3 steps Houston entrepreneurs need to take to find opportunity during a crisis

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Tomorrow, August 21, is World Entrepreneurs' Day, and it comes during a trying time for entrepreneurs everywhere. Here are three tips for business leaders operating during the pandemic. Photo via Getty Images

As company leaders approach the fourth quarter of 2020 and plan for 2021, many accept the fact that Houston's business landscape may look a bit different moving forward. Instead of the pandemic becoming a paralyzing force, new and eager business owners are committed to incorporating creative solutions.

These innovators have found ways to focus efforts to better serve customers in the transitioning economic landscape. The shift opens the door to new opportunity, and while the business outlook continues to evolve, some argue that times of crisis provide just as much, if not more, opportunity for entrepreneurs to find their footing. The past has shown that organizations can grow when faced with adversity and their resiliency in the earliest stages helps create a sturdy foundation.

According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, twenty percent of small businesses fail within the first year, and by the tenth year, only about a third of businesses have survived. While these numbers may be intimidating to a new business owner, the measurements have proven consistent over time. This means success rates are less dependent upon the state of the economy and more dependent upon the creativity and drive of the entrepreneur leading the efforts.

Times of uncertainty and economic change bring focus to new obstacles, expose weaknesses in business structure and highlight the need for innovation. Strategic entrepreneurs can capitalize on these opportunities by introducing solutions that respond to the current reality consumers face. In honor of World Entrepreneurs' Day on August 21, below are steps to consider when launching a business during a time of crisis.

Plan for current conditions

​It is always important for new business owners to plan for the future and be flexible enough to adjust them to the current environment. If a five-year plan is based on the premise of business returning to its pre-COVID-19 scale, the entrepreneur will likely face substantial challenges in the future.

Business plans should incorporate solutions to areas of weakness that have been brought to light by recent events. It may also be helpful to seek customer feedback early in the company's lifecycle to ensure audience opinion serves as a cornerstone in ongoing strategic development. Understanding if the business's premise will drive value and benefit consumers, even in difficult times, can help the organization prepare for future crises.

Identify gaps

In many ways, the pandemic identified business strategies that may no longer be relevant and provided insight into the economy's future. New entrepreneurs hold the advantage of witnessing what worked, what did not and applying the new knowledge to their plan.

The importance of flexibility, adaptable services, a strong digital brand presence and solid SEO practices all proved critical to a business's ability to remain both relevant and successful this year. When starting a company in times of economic uncertainty, identifying ways to bridge gaps and capitalize on windows of opportunity can help establish a competitive edge early on.

Seek out support

​It is no surprise that, especially in the early stages, running a startup may be overwhelming. It is key for small business owners to feel comfortable asking for help and to seek out support early on. Consider joining business networks and local industry alliances to learn from others. Particularly in times of crisis and uncertainty, it can be beneficial to learn from seasoned professionals, as well as peers, and to welcome support from others who have found success during trying times.

Business support can be advantageous as well. While outsourcing may appear costly, the value of industry experts to assist with marketing strategy development, human resources and benefits, or financial management can be highly beneficial, especially in the development phase.

The early stages of an organization can make or break the success of a company, and though many questions surround the state of business during times of uncertainty, the entrepreneurial opportunity is still available for small business growth and success.

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Jill Chapman is a senior performance consultant with Houston-based Insperity, a leading provider of human resources and business performance solutions.

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New UT Austin med center, anchored by MD Anderson, gets $1 billion gift

Future of Health

A donation announced Tuesday, April 21, breaks a major record at the University of Texas at Austin. Michael and Susan Dell are now UT Austin's first supporters to give $1 billion. In response, the university will create the UT Dell Campus for Advanced Research and the UT Dell Medical Center to "advance human health," per a press release.

The release also records "significant support" for undergraduate scholarships, student housing, and the Texas Advanced Computing Center for supercomputing research.

Both the new research campus and the UT Dell Medical Center will integrate advanced computing into their research and practices. At the medical center, the university hopes that will lead to "earlier detection, more precise and personalized care, and better health outcomes." The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center will also be integrated into the new medical center.

That comes with a numeric goal measured in 10s: raise $10 billion and rank among the top 10 medical centers in the U.S., both in the next decade.

In the shorter term, the university will break ground on the medical center with architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) "later this year."

“UT Austin, where Dell Technologies was founded from a dorm room, has always been a place where bold ideas become real-world impact,” said Michael and Susan Dell in a joint statement.

They continued, “What makes this moment so meaningful is the opportunity to build something that brings every part of the journey together — from how students learn, to how discoveries are made, to how care reaches families. By bringing together medicine, science and computing in one campus designed for the AI era, UT can create more opportunity, deliver better outcomes, and build a stronger future for communities across Texas and beyond.”

