The New Mexico Office of African American Affairs (OAAA) aims to track and provide resources to Black-owned start-up businesses Continue reading
Author Archives: Taura Costidis
STEPS
STEPS is a resource team that provides free advice, coaching and connections to important small business resources to entrepreneurs Continue reading
CNM STEMulus Center
Central New Mexico Community College’s (CNM) STEMulus Center is an education and training center. Below are some of its offerings. Continue reading
New Mexico MEP Helps Wood-Floor Manufacturer Expand Business’s Reach
By Ron Burke, Center Director, New Mexico Manufacturing Extension Partnership
When the 2000 Viveash Fire burned through 17 million board feet of timber on his family’s homestead above Pecos, David Old drew on his experience as a sawmill owner-operator to make the best of overwhelming misfortune.
The company David Old built from the ashes of his family’s fire-damaged forest is now a top-drawer manufacturer and global exporter of fine wood floors made from reclaimed wood harvested from private and public lands using environmentally sound forest-management standards.
Sheer grit and entrepreneurial flexibility helped Old and his family-owned enterprise transform crisis into opportunity. In recent years, the Las Vegas, N.M.-based venture welcomed technical and training assistance from the New Mexico Manufacturing Extension Partnership, a nonprofit organization Continue reading
Workplace Safety Materials Put Accent on Spanish Speakers
By Finance New Mexico
Spanish-speaking people have been part of New Mexico’s work force for hundreds of years. But the dramatic growth of this population — driven largely by immigration — and the anticipated growth well into the future underscore the urgency of culturally tailored workplace safety training.
The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries has consistently shown higher workplace fatality rates for Hispanic workers than for workers from other racial or ethnic groups, and these rates are highest among Spanish speakers born outside the U.S. Hispanic workers also suffer higher rates of nonfatal occupational injury and illness. Continue reading
State Funds Give Businesses Access to Capital
By Russell Cummins, Executive Director and Investment Advisor, New Mexico Small Business Investment Corporation
Lots of small-business owners need cash to get their companies off the ground or pursue opportunities to build their client base. But some of those businesses can’t get loans from traditional sources that focus on established businesses.
These are the clients that the New Mexico Small Business Investment Corporation exists to serve. Since its creation by the Legislature in 2001, NMSBIC has distributed money from the Severance Tax Permanent Fund through its lending partner network to small businesses statewide.
Partner organizations apply their own underwriting standards when deciding which businesses to back, but they generally serve clients with a solid business plan, an ambitious owner or management team and a venture that seems likely to create jobs. Since 2004, the network has approved more than 3,000 loans to businesses in nearly every New Mexico community. Continue reading
Statewide Biz Calendar Promotes Business-Building Connections
By Holly Bradshaw Eakes
New Mexicans never have to wonder where they can go to widen their professional networks or learn the skills that will grow their businesses or advance their careers.
The online Business Calendar — or Biz Calendar for short — offers the most comprehensive cache of information about the business events, workshops, meetings, certification classes and professional gatherings that are happening anywhere in the state today, tomorrow, next week and later in the year.
Public and private service providers use the collaborative web-based calendar to inform Continue reading
Carrizozo Works, Inc. (EDD)
Economic development organizations recruit new businesses and support existing businesses through relationships and programs Continue reading
A Court for Every Conflict: Resolving Business Disputes in New Mexico
Stephen S. Hamilton
A clear, detailed contract with a dispute resolution clause is the best defense when a business and client disagree over performance or other conditions.
But even the most airtight agreement can’t inoculate a business from all potential conflicts with customers, partners or other businesses.
Simple arguments can be resolved through formal mediation or arbitration, but more complex disagreements require judicial intervention.
Different Courts for Different Conflicts
If a business believes a client or competitor has broken federal law, say, by infringing on a trademark or copyright, it can bring the case in state or federal court. Continue reading
Liability, Strategy Concerns Help Business Owners Pick Structure
By Finance New Mexico
The form a new business should take isn’t always obvious. Though many self-employed entrepreneurs begin as sole proprietors, an individual can structure her business in many other ways. The best structure is the one that fits her business’s strategy and size and offers the greatest protection from liability and taxes.
Flying Solo
A sole proprietorship, the simplest business form, is logical for many startups or solo professionals, such as consultants, private investigators or freelance writers. Continue reading