A conversation about the benefits of starting a tribal convenience store
September 29, 2021 · Bird Hudson
Starting a convenience store or gas station is a big lift. This article, written with the help of a seasoned tribal c-store operator, will get you started.
This article is a deep dive into how to open a convenience store and how to open a gas station in a general sense. But below we are also going to look very closely at how this process plays out in a tribal context (i.e. how to start a tribal c-store). For that portion of the article, we reached out to an expert.
We spoke with Tony Liberal, the Director of Operations for the Nisqually Markets based in Frederickson, WA. Tony is also the Vice-Chairperson for the Tribal Convenience Store Association (TCSA) Board. Tony shared from his own experience the reasons why tribes should consider opening a convenience store. The Nisqually Market chain is operated by the Nisqually Tribe in Western Washington.
Overview: How to Open a Convenience Store or Gas Station
Tony provided detailed, in-depth insights into the world of tribal c-stores: how to start a convenience store, what a convenience store costs, and how to run a convenience store. Bonus: Tony also talks about how the Tribal Convenience Store Association (TCSA) plays a role in supporting tribal convenience stores across the nation.
But to kick things off, let’s go over the TL; DR version of starting a convenience store in the general market. Many of the concepts here will apply to tribal c-stores too, so this is universally helpful foundational information.
Determine Your C-Store’s Concept
The initial steps to success for opening a convenience store are often made overly technical: find a location, get your licenses, secure funding, draw up plans, build, and set up an accounting system. While those elements are crucial to operating a successful c-store business, conceptual planning should be taken just as seriously.
First and foremost, ask yourself the following questions: What do I envision for this convenience store? Is my ideal layout feasible? Do I want to sell gas? Liquor? Tobacco? Lottery tickets? All the above or some combination? How do I want to stand out? What am I going to do that makes my store unique, a destination, or an experience? And finally, does my idea make sense for the area I am planning to develop on? That last question is where concept gives way to more technical steps.
Find a C-Store Location
Before acquiring a feasibility study, it is good practice to identify possible locations for your c-store. Reflect on determining factors like your anticipated core customer demographics, the size and look of your building, what you plan to sell, and how much retail, storage, and lot/fueling space you’ll need. A rough estimate is fine here, the feasibility study will refine your needs and expectations. When choosing a city or state, it is important to do your research- even if you’ve lived there your whole life. Speak to other small businesses and convenience stores in the area and get your wheels turning about what neighborhood your store would do well in with regards to need and competition. Once you have decided on a city, and chosen an area or neighborhood within the city you are interested in, it is time to identify specific sites that accommodate your parameters. Are you looking to renovate an existing retail space? Or build from the ground up? Do you want a corner lot for easy access to your gas station? Or are you only opening a storefront and thus happy to be sandwiched between other buildings? What price point are you looking for in a lease? All these factors and more play into the size, location, and type of your site. Identifying these possibilities is the first step, followed by a feasibility study that will provide information on the possible site’s customer attraction power, the nature of competition, accessibility, zoning regulations, sales and traffic prospects, and much more to help you decide on a final location.
Get a Convenience Store Feasibility Study
After you know what your dream convenience store looks like, who it serves, and ideally where it’s located, it’s time to hire an expert to conduct a feasibility study. The results will provide insights such as median income in nearby areas, traffic counts, neighboring communities, competition of stores in the area, and more. Equipped with this information, you can avoid over or underbuilding your store and make educated decisions on what to sell. Remember: accumulating information is the best initial investment you can make towards your fuel and convenience store’s success.
Create Your Convenience Store Business Plan
A feasibility study will also inform your business plan: identifying your startup and ongoing costs, your target market, and a reasonable product price range. Other aspects of your business plan, such as branding, business name, and store layout are up to you and your preferences. Just do not forget to double-check your state’s business records, trademark records, social media platforms, and web domain availability before settling on a name.
Equipped with a feasibility study, an informed business plan, and a business license, you are well on your way! Next come technical steps such as securing funding (out of pocket or from a bank grant/loan), applying for necessary vendor licenses (i.e. to sell liquor/tobacco), opening a business bank account, designing and building your store, securing marketing materials, hiring employees, setting up an accounting system, and stocking the shelves. We encourage you to hire professionals as you see fit to complete any of these tasks: getting them done well the first time will make a world of difference.
