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

ByMichelle Goodman•

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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 fromAccion Texas, a nonprofit that provides qualifying startups withloansof $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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