That's according to Tijeras resident Carolyn Hocke, the owner of One Stop Business Shop in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque. And that may be just what she's gotten, thanks to an initiative taken on by the Bernalillo County Office of Economic Development.

Hocke recently sat down with Jesse Lopez, a business development specialist with the county, and told him what her business could use to help carry it through tough economic times.

"What I got out of the meeting was that I had a voice out there and somebody to hear it," she said. "It keeps you from feeling like you are fighting this all by yourself."

Dan Gutierrez, the director for the county's economic development office, said an effort to go out and hear what businesses have to say has brought some surprising results.

"We've heard that this is the first time that government has really gone out to them and really listened," he said. "We're not going in there, saying, 'Here's government, there's the solution, here's your answer' … Instead, you tell us the problems. It's been very eye-opening."

One of the issues that came up was that although there are government programs available to help businesses, the mom and pop operations often don't have the time or the resources to "cut through the red tape," he said. While a larger company can hire a specialist to help them take advantage of tax incentives or other programs, it's not feasible for many small businesses to do so.

The Bernalillo County office is looking at ways of making the system easier to navigate, Gutierrez said.

One idea he mentioned was creating a Web site with information to aid small businesses, such as resources for microlending or a list of services provided by small businesses. He also talked about creating a phone number for information and business assistance similar to Albuquerque's 311 system. But they haven't finished gathering information, he said.

He and the other two employees at his office have met with 16 businesses throughout the county, he said, and are working their way through a list of large and small companies given to them by Bernalillo County commissioners. The information gathered will be part of the presentation at a business summit early next year, where they and the businesses that attend the meeting will lay the groundwork for a plan of action, according to a news release describing the project, which is called the Increment of 1 Initiative.

It's name refers to the ultimate goal of the project, according to Commissioner Art De La Cruz. He said if 500 businesses grow by one employee it will have the same net effect as one big company coming into the county.

In fact, the effect may even be greater than that, according to Gutierrez, who pointed out that while big businesses from outside New Mexico are great for the state, the profits from those businesses are often spent outside of New Mexico. Developing businesses based in New Mexico means that the business's profits will most likely be spent in New Mexico as well.

Rather than growing small businesses, right now things seem to be headed in the opposite direction, Hocke said. While she isn't laying off employees, she isn't replacing those who leave her company, either.

"We're using creative ways to keep the business going," she said.

Commissioner Michael Brasher said he supports the initiative, adding that there have already been too many jobs lost in New Mexico.

The state's construction industry alone reported 8,700 fewer jobs in September 2009 than in September 2008, while the unemployment rate in Albuquerque for the same month was 8 percent.

"It's clear that employment is critical," he said.

The business summit will be held on Jan. 13 at Albuquerque Studios. Call Jesse Lopez at 468-7000 for more information.