Learn the business. Get the gear. Earn the revenue.
Rise 2 Empower is BiGAUSTIN's academy model for entrepreneurs. You pick your line of work, get trained for it, get ready for capital and equipment, launch an online storefront, and walk into real revenue opportunities.
The pathway
One clear climb — from your first class to your first sale.
Instead of general small-business classes, Rise 2 Empower builds a defined journey for your specific line of work. Every step has an owner, a standard, and a measurable result.
Education
Business foundations that apply to any owner.
Sector Training
Training built for your specific line of work.
Capital Review
A structured review with the BiGAUSTIN lending team.
Equipment & Business Readiness
Get permitted, equipped, and ready to operate.
uKnighted Commerce
Launch your online storefront.
Revenue Opportunities
Step into real vendor and marketplace opportunities.
What you get
Four things every academy is built to deliver.
Educate
Real business skills — costing, compliance, and operations — taught in the context of your trade, not in the abstract.
Equip
Guidance on permits, insurance, and equipment, plus access to an approved vendor network with clear, vetted terms.
Enroll
Graduation moves you into a capital review with the lending team and onboarding for vendor opportunities.
Earn
Launch a uKnighted Commerce storefront and pursue real revenue through partner marketplaces and BiGAUSTIN's own developments.
The academies
Pick the line of work you want to build.
Each academy is its own track with training, readiness standards, and a destination made for that industry. We're starting with Grounds and adding academies as each one is fully built and ready.
Grounds Landscaping & Grounds Maintenance
Build a real grounds business, lawn care, landscape installation, irrigation, tree work, hardscape, and commercial grounds. This work runs on recurring monthly contracts, so your income is subscription-shaped: steady, predictable revenue you can plan and grow on.
In the lab: commercial vs. residential pricing, route-density math, TCEQ irrigator licensing, crew hiring and payroll, bidding HOA and municipal contracts, seasonal cash flow, and equipment-maintenance schedules.
Finish line: BiGAUSTIN's own developments. Grounds is aligned with uKnighted Build a pathway to maintenance contracts and partner developments. Our development pipeline is the anchor customer, built into the training from day one.
Kitchen
Food handler and manager pathways, cottage-food vs. commissary vs. commercial kitchen, permits, and catering readiness.
Next upMobile — Food Trucks & Trailers
Permitting, fire and propane, commissary, insurance, and vehicle rules — with a path to vendor days at The Yard at Wedgewood.
Next upTech
A technology and digital-services track for owners building service businesses online.
In developmentCare
A care-economy track for owners in home and community care services.
PlannedLittles
A track supporting owners serving children and families.
PlannedMore on the way
Future waves under consideration include Commercial Cleaning, Skilled Trades, and Trucking & Logistics.
Capital & equipment
A real path to capital — with honest expectations.
Getting business-ready is the point. When you finish your academy, you don't just get a certificate you move into a structured review with the people who actually make lending decisions.
- Graduation moves you into a capital review with the BiGAUSTIN lending team.
- Guidance on the equipment your business actually needs to operate.
- Access to an approved vendor network with vetted, consistent terms.
Where we serve
15 counties across Central Texas.
Rules aren't the same everywhere. What's true in the City of Austin may not apply where your business actually operates so our training separates what's statewide from what you need to verify locally.
You'll leave knowing which requirements are fixed and which ones depend on your city, county, health authority, fire marshal, and zoning, plus where to go to confirm them.
Statewide requirements
The rules that apply no matter where you operate in Texas.
Local requirements — verify by location
City, county, health, fire, and zoning rules that change with your business address.
Resources by jurisdiction
Contacts and links to confirm your specific requirements, where available.
What you leave with
Business-ready — not just informed.
The goal is a pipeline of owners who are genuinely ready to operate and sell.
A business that's trained for your specific trade
Clarity on the permits and compliance you need
A completed capital review with the lending team
Guidance on the equipment to actually operate
A live uKnighted Commerce storefront of your own
A path to vendor and revenue opportunities
Ready to rise?
The Grounds Landscaping & Grounds Maintenance academy is forming now. Join the interest list and we'll reach out with enrollment details and next steps.