Coworking redefines the traditional office space into a more collaborative, knowledge-sharing environment with varying terms and amenities and lower costs. Los Alamos Continue reading
Author Archives: Taura Costidis
Enchantment Land Certified Development Company
Enchantment Land Certified Development Company (ELCDC) is a private nonprofit that partners with local banks and the Small Business Administration (SBA) Continue reading
Certified Development Company
A nonprofit organization certified by the SBA to provide financing through the SBA 504 Loan Program. CDCs work with banks and other lenders to ensure loan documentation complies with 504 Loan regulations.
Businesses Turn Accounts Receivable Into Quick Cash
By Finance New Mexico
Accounts receivable represents money a business will get when — and if — the client pays his bill. It’s not money in the bank, but it’s money the business expects to collect within 30 to 60 days.
While waiting, many businesses that are owed large amounts of money — either because of generous or traditionally slow payment policies or foot-dragging clients — can struggle with cash flow shortfalls and be unable to pay their employees and vendors on time. Continue reading
Coworking in Santa Fe
Coworking redefines the traditional office space into a more collaborative, knowledge-sharing environment with varying terms and amenities and lower costs. Continue reading
Coworking in Albuquerque
Coworking redefines the traditional office space into a more collaborative, knowledge-sharing environment with varying terms and amenities and lower costs. Continue reading
USDA Program Helps New Mexico Farmer Turn Milk and Honey Into Money
By Terry Brunner, State Director, USDA Rural Development Agency
Daven Lee got much more than money when she received a $12,500 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development program in 2010.
After eight years of selling her handmade soaps and lotion bars at the Santa Fe Farmers Market and other local outlets, the owner of Milk & Honey Soap wanted to go from retail to wholesale. But first she needed a business plan – complete with financial projections – that could attract big investors.
“The funding allowed me to bring in a business adviser,” she said of the funding that matched her own $12,500 investment. “I wanted a road map.” Continue reading
Law Opens Investor Pool for Small Startups
By Finance New Mexico
A crowdfunding campaign to finance a movie about TV character Veronica Mars recently set a record — $2 million in 10 hours — on the Kickstarter platform. The backers were fans of the show and wanted to see a movie based on the character. In return for this donation, the contributors will get rewards, such as DVDs of the movie or other swag.
That’s a far cry from the typical crowdfunding project, which usually aims at a smaller target. But it suggests the possibilities of micro-financing vehicles that use the global reach of the internet to support projects unable to secure more traditional loans. Continue reading
Los Alamos Connect Helps Inventor With Irrigation Management Breakthrough
By Kurt Steinhaus, Director of Community Programs, Los Alamos National Laboratory
Plant physiologist David Groeneveld started the Santa Fe consulting firm HydroBio 14 years ago to help farmers optimize their use of energy and water — two resources that are increasingly scarce and expensive.
Using data he collected over years as a consultant, Groeneveld devised a way — using satellite data and software-based technology — for farmers to precisely monitor and control how much water their mobile center-pivot irrigation machines emit, reducing energy and water costs and boosting yields.
Groeneveld’s trademarked innovation — Targeted Irrigation Management, or TIM — is a software program that allows a farmer to remotely direct pivot machines to follow a water schedule customized for specific crops, soils and climates. Continue reading
Social Entrepreneurs Push for Capitalism With a Conscience
By Finance New Mexico
People start businesses to make money, but that’s not enough motivation for growing numbers of entrepreneurs who want to make a positive impact while turning a profit.
These self-described social entrepreneurs feel constrained by traditional structures that put a company’s fiduciary responsibility to shareholders ahead of social or environmental considerations. But some also feel boxed in by the nonprofit approach to social change. Continue reading