On-demand resources
to help your business thrive.

Welcome to the Local Learning Lab! Here, you'll find videos, articles and how-to guides for bettering your business. Use the search bar or browse by the categories below to find helpful information on a wide range of topics.


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Accounting & Finance | Human Resources | Marketing
Business Formation | Growth Management | Arizona Good Business Podcast

Accounting, Finance, Taxes and Payroll

Learning Lab
Grant Basics: Organizational Accounting & Finance for Grant Readiness
Grant Basics: Organizational Accounting & Finance for Grant Readiness

Strong financial systems are critical for both winning and managing grant funding. This workshop introduces key financial practices, including tracking expenses, managing restricted funds, and preparing for grant reporting requirements.

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Grant Basics: Securing Matching Funds
Grant Basics: Securing Matching Funds

Participants will learn how to assemble the financial pieces needed to successfully pursue match-dependent funding opportunities.

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Make Your Money Work Smarter, Not Harder
Make Your Money Work Smarter, Not Harder

Make your money work with purpose. Join two financial experts for a practical, high-level session on investment and tax-saving strategies that help keep more of your dollars close to home—supporting both your financial goals and your community.

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Growth Playbook: People, Processes & Tools to Scale Your Small Business
Growth Playbook: People, Processes & Tools to Scale Your Small Business

This workshop gives small business owners a simple, actionable framework to prepare for growth in 2026. Participants will learn how to clarify team roles, build repeatable systems and create accountability rhythms that strengthen their operations.

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Human Resources, Hiring and Retaining Employees

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Grant Basics: Board Management 101
Grant Basics: Board Management 101

An engaged and effective board plays an important role in organizational sustainability and grant readiness.

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Fuerza en Acción: Mentalidad Ganadora
Fuerza en Acción: Mentalidad Ganadora

¿Sientes que tu mentalidad te está frenando en tu camino al éxito?

Te invitamos a ver nuestro Taller en Línea de Fuerza en Acción: "Mentalidad Ganadora"

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How to Avoid the Top 3 Legal Pitfalls in Business
How to Avoid the Top 3 Legal Pitfalls in Business

Discover practical strategies to safeguard your business from the top 3 legal pitfalls in employment law, corporate law, and commercial leases. This workshop will provide the knowledge to navigate these common legal issues.

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Opportunity for All: Building Opportunities for Entrepreneurs E50
Opportunity for All: Building Opportunities for Entrepreneurs E50

In this episode of AZ Good Business, Thomas Barr is joined by Whitney Yang, and Andrew Wong, co-founders of the Bambi Fund. They discuss the nonprofit’s mission to support historically excluded communities, including LGBTQ individuals and the formerly incarcerated, by providing them with opportunities and resources to start a successful business. They share their motivations, with Whitney focusing on the importance of understanding racial justice and the impact of mass incarceration in Arizona. Andrew is inspired to utilize his design background to help individuals succeed through the Bambi Fund’s Hustle House program, which provides entrepreneurship training for formerly incarcerated individuals.

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Marketing, Branding, Public Relations and Media Pitching

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Go Green, Save Green: Cut Costs & Grow Your Business
Go Green, Save Green: Cut Costs & Grow Your Business

We’ll introduce the Green Business Boot Camp, a hands-on program that helps you identify savings opportunities and implement efficient solutions. You’ll also learn how Green Business Certification can boost your credibility and attract customers who value sustainability.

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Fuerza en Acción: Indie Week + Presencia Digital Empresarial
Fuerza en Acción: Indie Week + Presencia Digital Empresarial

En este taller en línea con la guia de Joshua Molina, Co-Fundador y Chief Marketing Officer Palabra Media aprenderás cómo prepararte estratégicamente para participar en Indie Week, la celebración anual de negocios independientes organizada por Local First Arizona, que se llevará a cabo del 29 de junio al 7 de julio.

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Local First Arizona Economic Resource Center Grant Writing Basics: Narrative
Local First Arizona Economic Resource Center Grant Writing Basics: Narrative

A strong narrative tells the story of your organization and the impact you aim to achieve. Led by the Local First Arizona Economic Resource Center, a trusted resource for grant readiness, funding strategy and organizational capacity building across Arizona, this workshop will help participants craft compelling proposal narratives that clearly communicate mission, community need, and program impact.

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Build Your Own Wix Website + Simple SEO That Works
Build Your Own Wix Website + Simple SEO That Works

Learn how to build a professional website using Wix in this beginner-friendly workshop. Follow a step-by-step process, set up your pages and apply simple SEO strategies to get your site found online—no technical experience required.

