STORIES OF IMPACT

At WESST, we believe the heart of our mission is best told through the journeys of the entrepreneurs we serve. In our Client Stories section, you’ll find inspiring accounts of New Mexican business owners—at every stage of their ventures—who have been transformed through WESST’s consulting, training, lending, and incubation support. These stories highlight how we partner with clients to turn ideas into thriving, sustainable businesses, showing the real impact of guidance, financial tools, and persistence.

From wellness centers, retail brands, and service businesses to manufacturing and tech enterprises, each narrative underscores how tailored resources, mentorship, and belief in their vision helped these founders overcome obstacles, build confidence, and grow with purpose.

Flauteria Los Borrachos, LLC

Flauteria Los Borrachos, LLC is a food truck business born during the pandemic, located in the South Valley area of Albuquerque, NM. Their specialty is flautas ciudad Juárez style and other Mexican dishes. Carmen has always been interested in being her own boss. Prior to the pandemic, she operated Hamiel Bridals, an event center and dress shop for special events, including weddings and Quinceañeras. Because of the pandemic, she was forced to shut down her business as no event

FOOD & BEVERAGE

Fusion Concepts

Marche Karger, a military veteran, relocated to New Mexico in 2022, and was initially looking for support to start a business in Rio Rancho and secure a line of credit to purchase equipment. March officially launched Fusion Concepts in February 2023, a home improvement business specializing in building custom outdoor kitchens and patios. After starting his business and adjusting to a new state, Marche realized he needed allies in this new environment with different laws and r

CONSTRUCTION

FZK Franziska

At FZK, we are a partner who knows the brand in our clients’ hearts and translates it into a curated online presence. We’ve been building a customized online presence for our clients since 2005 and are proud to offer a full-service creative team at your fingertips. Most clients find that our services go beyond web development into the realm of true brand discovery. In essence, we first help our clients understand exactly who it is they serve (and how). We translate this inf

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Girl Friend Energy, LLC

Tramicia describes herself as an “ideas person” and wanted to start several businesses she saw a need for in her community, but realized she needed to commit to one business venture at a time. She learned about WESST while searching online for organizations that helped with small businesses and initially reached out in October 2022. She learned that our organization provided training, consultation, and small business loans. “At that time, I had several business ideas in the

HEALTH, WELLNESS, & BEAUTY

Gents Day Spa

Emelita “Lita” Lujan opened Ladies and Gents Day Spa in January 2012 as a sole proprietorship (with the intention of incorporating within a year). Her unique full-service day spa was divided into two separate sides – one, a high-end barber shop, dedicated to men who wanted to experience her world-class grooming services where they can relax with a cigar while having a manicure or hot-lather shave; and the other, dedicated to women. Both had their individual entrances and both

HEALTH, WELLNESS, & BEAUTY

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