Micro Economic Gardening

Grow your own

In 2020, Sandoval Economic Alliance successfully completed the Economic Gardening Pilot Program. Five companies in Sandoval County — four located in Rio Rancho — reported that one of the most beneficial services from the program is an assessment of the company’s online platforms and guidance on how to best use them. Companies that participated in the Economic Gardening Pilot Program were stage 2 businesses, which have 10-99 employees and more than $1 million in sales.

From this feedback and the desire to serve pre-stage 2 businesses the Micro-Economic Gardening Program was born.

Due to the pandemic, businesses have had to rely on online platforms more than ever. Many small business owners struggle to make this pivot and continue to face challenges in this area. SEA developed and implemented the Micro-Economic Gardening Program to help these smaller businesses which would not qualify for the full Economic Gardening Program, which is for stage 2 businesses. The Micro Economic Gardening Program assists pre-stage 2 businesses. These entrepreneurs could have few employees and less than $100K in revenue yet are still valuable members of our community and in need of guidance and expertise — resources to which SEA can direct these businesses.

SEA will be accepting three businesses for this program for the coming year and will provide a customized plan to increase their digital presence and expand their opportunities. This customized approach optimizes results for each business.

Planting the seeds

First, we assess the company’s digital presence:

  • Company website,
  • Social media pages,
  • Google MyBusiness, and
  • Digital advertising.

An initial consultation will determine a customized plan based on:

  • Business type (B2B, B2C),
  • Website status,
  • Search engine optimization,
  • Branding, and
  • Digital advertising.

SEA will then develop a customized plan to optimize these crucial areas. The plan may contain step-by-step processes to create social media pages, include hands-on training and develop a marketing plan. Assistance is tailored to what the company needs. The program may connect companies to exciting resources like the CNM Digital Lab, where students design company websites to build their portfolios. Improving and strengthening these areas aligns a business for growth.

Watch them blossom

Micro-Economic Gardening lays the groundwork that businesses often find daunting and need guidance navigating.

The better a business is doing, the more impact it has on its community. Four out of the five Economic Gardening companies added jobs after completing the program and reported increased revenue. By taking what was most beneficial in the full-scale Economic Gardening program and utilizing it for companies that do not qualify, pre-stage 2 businesses. The Micro- Economic Gardening Program positions smaller businesses to have a more significant impact on the community.

To learn more contact Amy Byres at SEA. 
amy@sea-nm.com
505.414.4369