Form a Business Entity
After you have developed a feasibility study and a business plan, you’re all set to form a business entity. This involves choosing between four kinds of registrations: sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, or Limited Liability Company (LLC). For “Mom & Pop” corner stores, the most common registration is as a sole proprietorship, where an individual or married couple are the lone owners of the business. Sole proprietorship has many benefits, such as being easy to start and operate, management flexibility, reduced legal restrictions, and fewer tax requirements. The main downside is scarce liability protection: all the responsibility for the business is on you as the owner. That responsibility is shared with another individual in a partnership, but you also share decision-making capabilities and profits. Corporations are owned by their shareholders, meaning that personal liability for owners is mitigated in exchange for some profits. LLCs are owned by one or more individuals and combine limited liability protection with a pass-through tax structure (not subject to the corporate income tax or any other entity-level tax).
Research your options thoroughly and make an informed decision based on your state, family, and risk comfortability.
Get a Business License
‘Business license’ can refer to various licenses and permits, but it is essentially a document issued by the local government that grants permissions and legitimacy for a business to operate. In this case, we are referring specifically to a business operating license.
As a convenience store, you may need to pursue separate business licenses on the state, county, and city levels. Additionally, if you choose to sell alcohol or tobacco, you will be required to obtain a sales license.
Business licenses can cost anywhere from $50 to hundreds of dollars depending on your location, and you will have to pay additional renewal fees before the license’s renewal date.
Acquiring a business license differs state by state. However, every state has online resources to aid in the process. The basic steps consist of investigating local regulations and determining what licenses you require, completing and submitting necessary application paperwork, waiting to receive approval, and lastly, renewing your license if it expires in the future. Make sure to budget in enough time to complete your business license before opening your convenience store.
Gather Funds
Obtaining funding can occur anytime in the very beginning stages of developing your c-store. How you choose to fund your convenience store and gas station has important implications for its structure and future success.
The first step in the funding process is to calculate your startup costs and determine your desired amount. Consider the expenses of equipment and supplies, communications, utilities, licenses and permits, insurance, accounting, inventory, employee salaries, advertising and marketing, market research, construction costs, and even making a website to create an estimate for startup costs (it’s always better to round up.) Add up clearly defined costs and then consult online resources and nearby small businesses to gain an understanding of costs for less certain expenses. Then create a formal report of your expected startup costs that is comprehensible for investors and lenders to understand both the necessary initial investment and projected revenue.
Your options for funding are to self-fund, get venture capital from investors, crowdfund, or get a small business loan.
‘Bootstrapping,’ or self-funding can take the form of turning to friends and family for capital, using your own savings or utilizing your 401k. The benefits of self-funding are having complete control over your c-store and gas station, but it also entails complete financial risk assumption and liability. It is best to exercise financial caution should you pursue this option.
Getting venture capital from investors involves an exchange of funds for ownership share and often an active role in the business. The process consists of finding an investor, sharing your business plan, completing a due diligence review, working out terms, and obtaining the investment. Funds from ‘angel investors’ often come in rounds- meaning that as the company grows and meets predetermined milestones, further finances are made available. Be prepared to indefinitely cede a portion of control and ownership in exchange for these funds.
Crowdfunding refers to raising funds for a business from many people. They are not investors, as they do not receive a share of company ownership for their contribution. Instead, crowd funders expect a thank-you present in return for their investment, often a product you sell in your convenience store or special perks. Crowdfunding is low risk- you maintain complete control over your store and are usually exempt from any legal accountability to your crowd funders (read the fine print on your crowdfunding platform of choice).
The last and most typical option for a convenience store is to get a small business loan. This will allow you to maintain full control over your store and gas station without dipping into your savings. Prepare to ask for a loan by making a formal business plan, expense sheet, and financial projections. Equipped with these materials, contact banks and credit unions to request a loan, compare offers, and then full steam ahead!
Open a Business Bank Account
Before opening your business bank account, make sure to acquire your federal EIN, or Employer Identification Number. The EIN functions much like a personal social security number and allows your c-store to pay state and federal taxes.
After you have obtained your business license, funding, and EIN, it is time to open an official business bank account. This includes a checking account, savings account, credit card account, and lastly a merchant services account, which allows you to accept credit and debit card transactions. These accounts will help keep you legally compliant by separating personal and business finances, as well as benefit your customers and employees. Use your savings account to plan for taxes by setting aside at least 25% of your income.
