VIROQUA - An initiative to help small businesses with financial consulting and loan assistance is available in Green and Lafayette counties.
The Healthy Credit Loan Initiative, offered by Southwest Wisconsin Small Business Development Center and the Wisconsin Women's Business Initiative Corporation, is a two-pronged approach for small-business success, pairing SBDC's financial consulting with WWBIC's loan assistance and business education, according to a news release.
The Wisconsin SBDC Network supports new and existing business owners through no-cost, confidential consulting and business education. WWBIC helps individuals who face barriers in accessing traditional financing or resources, primarily focusing on women, people of color and low-income individuals.
Brock Waterman, senior business consultant for the Southwest Wisconsin SBDC, and Julie Emslie, southwest rural business consultant at WWBIC, have collaborated three times in such a process already. This initiative aims to help business owners in rural communities increase their financial knowledge and strengthen their overall performance to boost business retention and expansion.
Frank Pivonka, who has grown Frank's Franks from a Chicago-style hot dog stand to a permanent location in Monroe, is one client who has benefitted from this team approach, according to the release.
Pivonka worked with the SBDC to understand his financial statements, realize what numbers were most important to his day-to-day business, focus on the most important business issues and create a plan to move forward. He then used this plan in consultation with WWBIC to apply for and secure a loan to provide working capital and pay off costly high-interest loans.
The initiative is currently available in Crawford, Grant, Green, Iowa, Lafayette and Richland counties. Interested individuals can register at http://tinyurl.com/SWWISBDC or contact Waterman at brock.waterman@uwex.edu or 608-574-1757.
The Wisconsin SBDC is hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Extension.
The Healthy Credit Loan Initiative, offered by Southwest Wisconsin Small Business Development Center and the Wisconsin Women's Business Initiative Corporation, is a two-pronged approach for small-business success, pairing SBDC's financial consulting with WWBIC's loan assistance and business education, according to a news release.
The Wisconsin SBDC Network supports new and existing business owners through no-cost, confidential consulting and business education. WWBIC helps individuals who face barriers in accessing traditional financing or resources, primarily focusing on women, people of color and low-income individuals.
Brock Waterman, senior business consultant for the Southwest Wisconsin SBDC, and Julie Emslie, southwest rural business consultant at WWBIC, have collaborated three times in such a process already. This initiative aims to help business owners in rural communities increase their financial knowledge and strengthen their overall performance to boost business retention and expansion.
Frank Pivonka, who has grown Frank's Franks from a Chicago-style hot dog stand to a permanent location in Monroe, is one client who has benefitted from this team approach, according to the release.
Pivonka worked with the SBDC to understand his financial statements, realize what numbers were most important to his day-to-day business, focus on the most important business issues and create a plan to move forward. He then used this plan in consultation with WWBIC to apply for and secure a loan to provide working capital and pay off costly high-interest loans.
The initiative is currently available in Crawford, Grant, Green, Iowa, Lafayette and Richland counties. Interested individuals can register at http://tinyurl.com/SWWISBDC or contact Waterman at brock.waterman@uwex.edu or 608-574-1757.
The Wisconsin SBDC is hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Extension.
