Learn practical steps small business owners can take to improve value, strengthen financials, reduce buyer concerns, and prepare for a stronger sale process.

Ready to grow your food business through wholesale? Develop a roadmap for selling your products to retailers and distributors. In this workshop, you'll learn how to assess your production capacity, set wholesale goals, create a professional wholesale information sheet, develop effective pricing strategies, and prepare your business for wholesale success. Leave with practical tools and a clear plan to confidently pursue new market opportunities.

This workshop provides an overview of federal grant requirements, including key policies, documentation standards, and internal controls.

Hiring or collaborating with a grant writer can significantly strengthen your funding strategy, but only when roles and expectations are clear.

Take the guesswork out of pricing your products. In this workshop, you'll learn how to calculate the true cost of producing your food products by accounting for ingredients, labor, packaging and overhead expenses.

Strong partnerships can expand capacity and strengthen grant proposals. This workshop explores how organizations can build and manage effective collaborations with community partners, sponsors and funders. Participants will learn how to align goals, define roles, and create partnerships that support long-term organizational success.

This session covers how to develop clear, realistic grant budgets, including allowable costs, expense categories, and how to justify budget requests.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Bookkeeping is one of the most common stress points for small business owners and often gets overlooked until tax time or a loan application brings it front and center.