Houston wealth management adviser shares strategies for starting a successful business

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Here's what this wealth management adviser wants you to know before you start your business. Photo via Getty Images

May is Small Business Appreciation month and as a Houstonian, small business owner and wealth management advisor, I understand firsthand the questions, considerations and challenges involved with navigating the nuanced world of small business ventures.

In 2005, I started RSF Wealth Management with my business partner. RSF Wealth Management is a Houston-based firm of Northwestern Mutual focused on comprehensive, collaborative and educational financial planning.

Understanding that every startup is different, I believe there are a few key strategies to keep in mind when starting a business.

1. Create a comprehensive business plan

Any lucrative, viable business has to start with a good plan that outlines what you will need to grow revenue and thrive long-term. Creating this strategic business outline will serve as a roadmap for your beginning years as well as a marketing tool when finding investors. The business plan should highlight what your outlook is for the next five years, how you will leverage your product to make profit, and how much money you will need to achieve and maintain financial success—no matter what scenario may come your way.

2. Establish a solid financial foundation

As most startup businesses take up to five years to turn over profit, it is important to receive funding or set aside extra cash, even if it’s a small amount. My advice to small business owners is to make sure you have at least six months to a years’ worth of liquidity before starting a business venture. Emergency savings funds and other cash reserves can help to cover the operational and overhead costs to startups. If you don’t have enough in your personal savings or cash reserves, there are loan options for small businesses, including the paycheck protection program loan, economic injury disaster loan, traditional SBA 7(A) loan and SBA express bridge loan.

3. Verify everything is documented

Documenting everything is crucial when building the foundation of your business for both legal and tax purposes. Not only will this help if something goes wrong with your business, but it will also keep formal structure between you and your business partner. All startups should complete a buy-sell agreement, which details how your partners’ share will be obtained by the remaining partners in case of their death or leave. I also recommend filing a morality clause contract, which requires all employees to comply to behavioral standards during the life of their contract.

4. Review your insurance and tax options

Small business owners should be regularly reviewing their tax and insurance options to ensure they are updated to reflect changing business needs. For instance, the SECURE Act 2.0 tax credit is a new incentive designed to make it easy and affordable for small businesses to offer employer-sponsored retirement plans. The new legislation allows increased tax credits to small businesses to encourage plan sponsorship and improve retirement readiness.

Additionally, business insurance for startups can help cover costs associated with property damage or liability claims. For example, disability overhead expense insurance provides your business with money to pay for everyday operational expenses in the event you’re unable to work due to an illness or injury. Generally, if you provide coverage for employees and cover the premium, you will be able to deduct those costs as a business expense.

Despite the difficulties of making the jump from employee to entrepreneur, 5 million new businesses were created in 2022 according to a study by the US Census Bureau. New businesses are being created every day and with the excitement of starting a new business also comes the complexities and challenges associated with a new business venture.

Financial advisors and industry experts can help you create a plan, understand what loan option is right for you and how much you will need to have in cash reserves to ensure you can securely and stably run your new business. No matter the size or operation of your business, financial advisors can help document your finances and connect you with the right attorney or accountant to set you up for long-term success.

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Keith Rollins is a wealth management advisor with Northwestern Mutual and a founding partner of RSF Wealth Management.

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Houston robotics co. unveils new robot that can handle extreme temperatures

Hot New Robot

Houston- and Boston-based Square Robot Inc.'s newest tank inspection robot is commercially available and certified to operate at extreme temperatures.

The new robot, known as the SR-3HT, can operate from 14°F to 131°F, representing a broader temperature range than previous models in the company's portfolio. According to the company, its previous temperature range reached 32°F to 104°F.

The new robot has received the NEC/CEC Class I Division 2 (C1D2) certification from FM Approvals, allowing it to operate safely in hazardous locations and to perform on-stream inspections of aboveground storage tanks containing products stored at elevated temperatures.

