WESST Is Committed to Cultivating Entrepreneurship
WESST (The Women's Economic Self-Sufficiency Team) is a statewide economic development organization committed to growing New Mexico's economy by cultivating entrepreneurship. Incorporated in 1988 as a 501(c)3 non-profit, WESST places particular emphasis on helping low-income women and minorities achieve financial self-sufficiency through sustained self-employment. While our historical target market is low-income, unemployed and/or underemployed women and minorities, WESST's services are available to any New Mexico resident seeking to start or grow a business.
WESST is driven by the belief that expanding entrepreneurship yields greater long-term economic impact than traditional economical development tactics of using tax incentives to attract "trophy" private businesses to relocate. Providing entrepreneurs with the resources, information, skills, and technical assistance to help them succeed is central to our strategy.