With the popularity of do-it-yourself home-makeover television shows, Kelly Michelle thinks she has the perfect business idea: help customers learn to design and create their dream spaces in their homes. “I help them discover their inner flair and help them decide what to do and how to do it,” she said. But over the last year, Michelle, who lives in Duncan, a city of about 25,000 people, found herself struggling to get the business off the ground. “I’m struggling to know if this is a ... Read More
Si66: New Mexico the Single Bright Spot in Study of Southwestern Women Execs
As a region, the Southwestern United States – comprising Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona – ranks dead last in a new survey of executive positions held by women. On average, only 21.14% of executive positions in the Southwest are held by women, compared with New England’s top-regional percentage of 28.29% and a national average of 24.8%. One bright note for the region is New Mexico, the highest-ranking Southwestern state and 18th nationally. Arizona, Texas and Oklahoma, meanwhile, ... Read More
Si66: Hustle PHX Offers Free Childcare to Women Entrepreneurs
As the executive director of an organization working to increase entrepreneurship in inner-city communities, Oye Waddell sees many obstacles - as well as assets - for hungry entrepreneurs. One issue is childcare. “One of the issues we’ve seen in the past is that many women would like to come to the training and want to develop, but they don’t have access to childcare,” said Waddell, who runs Hustle PHX, which works in areas with high-unemployment rates and minority communities. “If their ... Read More
Si66: Programs Recruit, Support Latino Entrepreneurs in Arizona
By Kristi Eaton Edgar Olivo earned his college degree in business communication. But during the recession he saw a new need. He started a training firm focusing on helping small businesses get off the ground. He began working with cities around Phoenix to offer economic development-type programming. During that time working with small business owners, he recognized there was little to no support for the Spanish-speaking community, so he started his own firm, Compass CBS, in 2011. Compass ... Read More
Si66: Indigo Ignited Co-Founder on How Passion Helps Entrepreneurs Overcome Rejection and Fear
It is rare to find the author of a creative work who was an instant success, never tasting the bitter flavor of failure. Those who persevere despite failure generally gain valuable knowledge that is forged in the exhausting and often demoralizing process of moving past the most recent rejection and onto the next opportunity. This struggle is an experience that Albuquerque-based David Pinter and Samuel Dalton may know too well in bringing their animated series Indigo Ignited to ... Read More
Si66: Five Biggest Social Media Pitfalls for Startups
For startups looking to gain a foothold in a new market while working with relatively small budgets, the use of social media is now less of a unique marketing tool and more of a priority. Sites like Twitter and Pinterest have become vital parts of lead-generation, customer-service and brand-awareness strategies for new businesses, but few entrepreneurs understand how to maximize social media. No matter what stage your new business is in, growing a social media audience is vital. In addition, the ... Read More
Si66: See How PERK Designed the Coffee Machine “of the Future of the 1960s”
Coffee establishments have become the getaway destination akin to the corner bar—but without the booze. People instinctively know where their local coffee nook is and they go there en masse to seek a bit of quiet or perhaps some social nesting with a friend. As people have become more and more serious about their coffee, those lattes and daily blends are becoming true works of art. Just ask inventor Jakub Svec, who’s developing the PERK, a machine that promises the ultimate in coffee savoring at ... Read More
Si66: The Importance of Diversification and Other Business Lessons from the Chickasaw Nation
In ancient times, the Chickasaw Indians were revered as the "Spartans of the Lower Mississippi Valley." An agrarian tribe, the Chickasaws boasted of a lively trade business with other Southeastern Indians, and the French and English nations, but were also feared as fierce warriors. Even after the “Great Removal,” commonly known as The Trail of Tears when the Chickasaws and other tribes were forced from their homelands to Indian Territory in Oklahoma, the Chickasaws regained prosperity, and ... Read More
Si66: Alan Webber on the Importance of Pattern Recognition, Resource Deficits and Defining Victory Early
SANTA FE, N.M. – Some entrepreneurs see into the future with a keen eye and uncanny confidence. Time after time, they seem to have an edge no one else has – like media whisperer Alan Webber, co-founder of Fast Company magazine. Whether it’s the Japan of the late 1980s or the New Mexico of 2017, Webber has become an expert on seeing the future hiding in plain sight. That’s how he co-launched a magazine that captured the internet mystique and launched a thousand Silicon Valley rock stars – ... Read More
Si66: Agruity Makes It Easier for Consumers to Access Local Food
TULSA, Okla. — Founded in 2015 by a farmer and an environmental scientist turned food publisher, Agruity is an online marketplace that connects northeastern Oklahoma farmers with public and private consumers. After logging in, a buyer can pre-order and pre-pay for produce, meat, eggs or firewood for pickup at one of a dozen farmers’ markets in the Tulsa area. “It’s almost eBay and PayPal in the same respect for local food,” co-founder Barry Jarvis said. “I personally love the idea of ... Read More