It is necessary to open a business bank account for your convenience store for reasons of personal liability protection, professionalism, preparedness with a line of credit for the store, and even purchasing power from your credit card account that can go towards large startup purchases.
Set up Accounting
Opening a separate business bank account is the first step to setting up your convenience store’s accounting system. Next comes the nitty-gritty: tracking expenses, bookkeeping, payroll, your salary, sales tax procedures, tax obligations, calculating the gross margin, finding accounting partners and/or accounting software, and more. It is important to thoroughly explore your options and understand what will function best for c-store needs: accounting must be done right from day 1.
The first decision to be made is whether to utilize the accrual or cash accounting method. The accrual method means immediately recording transactions, whereas cash accounting only records exchanges after they are technically received (think about the delay when you cash a check). There are benefits and drawbacks to both methods, but c’est la vie! Figure out which method you’ll prefer long-term by investigating online and speaking with other gas station and convenience store owners.
Begin by simply keeping track of any and all expenses- whether they be for business dinners, travel, or vendors. This practice enables you to measure your store’s growth, accumulate financial statements, track deductibles, file accurate tax returns, and legitimize your finances. It’s good practice to develop a system for all your expenses- that’s where bookkeeping comes in.
Bookkeeping is the process of logging all debit and credit transactions, often summarized as “accounts payable and account receivable.” The result is a ‘general ledger’ or a record of every transaction your store makes. Daily, bookkeeping entails tracking all payments and purchases and balancing the books (aka adding up all credits and all debts and finding equilibrium). Then every week, you will want to analyze your cash flow statement in addition to reviewing any new or variable expenses. Every month will entail looking at a ‘business snapshot’ or looking back at all the financial trends from your convenience store to get an idea of its projection. This can quickly become a time-consuming and complicated task. For that reason, many small businesses choose to utilize accounting software, and sometimes an in-house or remote bookkeeper.
If you choose to hire a certified public accountant (CPA), a bookkeeper, or install online accounting software, make sure that they can manage your convenience store’s accounts receivable, accounts payable, available cash, bank reconciliations, and payroll. The benefit of a CPA is that they offer a more tailorable service than software and are highly educated with more certifications than a bookkeeper but are more costly. Bookkeepers, whether in-house or remote, provide basic day-to-day accounting functions and insights. Both a CPA and a bookkeeper would comparatively save time compared to self-directed accounting software but are a higher expense (maybe ask: what is your time worth? Is it less or more than the price of hiring help?). Ultimately, your decision should depend on your personal preferences as well as your store’s needs. The good news is that you can alternate methods as needs change with the scale of your store and other factors.
In summary, do your research, consult with peers, stay organized, and seek help as you need it. Accounting will become second nature with time.
Hire and Pay Employees
In a customer-service-oriented industry such as convenience stores, who you hire is crucial to your store’s success. That said, you must develop a payroll system before you begin recruiting employees.
Equipped with your federal EIN, you can find out whether you need state or local tax IDs. From there, you can ensure that any new hires are supplied with and return a completed W-4 (employer withholding certificate for federal taxes). The next steps are to schedule pay periods and coordinate tax withholding for the IRS, create a compensation plan for holidays, vacation, and leave, choose an internal or external payroll service and decide who is responsible for managing it. After your convenience store begins operation, maintenance will involve filing records and reporting payroll taxes quarterly and annually.
The next phase is employee recruitment, which will likely involve posting applications to LinkedIn and other job sites, word of mouth referrals from friends and family, and even a good old-fashioned window sign.
As you begin to receive applications, make sure to identify what qualities and qualifications you want from your employees. Common qualifications for convenience store hires include past customer service experience, ability to use a register, and sometimes a high school education or the equivalent. Desired qualities are subjective, but often include characteristics such as outgoing, hard-working, responsible, and being a team player.
Sift through applications and schedule introductory calls or first interviews. Then narrow down applicants and interview the finalists before making formal job offers to your top picks. Try to form a team that possesses a variety of skills and cohesive personalities.
Select your Products and Vendors
Making product and vendor selections for your c-store is an ongoing process, but there are some primary considerations and decisions to be made.