This is the second major gift this year for the planned multibillion-dollar medical center. In January, Tench Coxe, a former venture capitalist who’s a major shareholder in chipmaking giant Nvidia, and Simone Coxe, co-founder and former CEO of the Blanc & Otus PR firm, contributed $100 million$100 million.

Baylor scientist lands $2M grant to explore links between viruses and Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s research

A Baylor College of Medicine scientist will begin exploring the possible link between Alzheimer’s disease and viral infections thanks to a $2 million grant awarded in March.

Dr. Ryan S. Dhindsa is an assistant professor of pathology & immunology at Baylor and a principal investigator at Texas Children’s Duncan Neurological Research Institute (Duncan NRI). He hypothesizes that Alzheimer’s may have some link to previous viral infections contracted by the patient. To study this intriguing possibility, the American Brain Foundation has gifted him the Cure One, Cure Many award in neuroinflammation.

“It is an honor to receive this support from the Cure One, Cure Many Award. Viral infections are emerging as a major, underappreciated driver of Alzheimer's disease, and this award will allow our team to conduct the most comprehensive screen of viral exposures and host genetics in Alzheimer's to date, spanning over a million individuals,” Dhindsa said in a news release. “Our goal is to identify which viruses matter most, why some people are more vulnerable than others, and ultimately move the field closer to new therapeutic strategies for patients.”

Roughly 150 million people worldwide will suffer from Alzheimer’s by 2050, making it the most common cause of dementia in the world. Despite this, scientists are still at a loss as to what exactly causes it.

Dhindsa’s research is part of a new range of theories that certain viral infections may trigger Alzheimer’s. His team will take a two-fold approach. First, they will analyze the medical records of more than a million individuals looking for patterns. Second, they will analyze viral DNA in stem cell-derived brain cells to see how the infections could contribute to neurological decay. The scale of the genomic data gathering is unprecedented and may highlight a link that traditional studies have missed.

Also joining the project are Dr. Caleb Lareau of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Dr. Artem Babaian of the University of Toronto. Should a link be found, it would open the door to using anti-virals to prevent or treat Alzheimer’s.

Tesla Robotaxi service officially launches in Houston and Dallas

Future of the Roads

Tesla’s Robotaxi service has taken to the streets of Houston. In a brief statement Saturday, April 18 on its X social media account, Tesla Robotaxi says the autonomous rideshare service just launched in Texas’ two biggest metro areas — Houston and Dallas.

“Try Tesla Robotaxi in Dallas & Houston!” Tesla CEO Elon Musk says in a reposting on X of the Robotaxi announcement.

One of Robotaxi’s competitors, Alphabet-owned Waymo, beat the Tesla service to the Dallas, Houston, and Austin markets. Another competitor, Amazon-owned Zoox, has Dallas flagged for its autonomous rideshare service.

Robotaxi previously kicked off in Austin, where Tesla is based and manufactures electric vehicles, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Nearly 50 Robotaxis operate in Austin, where the service’s inaugural rides happened last year, and more than 500 in the San Francisco area.

Of the three rides logged in a 31-square-mile area in Dallas as of Monday morning, the average fare was $7.96 and the average trip was 3.5 miles, according to an online tracker of autonomous rideshare services. The tracker showed only one Robotaxi was on the roads in Dallas.

As of Monday morning, a 25-square-mile area in Houston had two Robotaxis on the road, according to the online tracker. The average fare for five recorded rides was $11.34 and the average trip was six miles.

“We want Robotaxi pricing to be simple and easy for you to understand,” according to the Robotaxi website. “Initially, as part of our introductory program, we will charge a simple, affordable rate plus applicable taxes and fees for all rides within the available service area.”

The tracker shows the Robotaxi in Dallas did not have a human aboard to monitor each trip, and only one of Houston’s two Robotaxis did not have a human monitor in the driver’s seat.

For now, all passengers ride in Tesla Model Y cars. Robotaxi operates from 6 am-2 am daily.

To use the service, you first must download the Robotaxi app, which works only on iPhones.

Robotaxi lets you stream music and adjust climate settings and seat positioning from the Robotaxi app or the vehicle’s touchscreen. Climate and media settings are stored in your Robotaxi profile and automatically transfer from one vehicle to another. If you own a Tesla, certain profile settings and media preferences are available in your own car as well as in a Robotaxi.

In January at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Musk said a “widespread” network of driverless rideshare vehicles would be operating in the U.S. by the end of this year, CNBC reported.

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This article originally appeared on CultureMap.com.

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