WESST BLOG
Congratulations, Agnes! December 5, 2024 Agnes Noonan Retirement Celebration
On December 5, 2024, we gathered with friends from far and wide to celebrate the retirement of WESST’s President of 33 years, Agnes Noonan. Agnes is a visionary nonprofit leader in our community and a trailblazer for women and all New Mexicans who want to start and grow a small business. The WESST Enterprise Center was filled with people who have been inspired and impacted by Agnes’s leadership. We were thrilled to welcome many community leaders and friends of WESST and Agnes who shared stories and well wishes at the retirement celebration, including the…
Why a Social Media Strategy is Important
At WESST, when consulting with clients on business and marketing planning, we recommend: strategy first, tools second. What that means is that you have to understand what it is you want your business to accomplish before you go out and start engaging in different tactics (such as advertising, setting up social media channels, etc). It’s important for every business to have an overall strategy/plan, from which the marketing plan would flow from which the social media plan would flow.
GenQuest Donates Fitness Challenges Winnings to WESST
On February 13, 2013 GenQuest, Inc., participated in their 1st annual fitness challenge with Menicucci Insurance Agency. GenQuest and Menicucci competed in 6 different fitness categories: plank, jump roping, calf raises, crunches, wall-sit, and push-ups. Each organization agreed to pay the non-profit of the winner’s choice $100 for each category that they won.
Universal Truths for Small Businesses
Small businesses are remarkable in their diversity. The products small businesses sell, the way those products marketed, the business models, the owners themselves – there’s exceptional variety. However, there are some things all small businesses have in common – some “universal truths…”
Tips for Growing A Business
Oftentimes, growing a business is like starting a new business, especially when adding a second location. Businesses grow from one level to the next, step by step, inch by inch, always discovering what works and what does not. If all businesses were identical and every business owner was the same, growing a business would be a cinch – in every case. However…
Assumption in the Workplace (a Deadly Combination)
Everyone’s lives are made up of assumptions from the time they rise each morning until they go to bed each night. Every day, people make hundreds if not thousands of assumptions without realizing it. When assumptions are not fulfilled, reactions are anger, frustration, or an assumption (once again) that something just went wrong (but actually, maybe something went right).
Tips for Staying Motivated in Your Small Businesses
As an observer by nature, I am always amazed at how individuals operate within a variety of settings and circumstances. One of the most fascinating topics to me has been motivation. I have seen people, who were driven by success or responsibility, push themselves and their families to the point of exhaustion, and wondered if they felt the results were worth it.
3 Simple Techniques for Organizing Business Operations
Most people go into business because they are passionate about something, like fixing cars, creating jewelry, or building houses. Unfortunately, somewhere between startup and the end of the first quarter, the owner falls into a management slump.
Systems Are A Small Business Owner’s Friend
Developing Systems of Operations is Just Another Way of Saving a Business Owner’s Life and Sanity There are three things to keep in mind when starting a business: Systems are your friends; Systems make your life…
10 Content Creation Ideas to Keep your Blog Fresh
Creating fresh, high quality content has always been important to building your presence online. But in the past year, Google has launched a series of algorithm updates that have made having fresh, high value content more important than ever for getting found online.
A Woman’s Story of Self Sufficiency
The impact of WESST’s programs on the lives of female clients who ‘ve achieved self sufficiency can best be shown through the stories from the women themselves. This summer, one such woman shared her story at a United Way of Central New Mexico’s Women in Philanthropy ceremony.
How to Manage the Challenges of a Changing Workforce
Workforce expectations have changed with the introduction of Generations X and Y. As the Boomers retire, and more of the younger generations come onboard, it’s important for businesses to understand those people and what motivates them.
3 Tips for Overcoming Negative Thinking in the Workplace
We all have people in our lives, who for any number of reasons (i.e., jealousy, fear, ignorance, etc.) try to sabotage your success by telling you your ideas won’t work. So, how do you overcome their negativity?