Typical product categories for fuel and convenience stores include dairy products, dry and canned goods, meats and produce, sweets and snacks, drinks and alcohol, over-the-counter medication, and miscellaneous products such as tobacco, cleaning supplies, car accessories, and camping/emergency equipment like batteries, flashlights, and first aid kits. How you choose to stock your shelves will depend on local needs and preferences, opportune deals and geographic proximities to vendors, as well as the image you are trying to create for your store (ie all-organic options, all local, specialty products, outdoorsy).
Finding the right distributor or vendor for your convenience store is a more sequential process. Start by determining the needs of your c-store and gas station. What products do you want to sell? At what profit? How often will you need deliveries and restocking? From there you can evaluate your distributor options. Compile a list of all possible vendors for each desired product type, then evaluate each one based on your preferred criteria and rank them. Criteria could include geographic location and reach, delivery capacity, product quality, reputation, production practices, price, core values, and more. Ensure that any deal makes business and personal sense- do not enter a contract with an individual or company that is incompatible with your store’s values and operations. Once you’ve selected your top pick(s), reach out and pursue a deal. With luck, it will become a long-lasting and mutually beneficial relationship.
Convenience Store Costs
In terms of start-up costs for a convenience store, well, it varies. On the low end, taking over a small existing retail space and opening a convenience store could cost just $50,000, and opening a gas station could be as low as $300,000. But it’s a completely different story to build a convenience store from the ground up, brand and market it, set up your vendor contracts, hire staff, and more. An elaborate convenience store built from scratch that included a land purchase as well as facilities such as a carwash, coffee shop, and electric charging stations were cited to cost $7.8 million. High startup costs are to be anticipated especially if your convenience store will be selling fuel. See more below on how to open a gas station. The process is relatively costly due to leasing or building an appropriate space, decorations and furnishing, and setting up technology. It can oftentimes require hiring an architect and/or a design team. And depending on your business plan, the startup costs to installing technology- such as payphones and gasoline pumps in addition to equipment like lottery ticket machines require additional investments. Finally, before introducing your shiny new c-store to the public, you’ll need to pay out of pocket for your first round of inventory, and in the case of a gas station, fuel.
Luckily, your startup costs are the steepest hill to climb. After establishing that foundation, much of your ongoing costs will involve a monthly lease, utilities, stocking inventory, and paying employees. Inventory tends to be the most expensive ongoing cost, accounting for 70% of monthly spending.
If the startup and ongoing costs feel daunting, don’t despair: convenience stores are profitable entities, with average annual gross profits of $450,000. Keep in mind that convenience stores are uniquely situated to markup many items 11-20% higher than a local or large grocery because customers are paying for the convenience of shopping at a smaller, hassle-free location. There are also endless opportunities to improve your profits, mainly by finding ways to reduce costs and boost spending. The former can be done by scaling hours of operation appropriately and moderating energy use/inventory. The latter, producing additional profits, relies on creating more ‘conveniences’ for your customers: drive-through cafes, an ATM, a postal drop-off site, a car wash, a tire pump station, electric car charging ports.
Pump Profit: How to Open a Gas Station
Opening a gas station is similar to the process of opening a convenience store and is often done in tandem. It involves acquiring an advantageous location (with a high traffic count, ideally near a highway), paying steep start-up costs for installation and fuel, and then maintaining fuel inventory and machine functionality as needed. However, opening a gas station involves some major considerations and steps that are not necessary for a stand-alone convenience store, such as securing a gas supplier contract, environmental contingency clauses, and several additional permits and licenses. One key decision to be made is whether to go with branded fuel (e.g., 76, Shell, Chevron) or brand your own gas. We will discuss the pros and cons of branded vs. unbranded fuel as pertains to tribal c-stores further below. Whether you go with branded fuel or choose to create your brand, you will need to secure that fuel from a distributor.
Choosing a fuel distributor involves the same process as that described in ‘Select your Products and Vendors’ above. Keep in mind that the cost of replenishing fuel is steep and amasses rapidly. Expect to pay $50-$70 per every 20 gallons of fuel. Research different local wholesale providers and compare rates to maximize your profits. If working with a franchise, find out who their preferred vendor for gas supply is. It’s good practice to have an attorney review your franchise agreement and/or your station’s gas supplier contract.
