B:Side Capital and B:Side Fund are two sides of the same mission-based lending organization focused on fostering the economic growth of diverse small businesses.
Continue readingTag Archives: small business loans
Small Business Loan is Most Recent Help for Gallup Family Business
Robert Slover leaned on the WESST Farmington Women’s Business Center for extensive one-on-one consultation sessions in the early days of his cell phone repair business. Cell Phone Doctor sells new and factory-refurbished phones, including iPhone, Samsung, LG, Motorola, and Android, and it services all brands of cell phones and tablets. The business also sells PlayStation and Xbox gaming systems and can network unlock phones. When the Gallup business was ready to expand, Stover turned to WESST again, this time for a small business loan.
Slover’s relationship with WESST initially focused on cash flow and financial planning. Soon after, Slover worked with consultant and trainer Holly Patterson to understand how to use digital marketing tools to improve his social media postings. Help with marketing strategies aimed at growing his target markets was next.
Continue readingSmall Business Training Series
The nonprofit lender and small-business training organization WESST is collaborating with the Sandoval Economic Alliance and the New Mexico Small Business Development Center Network (SBDC) to offer a six-part training series designed to empower business owners and entrepreneurs in key areas of their business development.
Continue readingThirty Years of Small Business Loans
DreamSpring, an award-winning Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) and U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) lender, is celebrating its 30th anniversary of supporting small business dreams and vitalizing communities through small business loans.
Continue readingLiftFund Supports Women-Owned Businesses
The number of women-owned businesses has increased exponentially in the last 20 years, and many of them have been helped by small business loans and training that supports the unique needs of women. Aleia Shipman’s story is a great example of the passionate women who gain assistance and loans from lenders such as LiftFund and other nonprofit Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) to start businesses and provide for their families.
In 2016, Shipman knew she needed to make a change, not only for herself but for her three children. She had been working in sales at a chemical company for 10 years helping the owner grow the business despite the resistance to her creative ideas and solutions. Shipman turned her frustration into opportunity and decided to branch out on her own. That’s when she founded 3G Chemical Solutions, LLC.
Continue readingProgram for Doña Ana Business Startups
The nonprofit lender LiftFund is offering an online workshop on Monday, September 16, to help entrepreneurs in Doña Ana County navigate the sometimes murky and challenging path to starting a business. Owners of businesses that are already operational are also encouraged to attend. The workshop is part of the Doña Ana Small Business Program, which guides entrepreneurs from business concept to operations.
Continue readingC-PACE Financing Rolls Out
Albuquerque and Bernalillo County businesses can now apply for funding through the Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) program for energy efficiency and resiliency improvements.
Continue readingThe Loan Fund Helps Fund Building Purchase
Brandy Castillo, MS, MSW, LCSW-S, created her behavioral health company in 2013 when she was starting a family and looking for a way to build a home-based practice. Clients were seen at her home on an old farm just outside of the City of Belen in Valencia County, New Mexico.
In 2018, the business name was officially changed to Hearth & Soul of New Mexico when Brandy’s husband Ignacio became co-owner and billing manager after retiring from the New Mexico Department of Corrections.
The business, which is rooted in compassion, expanded to offer services in Mesilla and Albuquerque. Heart & Soul aims to foster a supportive environment that encourages growth, self-discovery, and the realization of one’s fullest potential. Its 35 healthcare providers and staff specialize in a wide range of behavioral health services, including therapy and psychiatry to treat depression, anxiety, substance use, trauma, and more. It does this through individual and group therapy, psychiatry, and enhanced case management.
In January 2024, Brandy went to The Loan Fund for financial help to purchase a building in downtown Belen, where she could serve more clients from a central location.
Continue readingCalling All Creative Entrepreneurs
DreamSpring, a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) and Small Business Administration (SBA) lender, has launched a new loan and technical assistance program designed specifically for small businesses and entrepreneurs in the creative industries. DreamCreative, with support from Etsy’s Uplift Fund, offers personalized funding solutions and complementary business education crafted for creative small businesses.
Continue readingThe 5 Cs of Credit
Clearinghouse CDFI (Community Development Financial Institution), which provides affordable, flexible loan solutions to support small- to medium-size businesses, entrepreneurs, developers, and nonprofits, is offering a live webinar to give insight into credit evaluation.
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