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.

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

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.

As 2025 winds down, the fourth quarter is more than just a finish line. It is a chance to reset, refresh, and realign your business for a stronger 2026. Now is the time to evaluate financial health by reconciling accounts, reviewing receivables, and considering strategic year-end purchases that may reduce tax burdens. Operationally, Q4 is ideal for tidying up bookkeeping, streamlining processes, and ensuring systems are ready to support next year’s goals. Just like an autumn clean-up clears space before winter, decluttering both physical and digital workspaces helps your business run more efficiently and frees up energy for future growth. By approaching this season with intention, you can close out 2025 with confidence and enter 2026 with clarity, focus, and momentum. A thoughtful year-end cleanup today lays the foundation for a successful and sustainable tomorrow.

Thinking about getting your business certified? In this video, we break down everything you need to know about business certifications — what they are, why they matter, and how they can help your business grow.

Protect your business from day one!

Join this Local First workshop to learn the essentials of LLCs, contracts and legal basics to start strong and avoid costly mistakes.

In this episode of Arizona Good Business, host Thomas Barr sits down with Christin Marvin, the founder of Solutions by Christin, to discuss her inspiring journey from the restaurant industry to entrepreneurship. Christin shares her story, starting as a line cook at 15 years old and rising to managing partner in independent restaurants. After experiencing burnout, she and her husband moved to Tucson, where they redefined their lives, leading Christin to establish her own company focused on leadership development in the hospitality industry.

In this episode of Arizona Good Business, Thomas Barr engages in a comprehensive discussion with Cathleen Mitchell, the founder of Kaya Holistic. Explored are the store’s evolution from a focus on CBD products to a holistic botanical wellness approach, emphasizing education, sustainability, and advocacy for the entire hemp industry. Cathleen outlines the store’s expanded offerings, including plans for community events, creating a unique space for yoga, sound healing, and a demo kitchen. The interview underscores the store’s integral connection with the local community, Cathleen’s commitment to supporting local artisans, and the resilience of smaller businesses in delivering personalized and intentional retail experiences, especially in the face of pandemic challenges.

On a scale of 1 to 10, having a good business strategy rates about 15!

No matter what kind of business you have - whether you sell products or a service, as the saying goes, "If you fail to plan, then you're really planning to fail."

The COVID pandemic has created new challenges for small businesses and one of the best ways to overcome these challenges is through increasing your avenues of revenue. To help small businesses, we asked business leaders and financial advisors their best ideas and tools for how to increase these avenues. From utilizing Mailchimp to revenue trackers, here are 10 ways that may help your business increase multiple avenues of revenue.

With summer temperatures comes summer energy bills. Fortunately, there are easy actions you can take now to save money and energy on your next bill. Webinar recording is included from presenter, Caryn Massey of SWEEP (Southwest Energy Efficiency Project)

There is a lot of talk in corporate circles about how business leaders can inspire employees to be more productive, to accomplish more in less time, and to feel an increased sense of focus on a regular basis.

Circular Economies are reshaping waste streams. Businesses looking to cut costs and reduce waste are abandoning Linear Models of take, make, and dispose of for this new model that enables longer use or reuse of products and technology.