SBA Looking for Rural, Women-Owned Businesses

Women-owned small business owners located in rural areas are invited to apply to join the US Small Business Administration’s free Ascent Rural program. Ascent offers group virtual learning sessions that provide a forum for program participants to meet with other women who have been selected for the upcoming Ascent cohort. The program is a combination of online self-guided learning using the Ascent platform, as well as group virtual sessions.

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Small Business Pros and Funding Available at All Levels

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy, the top reasons for starting a business have not changed much in the past decade. Chief among those reasons is the desire to be one’s own boss and have greater control over one’s income. New Mexico, whose businesses are predominantly small (as defined by the SBA), is fortunate to be home to so many people with a drive for personal self-determination.

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EDD Offers Grants to Science & Technology Companies

The New Mexico Economic Development Department Office of Science and Technology is accepting applications from for-profit companies in the science and technology fields for grants of up to $25,000. Companies in aerospace, biosciences, cybersecurity, Intelligent Manufacturing, sustainable, and green energy fields are encouraged to apply by 5:00 pm MST on Monday, December 12, 2022.

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Small Business Recovery Loan – One Month Left to Apply

The application window for the Small Business Recovery Loan Fund program is about to close. Authorized by the State of New Mexico and available through the New Mexico Finance Authority, the Small Business Recovery Loan program offers loans of up to $150,000 to businesses that were negatively impacted by the pandemic. Applications must be submitted by early- to mid-December in order for a loan to close by the program’s deadline of December 31, 2022.

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Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW)

Global Entrepreneurship Week celebrates entrepreneurship during the second week of November — from November 14 through 20 in 2022. Started in the U.S. and U.K. by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in 2008, GEW has grown to be a truly global endeavor with events taking place in more than 165 countries — including here in New Mexico.

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STEP Grants Help Businesses Begin Exporting

The New Mexico State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) helps businesses expand into new markets or begin exporting by reimbursing eligible costs such as securing foreign trade show booth space, hiring interpreters, and attending export training programs. The program also offers the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Gold Key matchmaking services in major markets abroad.

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The Loan Fund Fuels Adobe Tradition

Albuquerque Joinery is a small design-build company that specializes in new home construction using traditional adobe building techniques and fine carpentry.

Kenny DeLapp and Esther Fredrickson launched the business in February 2020 after building their own adobe home in Albuquerque’s South Valley. Built under an owner-builder permit, their 1,600 square foot home is a showcase of modern construction and traditional materials with brick floors, exposed vigas, adobe mud plaster walls, and site-built solid wood doors.

DeLapp, who is skilled in masonry and fine carpentry, learned traditional building techniques while working with his uncle Win, a long-time adobe builder known for custom furniture, cabinets, and museum exhibits.

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Business Incubator Opens in Valencia County

Valencia County small businesses and startups have another resource to help them grow their businesses. The Valencia County Business Incubator (VCBI), located at 360 Rio Communities Blvd. in the City of Rio Communities, opened in August 2022 to provide consulting, mentoring, and seminars, in addition to office space and workstations.

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