Arizona is among the states with the highest rates of first-year business failures. According to Lending Tree, with nearly one out of four small businesses having failed in Arizona last year. In partnership with the state commerce authority, the Arizona Small Business Association recently launched a new two-pronged program with one goal: helping entrepreneurs at any level build stronger, more robust businesses with local resources and connections.
Now the Arizona Small Business Association has teamed up with the state commerce authority to launch a two-pronged statewide program.
The SCALE Program is half mobile workshops in rural and underserved communities, and half a six-month deep dive for entrepreneurs ready to level up.
Louie Picazo with the Arizona Small Business Association said the main goal is education for those at any experience level, “But also to create a synergy between everyone that is involved in either one of these programs. We want them to communicate. We want them to network with each other.”
Picazo said the goal is to build up a lasting network of support that gives entrepreneurs what they need to move their businesses forward.
“Arizona is growing,” he said. “Arizona is diverse. And we need to start to understand not only how it's, what the importance of it is for the Arizona GDP, but also at the same token to help and support creating generational wealth as well, through entrepreneurship. It's not about just owning a business and being able to open and close and go on vacations whenever you need to. Obviously, those things are important as a business owner. But the real reality of it is, we want to create the opportunity to create entrepreneurs, but more importantly, create generational wealth.”
According to Picazo, giving business owners like himself a platform to ask questions and talk with others who’ve been in their shoes is a cornerstone of both arms of the program.
“When I started my own business, I didn't have anybody,” said Picazo. “And so I wish that I had a SCALE Program.”
Picazo said applications to be a part of the more in-depth, six-month cohort are currently open at asba.com/scale/#sign-up-form.
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