If you’re buying the property and there are existing tanks and pumps, be sure to confirm ownership rights that come with the sale before finalizing your purchase agreement. In addition, research the equipment’s repair history or hire an inspector to assess its value before the sale. Include an environmental contingency clause in your purchase agreement to conduct more investigation on the property’s environmental history after signing- if you discover unfavorable findings this clause will allow you to withdraw from the sale and regain your deposit unscathed.
We have discussed permits and licenses in the context of alcohol and liquor sales, but there are guidelines to be aware of for fuel sales as well. Again, they vary state to state so do your due diligence to ensure your bases are covered. In general, you will need to obtain permits for fire and tank inspections, water discharge, and a motor fuel outlet license. All these steps are well worth it to ensure that you can safely make significant profits from your gas station.
Open to the Public
Opening a convenience store and gas station is a cause for celebration! And it’s your party so the decision between a soft and/or a grand opening is up to you. A soft opening is typical of restaurants and provides a chance to practice and train staff before opening to the public. This trial-run opening is invitation-only, and most stores will only invite friends, family, and sometimes local media to the event. On the other hand, a grand opening is a large social event to introduce the business to the community. It should include promos, activities, media, and a press release. Choose between the two openings as you please or hold both to gain the practice benefits from a soft opening and the publicity and exposure benefits from the grand opening.
Why Open a Tribal Convenience Store?
North American Tribes are primarily known for one enterprise: casinos. But convenience stores offer tribes a wealth of opportunities to diversify their income, create community gathering spaces, and even share their culture on and off-reservation.
The unique benefits of opening a tribal c-store include factors like strengthening community, providing funding, and highlighting native culture in addition to specific financial and logistical advantages like comparatively lower or nonexistent taxes, relaxed license restrictions, and other lowered hurdles — particularly when a c-store is constructed on native land or a reservation site.
How-Tos of Starting a Tribal C-Store
Starting a tribal c-store is similar to the general process detailed above, but with several key distinctions. As discussed above, we will be drawing from our conversation with Tony Liberal to detail those differences.
When starting a tribal convenience store, the first recommended step is coming up with a business plan and acquiring a feasibility study. Tony champions these steps but also emphasizes the importance for tribes to think through how they want their convenience store or stores to support the needs of their communities.
For example, Tony’s tribe, the Nisqually Tribe, resides in the state of Washington. Washingtonian tribes can make a compact with Washington State that allows their locations to generate fuel tax revenue for the tribe. As sovereign entities, tribes get to decide how to allocate their fuel taxes. The Nisqually Tribe allocates their tax revenue to infrastructure and tribal support such as building roads, community buildings, and funding programs.
Native-run convenience stores are also an opportunity for tribes to economically diversify, and reduce their reliance on casinos, something that became very important during the pandemic. Retail has become a significant financial contributor to the Nisqually tribe. Tony also mentioned that while convenience stores are a means of differentiation, tribal c-stores can choose to partner with their tribe’s casinos in the form of mutually beneficial referral and loyalty programs to bring in new customers.
Challenges Facing Tribal Convenience Stores
The startup difficulty for tribal convenience stores is not significantly more challenging than the general market — they’re just different. The main consideration is dependent on state regulations. Some states only allow tribes to build on their reservation and/or trust land. For other tribes, they may be allowed to build off-reservation, but prefer to keep the store on reservation land or nearby native settlings to use as a community resource and gathering place. For tribes like Nisqually, it made business sense to also expand into surrounding non-reservation areas.
Other unique challenges include the scale of resources for native stores. If tribes are paying out of pocket or looking to mainly employ tribe members, that places restrictions on the feasible scale and grandeur of the project. Similarly, the lack of corporate structure and resources can make it difficult to find compatible vendor partners, architects, and design teams. These issues are among the many that our convenience store association, TCSA, seeks to address with our national network of vendor partners ranging from food and fuel providers to architects and design teams — all of whom become resources to TCSA members.
Since tribes face similar obstacles to entry, it makes sense to network with one another. The Nisqually Tribe joined TCSA many years ago and encouraged Tony to take full advantage of the networking opportunities the association provides. Tony credits people he met through TCSA with teaching him the ins and outs of running successful c-stores, something he now pays forward.
The Role of TCSA: Tribes Helping Tribes
The Tribal Convenience Store Association or TCSA is a tribal-led association bringing tribes together across state and reservation lines to network, share best practices, and form profitable vendor partnerships in the name of tribal c-store success. Their mission statement is “tribes helping tribes,” a sentiment they embody through an extensive cross-tribal peer network, educational content, partnership resources, and the exchange of best practices.
