Ski Lift Pitch Offers $10,000 Grant

Nine pre-seed and series-seed New Mexico startup businesses will compete for $10,000 at this year’s Ski Lift Pitch on February 4 at Taos Ski Valley. Organized by Activate NM and powered by CNM Ingenuity, the Ski Lift Pitch brings together New Mexico’s best startups and world-class VC funds for a fun-filled day on the slopes. The competitors have already been selected, but entrepreneurs can attend to learn what a successful pitch looks like.

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Consider Giving to Business This Tuesday

The Tuesday after Thanksgiving marks Giving Tuesday when nonprofit organizations encourage charitable donations that can enable their charitable work. Often overlooked are grass-roots economic development organizations such as nonprofit lenders and business resource programs that support entrepreneurship in our state. Nonprofit lenders like DreamSpring, WESST, and others rely on private and public money they make available to startups and small businesses in New Mexico.

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Military Entrepreneurship Summit

The Military Community Entrepreneurship Summit will take place in Las Cruces on Dec. 3, 2024. The full-day summit offers essential business resource information to military entrepreneurs. Participants can tap into expert-led breakout sessions, networking opportunities, and the experience of veteran business owners.

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Shop Local and Skip the Tax

November 30, 2024, is New Mexico’s Small Business Saturday Tax Holiday, when the state allows non-franchise, small businesses to deduct their sales of qualifying items from their gross receipts. The annual tax holiday, which coincides with Small Business Saturday nationwide, begins at 12:01 a.m. and ends at midnight the same day, giving shoppers an extra incentive to shop locally this holiday season.

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Small Business Loan is Most Recent Help for Gallup Family Business

Robert Slover leaned on the WESST Farmington Women’s Business Center for extensive one-on-one consultation sessions in the early days of his cell phone repair business. Cell Phone Doctor sells new and factory-refurbished phones, including iPhone, Samsung, LG, Motorola, and Android, and it services all brands of cell phones and tablets. The business also sells PlayStation and Xbox gaming systems and can network unlock phones. When the Gallup business was ready to expand, Stover turned to WESST again, this time for a small business loan.

Slover’s relationship with WESST initially focused on cash flow and financial planning. Soon after, Slover worked with consultant and trainer Holly Patterson to understand how to use digital marketing tools to improve his social media postings. Help with marketing strategies aimed at growing his target markets was next.

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Ownership Report Due by January 1, 2025

Businesses operating in the United States have one more requirement to satisfy. The US Corporate Transparency Act was passed by Congress to increase corporate and business transparency of company ownership and thwart criminal activity that sometimes hides behind business walls. By requiring companies — even small ones — to disclose their beneficial owners to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), the Act aims to prevent criminal activity such as money laundering, fraud, and financing of terrorism. Businesses that started before January 1, 2024, have until January 1, 2025, to file the report.

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