Lorena Gonzalez did not set out to become a business owner. She set out to honor her father. For 15 years, Lorena’s father cultivated native plants from Nayarit, Mexico, studying them, understanding them, and turning them into hand soaps crafted entirely from what the earth provides. No fragrances. No additives. No shortcuts. Just generations of knowledge pressed into every bar.
So when Lorena launched Jabón Artesanal, she chose to carry that tradition forward. To be successful, she knew she needed a foundation in business knowledge that would match the quality of her soaps.
Thankfully, she found SEED SPOT’s Startup Spring Training, which kicks off for the fifth season on March 16th. This free training has helped more than 900 Arizona founders learn the tools, build the confidence and community, and benefit from one-on-one mentorship to make their entrepreneurial dreams possible. With sessions available in English and Spanish, registration is now open for entrepreneurs from all corners of the state.
This year, entrepreneurs like Lorena will have the chance to attend every session, led by local experts, and focus on cash flow that makes sense, marketing that brings in your perfect customer, a loan-readiness session, and an easy-to-learn AI tech session.
Lorena will tell you that what mattered most was discovering a statewide community that supports her and the accountability to put into action what she learned each week. Startup founders and small business owners can expect a full day of hands-on mentorship with experienced business leaders who can help you step into the shoes of your ideal customer, clarify and express your pitch, and better hone in on your business model. And at the end of Startup Spring Training, Lorena did something that would have scared her just weeks earlier. In front of a room full of fellow Arizona entrepreneurs and mentors, Lorena delivered her final pitch with a newfound confidence.
That moment is what Startup Spring Training is built for.
Join us from March 16 to April 10 for four free virtual workshops, each designed to focus on a single goal: giving local founders what they need to grow their business and overcome some of the most common challenges, including Cash Flow & Staying Profitable in Uncertain Times, which helps founders protect what they have built and make confident decisions through uncertainty. Getting Loan-Ready & Funding Smart with Jose Yanez, Vice President and Senior Business Consultant at Chase Business Banking, to walk founders through exactly what lenders need to see before a loan conversation begins. Marketing That Brings Customers In taps into the expertise of Carlos Velasco, Founder and CEO of Novle Community Activators, a leader who has spent his career activating and growing community-based businesses from the ground up. Carlos teaches founders build simple visibility strategies, turn interest into sales, and leverage referrals. Using Technology to Work Smarter, Not Harder gives founders the AI and practical tech tools to grow their business without growing their workload.
For entrepreneurs ready to go all in, the free daylong Launch Camp on March 27 helps everything click: pitch practice, one-on-one mentorship, and real feedback from people genuinely invested in each founder’s growth.
Startup Spring Training concludes the evening of March 27 with a Five-Year Showcase, a celebration of the milestones and momentum built over the past five years, with the founders at center stage.
Startup Spring Training is for Arizona founders at every stage. Whether this is a first season or a fifth, there is a place in this lineup.
Lorena Gonzalez came in without a pitch and left with the tools and confidence to build a brand. The next founder who walks through that door could leave the same way.
Everything is free. Registration is open now.
Linda Norquist is the marketing and recruiting manager for the Phoenix-based nonprofit SEED SPOT, which educates, accelerates, and invests in underrepresented entrepreneurs who are creating solutions to social problems.
