Starting, running and growing a business and/or nonprofit is no small task. In a rapidly evolving business landscape, Lucero Consulting Group remains committed to empowering organizations and individuals to not only survive but thrive. With a commitment to equity, inclusivity and tangible outcomes, LCG is your partner in realizing your vision and building a lasting … [More]
Maximizing Employee Benefits
Maximizing Employee Benefits: The Benefits of Including a 401(k) Enrollment Meeting with Annual Benefit Open Enrollment
As the annual benefits open enrollment season rolls around, employers have an opportunity to empower their employees to make more informed decisions about their financial future. While health insurance and other employee benefits may take center stage during this time, it's essential to not overlook the importance of including a 401(k)-enrollment meeting as part of the process. … [More]
Show Love, Shop Small this Holiday Season
’Tis the season for holiday shopping and, while we navigate our options, it's important to consider the numerous benefits of supporting small businesses and shopping locally. While the allure of big-box retailers and online giants may be strong, let's not overlook the value of our local shops. Small Business Saturday, celebrated on the last Saturday in November, was … [More]
The Data’s In – The Secret Sauce to Making Hybrid Work Work
As the dust from evolving hybrid and remote work guidelines settles, we’re seeing consistent themes regarding what employees want from their employers. For example, Gallup’s 2023 State of the Global Workplace (focusing on US data) shows employee feedback becoming more unified in what workers want from their bosses and their companies, what motivates employees, and what causes … [More]
Effective Operations Make or Break your Small Business
Small business owners have many competing priorities. Between providing services and/or selling their products, managing their teams (staff, contractors, vendors, etc.), creating marketing content, doing accounting, and much more, there never seems to be enough time in the day. So, how do business owners combat this and avoid the feeling of being overwhelmed? Lucero … [More]
Growing Opportunities Means Growing Businesses
This April marks the six-year anniversary of Second Chance Month in Arizona. Second Chance Month represents just that — a chance for people to be connected with opportunities and much-needed resources to successfully reintegrate into their communities after returning from prison or jail. Second Chance Month is a nationwide endeavor to acknowledge and spread awareness of the … [More]
Building Value into Your Business
What would you say are the value drivers for your business? Is your business ready to be sold today? If not, what do you think you need to do to build value in your business? What can you do today to make your business more valuable? There is, ultimately, only one reason to create a business of your own, and that is to sell it! You start a business, grow that business, … [More]
Network with ASBA at AZBizCon
The Arizona Small Business Association (ASBA) is a nonprofit 501c6 membership organization and one of the largest trade associations in Arizona. This year, ASBA celebrates its 50th year anniversary of supporting entrepreneurs and small business owners by providing them with the tools they need to grow and thrive. ASBA is proud to serve as a voice for our small business … [More]
What to Do if Your Identity Is Stolen
There are several ways you could learn that you may be a victim of identity theft. No matter how you discover the issue, if you’ve been affected by identity theft, it’s important to stay calm, assess the situation, and act quickly. If you’re managing the recovery process on your own, here are some steps you can take to start: Request a fraud alert or credit freeze. If … [More]
Banking on Community
Settings its sights on growing and prospering the minority-owned small business community in Arizona, National Bank of Arizona continues to unlock exciting expansion opportunities for these business owners in the community. The bank is bolstering its commitment to minority-owned markets by building relationships with local small business owners and creating access to capital. … [More]
Managing Debt for Small Business Owners and Employees
Many small business owners are feeling the pinch as inflation strains budgets and interest rates continue to rise. Particularly for those who experienced setbacks during the pandemic, the question of how to manage debt looms large. At Money Management International, a nonprofit focused on financial wellness, we’ve helped thousands of Arizonans for more than six decades and it’s … [More]
Building Culture the Journeyage Way
The average American will spend 90,000 hours of their lives at work. That’s 3,750 days and more than 10 years if you’re only working 8 hour days and only working for 30 years — and who is actually doing that? Unfortunately, with numbers like those, nearly everyone has had a soul-sucking job where they have worked hard and felt underappreciated. At the end of the weekend, too … [More]
Arizona Small Business Association to Provide New Streamlined 401(k) Solution for Members
The Arizona Small Business Association is launching a new partnership with Voya Financial and local retirement plan specialist Integrated Financial Solutions. This new relationship provides a packaged 401(k) solution to ASBA members, which provides a streamlined and cost-effective program, minimizing the administrative tasks associated with providing a retirement plan. This … [More]
What Every Small Business in Arizona Must Do About Cyber Risk
Sai Huda is a globally recognized cybersecurity expert and author of the best-selling book Next Level Cybersecurity: Detect the Signals, Stop the Hack. Q. What is cyber risk? A. A small business faces several risks that it must manage in order to be successful. A critical risk is cyber. It is the risk of adverse impact to capital, earnings, operations or reputation from a … [More]
ASBA Equips Formerly Incarcerated Aspiring Entrepreneurs with Resources to Succeed upon Re-Entry into the Community
At the Arizona Small Business Association, we know that formerly incarcerated individuals — people who have spent time in jail or prison — face disproportionate employment challenges upon returning home. ASBA is working to empower these individuals to broaden their economic horizons through an innovative entrepreneurial mentorship program called Growing Opportunities … [More]
Five Tips for Easier Business Tax Filing
Running a business is hard and often requires you to wear many hats. Managing your business finances can be especially important and time-consuming when it’s time to file your business income taxes. Here are five things you can do throughout the year to help you during the tax filing season and beyond. Tip #1 – Meet Regularly with Your CPA You should be working with your … [More]
Business Advantage: Ban The Box – an HR Prospective
As more states and cities move toward a “Ban the Box” hiring process, many businesses are unsure of what to do regarding applicants who have been previously convicted of a crime. The “Ban the Box” movement allows candidates to be considered for their qualifications first, without the stigma of a conviction or arrest record. For nearly all businesses, only criminal convictions … [More]
Keys to Internal Adoption of Digital Tools
Success happens from the inside out. There’s often an assumption in business that employees will naturally adopt new tools and technology simply because “they’re better.” But it takes more than the promise of a new and improved tool to get people on board. Businesses need to take steps to improve digital adoption in ways that boost administrative efficiency, reduce costs, … [More]
