Oku Advantage

Mary and Frank Valencia, owners of Oku Advantage, learned about WESST through a fellow Rio Rancho entrepreneur. Oku is a new start-up business, and Mary says “we had no idea where to begin” and were looking for a resource like WESST to provide training and consultation. They knew what kind of work they wanted Oku to pursue, but had no idea how to find the opportunities to move it forward. 

In late 2024, they signed up for WESST’s free three-part Government Contacting training series. They learned how to conduct market research, how to make their company visible, and how to obtain the correct certifications.  By 2025, Oku had been awarded their first federal contract. 

Through individual consultations with Dave at WESST, they received helpful feedback on their online presence and worked together to improve their website.   

“Dave has been a tremendous help in navigating all aspects of establishing a small business,” says Mary. “We struggled with how to properly account for income and expenditures, but of course WESST provided a free resource for this too.  We are so grateful for the referral we received from another Rio Rancho small-business owner, as every training and every consultation has provided invaluable information and support for our company’s success!”