“Our engineering team developed the SR-3HT in response to significant client demand in both the U.S. and international markets. We frequently encounter higher temperatures due to both elevated process temperatures and high ambient temperatures, especially in the hotter regions of the world, such as the Middle East," David Lamont, CEO of Square Robot, said in a news release. "The SR-3HT employs both active and passive cooling technology, greatly expanding our operating envelope. A great job done (again) by our engineers delivering world-leading technology in record time.”

The company's SR-3 submersible robot and Side Launcher received certifications earlier this year. They became commercially available in 2023, after completing initial milestone testing in partnership with ExxonMobil, according to Square Robot.

The company closed a $13 million series B round in December, which it said it would put toward international expansion in Europe and the Middle East.

Square Robot launched its Houston office in 2019. Its autonomous, submersible robots are used for storage tank inspections and eliminate the need for humans to enter dangerous and toxic environments.

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This article originally appeared on EnergyCapitalHTX.com.

Houston's Ion District to expand with new research and tech space, The Arc

coming soon

Houston's Ion District is set to expand with the addition of a nearly 200,000-square-foot research and technology facility, The Arc at the Ion District.

Rice Real Estate Company and Lincoln Property Company are expected to break ground on the state-of-the-art facility in Q2 2026 with a completion target set for Q1 2028, according to a news release.

Rice University, the new facility's lead tenant, will occupy almost 30,000 square feet of office and lab space in The Arc, which will share a plaza with the Ion and is intended to "extend the district’s success as a hub for innovative ideas and collaboration." Rice research at The Arc will focus on energy, artificial intelligence, data science, robotics and computational engineering, according to the release.

“The Arc will offer Rice the opportunity to deepen its commitment to fostering world-changing innovation by bringing our leading minds and breakthrough discoveries into direct engagement with Houston’s thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem,” Rice President Reginald DesRoches said in the release. “Working side by side with industry experts and actual end users at the Ion District uniquely positions our faculty and students to form partnerships and collaborations that might not be possible elsewhere.”

Developers of the project are targeting LEED Gold certification by incorporating smart building automation and energy-saving features into The Arc's design. Tenants will have the opportunity to lease flexible floor plans ranging from 28,000 to 31,000 square feet with 15-foot-high ceilings. The property will also feature a gym, an amenity lounge, conference and meeting spaces, outdoor plazas, underground parking and on-site retail and dining.

Preleasing has begun for organizations interested in joining Rice in the building.

“The Arc at the Ion District will be more than a building—it will be a catalyst for the partnerships, innovations and discoveries that will define Houston’s future in science and technology,” Ken Jett, president of Rice Real Estate Company, added in the release. “By expanding our urban innovation ecosystem, The Arc will attract leading organizations and talent to Houston, further strengthening our city’s position as a hub for scientific and entrepreneurial progress.”

Intel Corp. and Rice University sign research access agreement

innovation access

Rice University’s Office of Technology Transfer has signed a subscription agreement with California-based Intel Corp., giving the global company access to Rice’s research portfolio and the opportunity to license select patented innovations.

“By partnering with Intel, we are creating opportunities for our research to make a tangible impact in the technology sector,” Patricia Stepp, assistant vice president for technology transfer, said in a news release.

Intel will pay Rice an annual subscription fee to secure the option to evaluate specified Rice-patented technologies, according to the agreement. If Intel chooses to exercise its option rights, it can obtain a license for each selected technology at a fee.

Rice has been a hub for innovation and technology with initiatives like the Rice Biotech Launch Pad, an accelerator focused on expediting the translation of the university’s health and medical technology; RBL LLC, a biotech venture studio in the Texas Medical Center’s Helix Park dedicated to commercializing lifesaving medical technologies from the Launch Pad; and Rice Nexus, an AI-focused "innovation factory" at the Ion.

The university has also inked partnerships with other tech giants in recent months. Rice's OpenStax, a provider of affordable instructional technologies and one of the world’s largest publishers of open educational resources, partnered with Microsoft this summer. Google Public Sector has also teamed up with Rice to launch the Rice AI Venture Accelerator, or RAVA.

“This agreement exemplifies Rice University’s dedication to fostering innovation and accelerating the commercialization of groundbreaking research,” Stepp added in the news release.

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