Tony highlighted elements of his work with TCSA over the past 5 or so years such as participating in making TCSA a national association and bringing in impactful educational content to conferences. He described conferences as the epitome of ‘tribes helping tribes,’ wherein members and vendor partners “get together and talk, share best practices, get to know one another and form beneficial relationships.” Tony described this network as the “strongest pillar TCSA has,” detailing his own experience being invited out to look at stores, the sharing of excellent vendor partners who are adept at working with tribes, and his role in volunteering his time and expertise to advising other tribes. According to Tony, “everyone in TCSA is very extroverted,” and with a smile, “they like to meet up in person, they want to know how you’re doing, what you’re up to.”
TCSA members support one another by coming out to grand openings, visiting one another’s sites, and even taking advantage of combined purchasing power to make significant deals with vendors- the king example being beer purchases with Budweiser during the Super Bowl. All the above result not only in an increased sense of community but also higher revenue for tribal convenience stores.
Tony’s successful network of stores, the Nisqually Markets, uses vendors who have a direct partnership with TCSA because they “understand the ins and outs of tribes and tribal business.” This invaluable institutional knowledge creates a catapulting effect for new tribal store sites and for expanding existing networks. Working with trusted, pre-vetted vendors and partners is just one significant benefit of many to joining TCSA. But keep in mind that TCSA is
not
a consulting firm- they are an organization sharing best practices, many of which are detailed below.
Best Practices for Starting and Running a Tribal C-Store
Some best practices for tribal convenience stores have to do with specific advantages such as tax and license exceptions. Tony explained that fuel and convenience stores built on reservation land oftentimes don’t have to pay property taxes to the state. In addition, some tribal c-stores are exempt from paying excise and so-called “sin taxes” (taxes placed on specific goods like fuel, tobacco, and alcohol). Networking with TCSA can help tribes learn how to take advantage of these opportunities. Real profit can come from understanding the complexities between states and the on-versus-off-reservation regulations.
Tony made a point that every state is different, and thus every tribe has different needs and understandings. Some are compact states, wherein the tribe enters a legally binding agreement with the state. Some tribes choose not to utilize fuel, and not all take advantage of excise/sales/sin tax exemptions. Ultimately every tribe works with their area to do what is best for them- some choose to sell liquor, others don’t. Some price their fuel competitively, some choose branded fuel, others only supply their fuel. And some tribes, like Nisqually, offer both unbranded and branded fuel. The options for best practices are endless and tailorable to every tribe in every state. Conversations with other member tribes at TCSA events serve to help every tribe identify what is most advantageous for them.
A shared best practice to running a successful tribal c-store is a strategy of uniqueness and differentiation. That said, every tribe adopts a different approach. Establishing uniqueness begins with location, naming, and brand and continues into architecture, decoration, products, services, and the overall customer experience. All of which are a means for tribes to express native pride with their store locations.
For example, the Nisqually Tribe’s differentiating trademark is red canopy roofs. Many other tribal stores have such architectural features in common, such as big timber canopies, red tin roofs, and pitched ceilings. Tony proudly remarked that a lot of the tribes he works with put a lot of effort into ensuring that their stores are aesthetically pleasing, with cohesive color schemes and beautiful tribal touches like artwork, decals, and branding. These details are intended to make tribal c-stores and groceries destination spots, where you can get niche native products, authentic food, beautiful artwork, and more. (Tony offhandedly mentioned ‘Indian tacos and fry bread’ and we haven’t stopped thinking about it since!)
Other best practices include hiring strategies. Tony champions hiring from within the tribe first and seeking hardworking, outgoing individuals who want a long-term future with the store. This practice is beneficial to the tribal community, providing jobs and a source of revenue directly to tribe members. Tony identifies tribal gas and convenience stores as really investing in their employees compared to general c-stores. Stores in the TCSA network tend to offer competitive pay, superior benefits, education, and training, as well as incentives like tuition reimbursement and additional training in management and customer service.
TCSA provides in-depth training on all of these best practices in addition to providing the support and resources to make it all possible. To learn more about TCSA and its mission of “tribes helping tribes” visit their website and explore free educational materials.
