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Microloans Make a Macro Difference A Texas businesswoman fetched the amount she needed to open an eco-friendly pet store

By Michelle Goodman

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Lisa McGrath of Tails Natural Pet Market
Lisa McGrath of Tails Natural Pet Market

Lisa McGrath knew she didn't need much money to start her natural pet-products store, but the $3,000 she had doggedly saved just wasn't going to cut it. So in April 2011, the San Antonio-based entrepreneur applied for a microloan from Accion Texas, a nonprofit that provides qualifying startups with loans of $500 to $50,000.

By July, McGrath had dug up $12,000, courtesy of Accion's green loan fund for environmentally responsible businesses. In September, she left her job as a KLRN Public Television executive, and the following month she held the grand opening of her 965-square-foot store, Tails Natural Pet Market. We sat and spoke about the process.

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