Don Bustos, Director, NMSBDC at Luna Community College
Almost half of U.S. businesses are based in the business owner’s home, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration, and that number might grow as more people decide to go into business for themselves.
Those planning to launch a home-based business in New Mexico need to understand the zoning laws that apply in their area. Depending on where one lives in the state, zoning laws are enacted by city or county officials.
Monica Abeita, Regional Development Corp. for Northern NM Connect
This year marks the tenth anniversary of the New Mexico Small Business Assistance program, created by the state Legislature in 2000 to provide technical help from Los Alamos and Sandia national laboratories to small businesses throughout the state.
At the 2011 NMSBA Innovation Celebration, held April 7 at the Indian Cultural Center in Albuquerque, laboratory officials recognized 12 small businesses that have participated in the program. The businesses are in both urban and rural communities of New Mexico, and include agricultural companies, medical technologies and an irrigation district.
Tatjana Rosev, Los Alamos Nat’l Lab Communications Office
The most successful entrepreneurs recognize the benefits of networking with external experts — service providers, industry consultants, venture capitalists, business coaches and successful CEOs — when starting or building a company, especially when the economic forecast is uncertain and entrepreneurial confidence is at an ebb.
But there’s more to effective networking than passing out business cards and attending seminars to meet and interact with influential others. It also requires connecting with individuals locally and nationally who have a vested interest in helping entrepreneurs take their companies to the next stage.
Wise Counsel
Business coaching is a powerful, collaborative relationship between an entrepreneur and a coach/consultant who is more versed and better established in a particular industry or discipline than the business owner and has better access to human and financial resources. Being trained by a coach how to identify, evaluate and overcome obstacles to growth can help the entrepreneur achieve his or her goals faster and more effectively. Northern New Mexico Connect’s Springboard program offers free coaching to technology entrepreneurs in Northern New Mexico whose companies are at various stages of development.
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