance, don’t give up, BCL of Texas is here to help.

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Guest blogger Merecia Smith works with families and individuals to help them with smart money management. The start of a new school year is always a busy time, and as parents, our job is to be our children’s lifelong teachers. We don’t always have all the answers, but we can find inspiration to be creative with our own household solutions. This year, I’m focusing on some new back-to-school shopping strategies that will help me save time and money.

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For David Azuara, starting Always Local Heating & Air Conditioning wasn’t just about building a business—it was about building purpose. David discovered BCL through the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and was immediately drawn to their mission and approachable team. “We reached out to BCL to get help securing the right kind of funding to grow responsibly.”

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In 2020, the Travis County (TCTX) Thrive Small Business Program was created to offer a response to the economic crisis related to COVID-19. Business & Community Lenders (BCL) of Texas administered the program which offered reimbursement grants of up to $40,000 from the Coronavirus Relief Funds via the CARES Act and business coaching for 225 local small businesses that met eligibility requirements.

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