New Miniseries helps minority-owned businesses find resources to be successful

SANTA FE, N.M. – The New Mexico Economic Development Department (EDD) is rolling out a first-of-its-kind miniseries specifically geared toward New Mexico business owners of color, Cabinet Secretary Alicia J. Keyes announced today. The first episode will launch on Nov. 20, 2020.

Shani Harvie, Executive Assistant to Cabinet Secretary Keyes, has been designing the series. Harvie is passionate about educating people about the needs of communities of color and some of the aspects of racism that people outside of the community often overlook. Harvie was a driving force in assisting Secretary Keyes develop the letter on Systemic Racism & the Role of Businesses. She also facilitated trainings on microaggressions and effective communication as a student at UNM.

"We are really excited to bring this miniseries to life. Supporting businesses is what we do at EDD, and we are pleased that Shani Harvie will spearhead this effort to assist business owners of color with the particular frustrations and inequities they encounter. Growing successful businesses in New Mexico will put us on a path toward economic recovery," Secretary Keyes said. "Ms. Harvie is a wonderful example of the hard-working and passionate employees at EDD, and it is our pleasure to support and mentor passionate up-and-coming executives in their career goals."

The civil unrest across the nation has made everyone more acutely aware of the intrinsic bias that exists in our society, particularly within the realm of economic opportunities, and Ms. Harvie feels that it is also important to understand that communities of color – in particular the Black community -- deserve recognition and access to resources.

Too often small businesses fall through the cracks, and with the ongoing pandemic, many more will continue to have extreme difficulties. This series will highlight the resources across the state if New Mexico that will help small business owners be successful, including those from financial institutions and business resource offices. Working with lenders and being aware of the tools available is more important than ever, as statistics show that 50 percent of small businesses fail within five years of opening. The recent need for health emergency measures will only make those numbers rise.

A miniseries, like the one Ms. Harvie is launching, can show people how to make the most of their business and financial positioning, crucial to navigating the unknown waters ahead. The two episodes currently in the series will deal specifically with financial tools and business resources.

Here are the details for joining the EDD Miniseries for Business Owners of Color:

Nov. 20 at 12:30 pm - Effective Financial Tools for Small Business - CDFI's & CU's with special guests: Sandia Area Federal Credit Union, DreamSpring. Register at https://bit.ly/2GYu9zv  

Dec. 11 at 12:30 pm - Tools to Help Your Business Flourish – Business Resources with special guests: WESST, SBDC NM. Register at https://bit.ly/3o6Qxal  

The resources covered in the miniseries will be useful to any small business in New Mexico, including people hoping to start their own business, though the focus will be on helping black, and other minority, business owners find resources specific to their needs.

You can find a link to all of EDD’s upcoming webinars at gonm.biz