Who it’s for
If you grow it, cook it, sew it or sell it, this is the program for you.
Growers
Small farms and backyard growers taking produce to market, and anyone working land in the valley.
Market traders
Vendors at the New Year and the swap meets who want to trade legally and keep proper books.
Business owners
Restaurants, shops and services, from a first licence to a second location.
Borrowers
Small Business Loans with Access Plus Capital, for growers and business owners who need capital.
Farmers going organic
Assistance for farmers in transition to organic farming.
The workshop series
Six sessions, run in Hmong and English.
1Getting licensedWhich permits a food, produce or retail seller needs in Fresno County, and how to file for them.
2Keeping the booksRecording sales and costs simply enough that you will actually keep it up.
3Taxes and payrollWhat is owed, when, and what changes once you hire your first person.
4Pricing and marginWorking out what a thing costs you before you decide what to sell it for.
5Getting to marketFarmers markets, swap meets, wholesale buyers and the New Year marketplace.
6Money to growMicroloans, grants and the paperwork a lender will ask for.
From the workshop to a booth
The point of the series is a business that can trade. The New Year marketplace is where most of them first do it, in front of the whole valley across four days.
- Get licensed in the sessions above
- Register for a booth — 1–30 Aug for existing vendors, 1–30 Sep for new
- Sell all four days, from 31 December to 3 January