Celebrations of women’s accomplishments during Women’s History Month are incomplete without also celebrating the organizations that support women in their endeavors. The business development organization WESST supports women by offering services specifically designed for women entrepreneurs under a program developed by the U.S. Small Business Administration. While WESST offers its services to people of every gender identification, its seven offices are SBA-designated Women’s Business Centers.
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An Entrepreneurial Playground
Entrepreneurs are fond of saying that starting their business was the most fun they’ve ever had and the hardest thing they’ve ever done. Several events in the coming weeks aim to offer some fun as they provide the resources, support, and entrepreneurial networks that offer startup business owners a solid foundation.
Continue readingConference Aims to Inspire Female Entrepreneurs
Tactical training, strategic networking and inspirational speeches from three entrepreneurial trailblazers highlight a two-day WE Mean Business virtual conference July 7 and July 8.
“WE” stands for women entrepreneurs—the target audience for this event, which will link aspiring business owners to training, financing and mentoring opportunities.
Conference organizers are the New Mexico State University (NMSU) Arrowhead Center and WESST, a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that supports minority business owners and entrepreneurs and hosts U.S. Small Business Administration Women’s Business Centers (WBCs) at its six New Mexico locations. Other sponsoring partners include LiftFund, a CDFI whose diverse clientele is dominated by minority and female business owners; the Minority Business Development Agency Business Center; and Peacock Law PC, which specializes in intellectual property and tech commercialization.
Continue readingWESST Launches HOPE Loan Fund
Economic developers believe a key contributor to economic inequality in the United States is the large and persistent racial and ethnic disparity found in business ownership and performance. Barriers to accessing capital that particularly impact Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) entrepreneurs include lack of initial wealth, financial literacy, education, and managerial experience. To address racial and income inequities, WESST launched the HOPE Fund (Helping Open Possibilities for Everyone), a “no barriers to accessing capital” approach for people of color and low-wealth New Mexicans.
Continue readingWESST a ‘Touchstone’ for Therapy Clinic Partners
Two months after COVID-related emergency orders shuttered the clinic that employed them, Melissa Esquibel and three colleagues launched Sandia Sunrise Therapy LLC to provide vital physical and occupational therapy services.
“Starting the business in the middle of a pandemic was definitely challenging,” clinic administrator Melissa Esquibel said. “We all worked very closely together (at the clinic that closed in March 2020). Keeping that connection was very important to us as we started the new business.”
Esquibel’s co-founders Teresa Ziomek and Oksana Tretiak practice occupational therapy, and Dr. Heather Armijo provides physical therapy. While all four women contributed to the business’s formation, Esquibel credits Ziomek with organizing the team and Tretiak with contacting business-development nonprofit WESST to help with the team’s strategic plan and other critical startup groundwork.
Before meeting with WESST, the four had written a business plan. “We drafted our goals, did our analysis on the market and the services we were going to provide,” Esquibel said. This laid the groundwork for their work with WESST, which has been offering its services at no cost during the pandemic.
Continue readingSocial Media: Essential Tool for Business Recovery
The social media community is a lot like a real-world neighborhood where people ask their friends for referrals to a hairstylist or mechanic or roofer. But businesses can use social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram proactively to market products and services in dynamic, interactive ways to the people who want them.
In that sense, social media is more potent than a website where people can learn about a business but can’t interact with the owners or other customers. Websites are a lot like online brochures, and they’re just as static. And few people see them if they don’t know what to look for or if the business doesn’t rank high on search engines.
Continue readingAlbuquerque Businesses Can Get Free PPE from WESST
Nonprofit economic development organization WESST has partnered with the City of Albuquerque to distribute free personal protection equipment (PPE) to businesses located within city limits.
Preregistered businesses can pick up a PPE box on Saturday, Feb. 20 from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. Each box contains 10 cloth masks, 100 disposable masks, and 3 bottles each of sanitizer and disinfectant.
Interested business owners must fill out this form prior to picking up their box. Pick-up location and details will be provided after registration.
WESST Begins Distribution of PPE to Local Businesses
Nonprofit business development organization WESST is collaborating with the City of Albuquerque to distribute personal protective equipment to Albuquerque businesses beginning January 4, 2021. Qualifying businesses must have 50 or fewer employees.
Continue readingBusiness Support for Veterans
New Mexico is home to more than 135,000 veterans, and almost half of them are under the age of 65. For those former service members interested in operating businesses, nonprofit organizations and state and federal agencies can help with business formation, certification, and contract acquisition that levels the playing field for vets that have spent their careers out of the private sector.
Veterans come to the private-sector workforce with a lot to offer, including advanced training in specialized fields such as logistics, security, information technology, personnel management and administration. They understand the complexities of doing business with the U.S. government and the importance of following instructions and protocol. They appreciate the need for teamwork and leadership, and they work well under pressure. In other words, veterans have the skills needed to start and manage a business.
Continue readingWESST and Client Navigate Pandemic Problems Together
When the novel coronavirus pandemic reached the U.S. early this year, many patients stopped seeking in-person treatment at The Family Connection, a mental-health provider with offices in Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Los Lunas and Santa Fe. Even though the business was considered essential and thus permitted to operate during statewide shutdowns, cancellations escalated.
“Initially we were unsure of what it was going to look like,” said Amanda Davison, a licensed marriage and family therapist and company CEO. She and her 32 employees developed a hybrid approach, treating some patients in traditional settings and counseling others using online telemedicine platforms.
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