How befitting of Small Business Week would it be if I wrote about the greatest offering for small business to come to Grant County in the last hundred years? According to SBA.gov, for more than 50 years, the US Small Business Administration has celebrated National Small Business Week, which recognizes the critical contributions of America's entrepreneurs and small business owners.

In 2008 Co-Starters began as part of a five-year revitalization effort, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, which was then called CreateHere. The program was started to provide business support to artists, creatives and others who didn't fit traditional start up models. In response to an outpouring of positive support, the program adapted existing business planning resources to serve groups of people interested in launching, or refining, creative businesses. Since the inception of Co-Starters, they have served more than 280 communities, supported nearly 16,000 entrepreneurs (starters) and supported more than 1000 leaders (facilitators.) In Southwest New Mexico, 33 Grant County residents have completed the Core entrepreneurship program. Of those who have completed the program, 21 are currently in operation with the business on which they were focused. Four cohorts have been held since July 2020; the current cohort was complete as of May 5, 2021. I'm happy to report that there are two cohorts yet to happen in Grant County—one in Silver City, this summer, and one in Bayard in the Fall. If you are interested in getting involved reach out to Jamie Karolich at SWNMACT.org for more information.

The Co-Starters Program consists of three programs that work with entrepreneurs to refine their skills at various stages in the life of their business. Generators is a school-based program that brings entrepreneurship into the curriculum of high school students to help them learn about conceptualizing and starting a business. The Core program focuses on budding entrepreneurs who are in the concept, or pre-launch, phase of their startup and the Rebuild program works with established business owners who are working to revitalize their business. Overall, the entire Co-Starters program is the most complete entrepreneurship program available in Southern New Mexico, outside of a 4-year college. As an entrepreneur, and a Small Business Coach, I know this is the most comprehensive program available to new entrepreneurs.

The Core program is divided into 10 sessions which guide the cohort participants through exercises that help them focus on their customer, the problems they solve for their customers, their products, and the buying habits of the market. Core participants learn how to identify their break even points and their gross profit targets. Each session includes a guest speaker who is a business owner from within the realm to be discussed during that session. The participants get real world experiences shown to them in the form of advice and mentorship. The beauty of this program is that it is facilitated for entrepreneurs by entrepreneurs. The subject matter is relevant and shared with compassion and understanding. Every small business owner understands that they must have a good handle on their knowledge of accounting processes or their approach to pricing their products. However, most of us don't focus on those things until it becomes absolutely necessary. Co-Starters facilitates discussions on these topics with clarity and frankness in an open-minded, supportive, setting which enhances learning and thorough knowledge. By the time the entrepreneur is ready to launch his business he does so from a stronger position. Co-Starters has been the catalyst for many successful business launches.

Thanks to the hard work of Lee Gruber (SWNMACT), Priscilla Lucero (SWNMCOG), Freeport McMoRan, various local business partners, and a small group of dedicated individuals, the entire slate of programs is currently underway in Grant, Luna, Hidalgo and, very soon, Catron counties. Under the stewardship of Program Coordinator, Jamie Karolich (SWNMACT), Co-Starters is developing exponentially and in a positive way. Jamie brings the fire to the program, and her passion for entrepreneurship fires up the cohort participants.

In 2019 Southwest NM Arts, Culture and Tourism, SWNMACT, received the green light to help the Southwest NM Council of Governments fulfill a REDI grant from the USDA, initially intended to bring this vital program to Grant County. Due to the initial success of the program Co-Starters is active at Aldo Leopold Charter School. In cooperation with the Deming Luna County Chamber of Commerce and the Lordsburg Hidalgo County Chamber, the program is being offered in those counties. Specific grant programs, such as the USDA REDI grant, are helping to make participation extremely affordable for its participants.

I've written that now is a great time to start a business in Southwestern New Mexico and Co-Starters is a big reason for this rationale. Grant County, Luna County and Hidalgo County are going to bounce back, stronger than ever, from the COVID-19 crisis. We will bounce back because of the efforts being done to strengthen our business community. If you have a business idea, or an existing business that needs to get some traction in 2021, reach out to Jamie at SWNMACT. She can help get you started on the path towards revitalization. I look forward to welcoming you into an upcoming cohort.

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