Everything you need to work smart at Change Labs

Meet your team

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!

  • Tim Deel

    tim@nativestartup.org
    is a coach on the Kinship Lending borrowers requesting more than $50k, former lending broker

  • Stacy Thacker

    stacythack@gmail.com
    Contracted journalist who drafts change makers all posts, press releases, and manages press distribution

  • Onawa Haynes

    hozhonigoconsulting@gmail.com
    Contracted grant writer supporting grant reporting and leading organizational evaluation.

  • Lauren Groesbeck

    laureng@hozhonigo.com
    Contracted grant writer working with Onawa on our grants writing, grant reporting, and sponsorship development.

  • Keith Grosbeck

    creative@oddestage.com
    Is available to edit Learning Labs, recorded trainings, and workshop videos. Approx $300 for editing,

  • Sheyenne Lacy

    sheyenne@hodzamanagement.com
    Founder of Hodzo.Mngmt, contracted to support our social media content creation

Our 2026 work plan

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

View the work plan

We are a tough team of 7 offering the following to entrepreneurs

  • Entrepreneurship Training

    We all coach, create workshops, and build resources to builds generational entrepreneurs and foster businesses ready for financing.

  • Kinship Lending

    We offers a first-of-its kind kinship-based loans up to $1M for Navajo entrepreneurs and up to $10,000 for Hopi entrepreneurs

  • E-ship Support

    We provide modern and friendly workspaces, events, and networking opportunities to strengthen bonds and collaboration between the e-ship community.

Designing initiatives or programs?

Designing your program for the needs of our community is how we respect, show generosity, and demonstrate reciprocity for Native entrepreneurs who work tirelessly to build an Indigenous economy. When designing something new or rebooting something from the past, always start with our process.

START HERE

Traveling for your program? 

Use this button if booking accommodations creates a financial hardship. Review all of our travel & reimbursements policies here in the Employee Handbook.

BOOK HOTELS

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.

Log your Coaching session in Hubspot

and click here to revisit our Coaching procedures and checkout the HubSpot Help Center for troubleshooting, tips, and resources.

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

  1. What is the difference between mission & vision?

  2. What is the target customer for my business and how am I serving their needs?

  3. What are the main components of a solid business plan?

  4. how do I research my market?

  5. How do I articulate my value proposition?

Tools to know

Business model canvas
SWOT analysis
Ideal customer canvas

Legal Startup & 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

  1. How do I know whether to register with the Navajo nation versus the US state?

  2. Is there a benefit to registering with the Navajo nation?

  3. Do I need to register my business if I'm a sole proprietor?

  4. What is the statutory agent?

  5. How do I apply for an EIN without a physical address?

  6. How do I know whether to classify someone as an employee or a contractor?

  7. How do I choose between a nonprofit and for-profit model?

Tools to know

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

Navigating Navajo

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

  1. What taxes am I liable for on and off the reservation?

  2. Is the sales tax rate the same across the Navajo nation?

  3. If I run a mobile or online business, who do I pay taxes to?

  4. How do I pay taxes on the Navajo nation?

  5. If a New Mexico for-profit company provides the service to an Arizona nonprofit, does the company pay sales tax on that transaction?

  6. Do my employees on the Navajo Nation withhold state taxes?

  7. Access land for a business on the reservation?

Tools to know

Navajo Tax Commission Form 100

Money Management

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

Capital Access

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

  • Item description

Tools to know

Nonprofit and for-profit budget
Financial statements

Customers & Sales

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

Common Questions

  • Item description

Tools to know

Squarespace
Customer experience map
Social media analytics tools

Operations & Systems

Once a business or nonprofit has laid a foundation, they may begin to think about optimizing operations, establishing quality control, and creating a reliable and repeatable process for delivering their product or service.

Common Questions

  • Item description

  • Item description

Leading People

Focuses on decision-making, communication, accountability, and managing relationships with employees, partners, and contractors. It is the practice of guiding people and creating the conditions for a business to succeed.

Common Questions

  • Item description

  • Item description

  • Item description

Tools to know

SMART Goals
Dashboards

Skip to Videos

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.