The Black Chamber of Commerce of New Mexico is offering grants to support for-profit and nonprofit/tax-exempt businesses and organizations that are registered and operating within the Albuquerque city limits, and are members of the Black Chamber of Commerce of New Mexico.
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Resilience and Credit Support Native Owned Business
Small businesses in rural and tribal communities often lack access to affordable credit—especially during health or economic crises—putting their survival at risk. Resilience and credit from the nonprofit lender RCAC helped Native American-owned Earth & Sky Floral Designs get back to business after a health setback.
Earth & Sky Floral Designs and Gallery, LLC is a 100% Native American woman-owned business located on the Pueblo of Laguna reservation. Owned by Shayai Lucero of the Acoma and Laguna Pueblos, the business provides full-service floral arrangements for weddings, funerals, birthdays, holidays and local ceremonies. Shayai operates the shop from a renovated lodge on her property and employs seasonal part-time help during peak times like Mother’s Day and graduations.
In 2023, Shayai faced a series of severe health setbacks—including a COVID-19 infection, complications and hospitalization—that forced her to close the business for seven weeks. Without incoming revenue and facing more than $49,000 in medical bills, the future of Earth & Sky Floral Designs was in jeopardy. But it quickly became clear the shop played a vital role in the life of the community. Shayai’s customers rallied behind her, affirming that the business was essential—not just as a service provider, but as a trusted part of local traditions.
Continue readingPitch and Match
Startups Pitch & Match is a fun and energizing event that connects New Mexico’s startups with the people who can help them grow. Sponsored by Arrowhead Center at New Mexico State University, the half-day event takes place at Q Station in Albuquerque on Wednesday, September 24, 2025.
Continue readingWhat are the 5 Cs of Credit?
Owners looking for a loan for their small business should be familiar with the 5 Cs of Credit. Character, capital, collateral, capacity, and conditions determine if a traditional lender will offer a loan to a business owner. New and aspiring business owners can learn about the 5 Cs of Credit on Thursday, October 2, 2025, in a workshop hosted by the nonprofit lender WESST.
Continue readingSell Your Art to the Government
New Mexico-based artists can apply to sell their work to New Mexico’s Art in Public Places Program. The deadline to apply is September 22, 2025.
Continue readingApply to Pitch for Cash
Businesses in the outdoor recreation industry can apply by Sept. 30 to pitch their company services or products at the 2025 Adventure Pitch Fest. The event offers $15,000 in cash prizes split among three pitch fest winners.
Continue readingFinancial Statements Tell the Good and Bad
Financial statements are a business owner’s best friends when the owner takes the time to look at them. They indicate the good and bad of a business’s operations. Financial statements such as the Balance Sheet, can be a snapshot in time, while others, like the Statement of Cash Flows, Budget vs. Actual Income Statement, and Profit and Loss Statement, show trends over time. All of them are essential for knowing how the business is performing.
Continue readingState’s Business Resources On Display
New Mexico offers an abundance of resources to help new and established businesses reach their goals. Many will be on display at an expo-style event on August 29, 2025, in Santa Fe. The event is open to the public, and participants are encouraged to walk around, meet institutional representatives at their tables, and engage in informal conversations about available resources and potential partnerships.
Continue readingLoan Funds a New Sense of Purpose
Cambri Gardner learned about the medical spa industry through her mother, a registered nurse working at a Colorado medical spa. Gardner now works alongside her mother at Roswell Aesthetics & Wellness, the business Gardner purchased in 2023 with the help of the nonprofit lender The Loan Fund.
Gardner had spent much of her professional career in sales and was ready for a change. “Sales was not fun for me,” said Gardner. “I really didn’t feel like I was benefiting people.”
In 2018, Gardner began working at a medical spa and was soon studying to obtain laser certification. Becoming an esthetician gave her a new sense of purpose, she said. “Seeing the changes that benefit people not just on the inside but on the outside, I felt was more life-changing for me.”
Continue readingLease or Buy a Building?
Owners of businesses seeing an increase in profits often wonder if they should continue to lease their building or buy one of their own. Increasing profit is just one factor to consider when deciding if it’s time to buy a commercial building. Many other factors are just as important.
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