Larson Slade guided a small, federally-recognized tribe in strategizing its first 8a business. Working with the Chief, Assistant Chief, Tribal Administrator, and 8a committee, we educated the team on the complex application process; provided practical insight on tribal 8a realities; performed a detailed analysis of four domains with NAICS recommendations; surveyed key data points to update the tribe’s socioeconomic profile; recommended an enterprise structure and compliant infrastructure for federal 8a operations (e.g., Section 17, ownership, security requirements, pricing, recruiting, accounting, management and more); provided feedback on potential acquisition targets; established communications with SBA specialists; and suggested a two-year timeline specific to the tribe’s resources and abilities.