Explore Funding Options for Your Small Business

This 3-hour class is designed to help you get clear on the funding your business needs to start up or grow. In Explore Funding Options for Your Business, you'll learn about working with investors, crowdfunding, various lending options—including Community Lending—and even grants. With straightforward guidance and a Toolkit full of resources, you'll discover many options to fund your vision. This course is eligible for the City of Austin Business Skills Certificate Program. The instructor is Julie Niehoff, Co-Founder & CMO of Distance Learning Media.

Julie Niehoff, Co-Founder & CMO of Distance Learning Media, has managed the firm’s contract to provide City of Austin small business skills training since 2021. She has more than 20 years in tech training and marketing education, was Director of Education for Constant Contact from 2006-2016, and has trained more than one million small business and nonprofit professionals in live, online and on-demand classes since 1995. She is a co-author of Demystifying Ai: Leverage New Tech for Professional Growth at Lightspeed (Summer 2025). Julie is also Co-Founder of Transition Skills Training, a 501c3 nonprofit that provides free job skills training and other supports for veterans and their families.

Check out other sessions the Economic Development Department offers to celebrate Austin Small Business Week.

The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request - including translation and interpretation services. For assistance, please contact the Economic Development Department at 512-974-7819. The City receives and accepts Video Relay Service (VRS) calls from people who are Deaf or hard-of-hearing through Relay Texas 7-1-1.

Economic Development Department Small Business Division

5202 E. Ben White Blvd., Suite 400