Everything you need to work smart at Change Labs

Meet your team

TEAM MEMBER ROLES

We are all agents of change

In place of traditional hierarchy, Change Labs program teams define their roles, activities, and rely on each other for decision making. As a result, team communication and coordination is critical. As a team, we’ve defined what we expect from our peers at Change Labs to make our model work.

  1. Camaraderie. Our team members are trustworthy, passionate, caring & committed who can relied upon to support each other in this work.

  2. Positive inquiry. Ideas and program directions are shared, discussed, and debated in a constructive and safe manner. Share your ideas early & often with your team and be willing to let ideas go.

  3. Team equity. The diverse strengths & perspectives on this team are our greatest asset. We recognize each other’s styles and work to create equity.

  4. Push forward. We value trial & error. ”Mistakes” are we how learn. Champion the change you want to see. Help us continue to move forward.

Also, our contracted team members!

Our 2024 work plan

Whether you’re joining one of the program teams or playing an administrative role, use this work plan to understand the month-t0-month activities we’ve identified to advance our goals and priorities.

We have three teams serving entrepreneurs

  • Kinship Capital

    The Kinship Capital team is increasing access to capital and other financial resources for Indigenous entrepreneurs

  • Kinship Lending

    The Kinship Lending team offers a first-of-its kind kinship-based lending program for Navajo and Hopi entrepreneurs

  • E-ship Support

    The ESS team builds generational entrepreneurs and produce businesses ready for financing to diversify the Navajo Economy.

Launching your program? 

Coaching entrepreneurs

As a team we’ve set standards for how we engage & support the entrepreneurs, artisans, & change makers we serve

Always supportive, never dismissive. Everyone we interact with is part of our future.

Our job is to guide, teach, and empower. Not increase reliance on us or other entities.

Adopt an empathy-driven approach. We can’t possibly know what others have been through or are going through when they come to us.

We may not ever see the impact our actions have. The impact is greater than any individual.

Verticals of coaching knowledge

As a Change Labs ambassador, you will be asked questions about business by friends, family, or community members, regardless of your role at Change Labs. As such, we want all Change Labbers to have access to a repository of our collective team knowledge on eight “verticals” that represent the areas of knowledge we aspire all team members to feel confident in. We also encourage all team members to continuously develop their knowledge in at least one vertical, and actively contribute that knowledge to this growing repository and support your fellow team members.

Business Model

One of the most popular questions we get at Change Labs is, “How do I start a business?” The Business Models vertical spans the fundamentals of any business or nonprofit idea.

Common Questions

Tools to know

Business model canvas
SWOT analysis
Ideal customer canvas

Business Compliance

If a business wants to contribute to or participate in the formal economy, what are the resources and knowledge they need to stay compliance with State and tribal entities?

Common Questions

  • A business might pay an independent contractor and an employee for the same or similar work, but there are key legal differences between the two. Worker classification also impacts how a business pay federal income tax, social security, and how you file your tax return. Here is the IRS distinction between employees vs. independent contractors.

  • Yes, any business conducting business on the reservation must register with the Navajo Nation. Always make sure you ask where the business is conducting their business to help advise on where they should register.

Tools to know

IRS Form 1023 for nonprofits
Articles of Incorporation/Organization
Build Navajo

Taxes

Understanding taxes when operating within Native communities is often confounding. Coaches need a baseline understanding of taxes that may be owed to State or Tribal entities.

Common Questions

  • Sales tax is a tax on the vendor for a transaction. The vendor typically passes the sales tax on to the customer. In this case, yes, the forprofit must pay sales tax on the transaction.

  • A W-2 (wage and tax statement) is provided by an employer to an employee that shows how much the employer paid the employee in a fiscal year, and the amount of taxes withheld from an employee’s pay.

    A 1099-MISC is provided by an employer to an independent contractor. If you receive a 1099, taxes were not withheld and you are liable for paying your own income tax. Typically, a business will ask a contractor to fill out a W-9 so that they can issue a 1099-MISC to the contractor.

  • No, they do not. Enrolled members of Native American tribes residing on reservation land are exempt from State taxes. However the employees must file a tax exemption form with their employer.

Tools to know

Navajo Tax Commission Form 100

Financials

The most common business challenge our alumni express is bookkeeping and accounting. All Coaches should have some basic tools and knowledge under her belt.

Common Questions

Tools to know

Wave, QuickBooks, or Excel
Cash flow

Fundraising

Many of the entrepreneurs in our network need working capital for equipment, materials, or invest in technology. The fundraising vertical includes loans and grants.

Common Questions

Tools to know

Nonprofit and for-profit budget
Financial statements

Marketing

Tuning your marketing efforts and designing a strong customer experience for a target customer are the key concepts of the marketing vertical.

Common Questions

Tools to know

Squarespace
Customer experience map
Social media analytics tools

Growth

Once a business or nonprofit has laid a foundation, they may begin to think about optimizing operations, hiring staff, creating inventory, establishing quality control, or building alliances.

Common Questions

Interpersonal Skills

Establishing trust with entrepreneurs we serve is critical. All coaches should develop their communication skills, their professionalism, and promote integrity.

Common Questions

Tools to know

SMART Goals
Dashboards

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Change Labs Book Club

As a small organization doing extraordinary work, we have the opportunity to do things differently.

Throughout October and November 2023, we’ll be reading and exploring alternative ways to build a thriving organization that values our individual and collective contributions. Here’s the syllabus.