WESST Doubles Down to Help Businesses

The nonprofit organization WESST is strategically restructuring to serve businesses and startups throughout New Mexico well into the future. Much like the advice WESST consultants give business owners facing changes in the marketplace, WESST is responding to a volatile nonprofit-funding environment.

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Boost Your Publicity

The New Mexico Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America is hosting a “Meet the Press” event to help public relations professionals and businesses strengthen their ties to the media.  The July 31, 2025, event aims to deepen understanding of today’s media landscape and build stronger, more effective relationships with journalists and media outlets.

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Reaching Rural with Small Business Loans

Carlos and Juany Chico went to several national banks for a loan to expand their lakeside food stand to a brick-and-mortar restaurant location. Like most small and startup entrepreneurs, they were turned down because they didn’t fit the lending requirements of traditional banks. That’s when they turned to the nonprofit lender DreamSpring for a small loan to fund operating and inventory expenses at the new location.

Chico’s Tortas y Pinas Lokas, now known simply as Chico’s Mexican Food, now operates out of a former KFC Restaurant building on Historic Route 66 in Santa Rosa and serves patrons in nearby Tucumcari from a food truck. The business is thriving, thanks to the tight-knit family of 12 and other staff, along with several DreamSpring loans that have enabled the company’s growth.

“DreamSpring is a good option,” Carlos said for people who don’t meet the lending requirements of traditional banks.

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REAP Program Guarantees Small-Business Loans

The Rural Energy for America Program helps agricultural entities and rural small businesses develop renewable energy systems or implement energy efficiency upgrades by making capital available. While the grant-making portion of REAP is closed until at least October 1, 2025 (and perhaps longer depending on Congressional funding), the loan portion of the program is open and accepting applications on an ongoing basis.

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Get Up to Speed on GRT and Business Taxes

Unlike many states that require businesses to collect a tax on products sold (referred to as a sales tax), New Mexico imposes the state’s Gross Receipts Tax (GRT) that must be collected on the sale of products AND services. Sell advice or IT services, even if you don’t sell a tangible product? New Mexico’s GRT must be added to the amount your client will pay.

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Conferences Offer Business Resources, Loans, and Networking

Several June and July conferences aim to offer networking opportunities and equip participants with knowledge about business resources and available capital, including loans and grants. The nonprofit lender and business development organization WESST is offering a half-day Women’s Entrepreneurship Conference in collaboration with Arrowhead Center at NMSU on July 18. The Atomic 66 Convergence of Space, Art, Tech, and Culture takes place June 10 to 13, and the Women Veterans Conference is June 14, 2025.

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Get Your Deep Tech to Market Faster

The deadline to apply for The New Mexico Lab-Embedded Entrepreneur Program (NM LEEP) is fast approaching. Applications are being accepted until May 8, 2025, from technology entrepreneurs ready to obtain two years of individualized assistance to commercialize their technology. The program pairs deep-tech entrepreneurs with the unique talent and technology of Los Alamos and Sandia national laboratories, matching LEEP fellows with seed capital and a large network of mentors, customers, and investors. The current application period is for the 2026 cohort.

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Learn to Use QuickBooks to Manage Business Finances

April is Financial Literacy Month, and for business owners, that means getting business finances in order. The business development organization WESST is offering a workshop in Santa Fe from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm on April 22, 2025, to teach business owners how to use the QuickBooks financial and accounting software.

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