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Business Formation and Structure

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Before You Apply: Building Grant-Ready Organizations
Before You Apply: Building Grant-Ready Organizations

This workshop introduces the core elements of grant readiness, including organizational structure, budgets, staffing, board governance, essential documentation, program narratives, goals, outcomes, and supporting data. These pieces help organizations respond more confidently and efficiently when the right funding opportunities arise.

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Fuerza en Accion: Kiva Prestamos Comerciales
Fuerza en Accion: Kiva Prestamos Comerciales

¿Listo para descubrir nuevas formas de acceder a capital y hacer crecer tu negocio?

Taller en Línea de Fuerza en Acción: "Kiva - Préstamos Comerciales.

Facilitador: Manuel (Manny) Lucero, CEO de Lucero Consulting Group (LCG) y Business Consultant.

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Cottage Food Program: A Stepping Stone to Entrepreneurship
Cottage Food Program: A Stepping Stone to Entrepreneurship

Arizona's Cottage Food Program has expanded broadly. An update to the program made possible by a 2024 law, means there are fewer barriers to enter into entrepreneurship. Use the step-by-step guide or follow along during the presentation to learn how you can register. For less than $10, you can start generating revenue and expand your food dreams into a business.

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Domina tu tiempo - Impulsa tu éxito empresarial
Domina tu tiempo - Impulsa tu éxito empresarial

Conviértete en un maestro del tiempo y la productividad.

Aprende a gestionar tu tiempo estratégicamente y optimiza tus actividades diarias con herramientas digitales como Google Calendar y otras plataformas clave para emprendedores.

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Growth Management

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Grant Basics: Grant Management and Reporting
Grant Basics: Grant Management and Reporting

Winning a grant is only the beginning. This workshop focuses on the practical steps required to manage grant-funded projects, track progress, and complete required reports. Participants will learn strategies to stay organized, meet deadlines, and maintain strong relationships with funders throughout the grant lifecycle.

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Grant Basics, Grant Fit: Is this Grant Right for Me?
Grant Basics, Grant Fit: Is this Grant Right for Me?

Not every grant is the right fit. This workshop, hosted by the Local First Arizona Economic Resource Center, helps participants learn how to evaluate funding opportunities by reviewing eligibility requirements, funder priorities, timelines and match requirements. Participants will gain tools to quickly determine whether a grant opportunity aligns with their organization’s capacity and project goals.

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Burnout-Proof Your Business
Burnout-Proof Your Business

You’ll walk away with a system you can replicate, so your team can keep moving even when you step away.

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Boost Your Business with Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Boost Your Business with Artificial Intelligence (AI)

In this workshop, Josue Andonaegui, expert in Artificial Intelligence and Small Business Resource Manager, will show you how AI can be an accessible, practical, and powerful tool to transform your business.

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Additional Resources:

Arizona Good Business Podcast

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Arizona Good Business Podcast Ep 56
Arizona Good Business Podcast Ep 56

Tax Planning

Here for Your Long-term Success,

Not Just for Tax Season.

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The Best-Kept Secret in Event Planning: Perry Consulting Ep 55
The Best-Kept Secret in Event Planning: Perry Consulting Ep 55

In this episode of Arizona Good Business Radio, host Thomas Barr chats with Nicole Bennett, the owner of Perry Consulting, about her journey from part-time event planning to building one of Arizona’s most respected event management companies. Nicole shares her philosophy of treating vendors as partners, her company’s non-traditional marketing approach, and her ability to stay calm and adapt to the unexpected through a wide variety of community events.

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The Legal Necessities: Building Trust for Local Businesses Ep 54
The Legal Necessities: Building Trust for Local Businesses Ep 54

On this episode of Arizona Good Business, Lindsay Leavitt from Gallagher & Kennedy joins to discuss his passion for providing quality legal services to small businesses in Arizona. After witnessing the challenges of operating a small business through his father's experience, Lindsay committed himself to ensuring entrepreneurs receive the best support without breaking the bank.

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Connecting with the Compost Crowd E53
Connecting with the Compost Crowd E53

In this episode of Arizona Good Business Radio, Thomas Barr chats with Kathleen Ventura, founder of Compost Crowd, about her journey from seeing compost pickup services in Columbus, Ohio, to launching a similar service in Northern Arizona in 2018. She shares how she and her husband started with just ten buckets, growing their business across Sedona and Flagstaff, and achieving the impressive milestone of diverting over 600 tons of waste from landfills, underscoring their commitment to sustainability.

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