Beginning a business can be daunting. It involves a large amount of planning, a little bit of faith and hopefully, a bit of help along the way. Which is why the Green County Development Corporation wants to celebrate those who have taken the risk and created their own entrepreneurial endeavor.
And we want those within the city, residents and fellow business people, to help us celebrate those who create businesses in Green County. We invite all to a Celebration of Entrepreneurship on Nov. 13 at the Enterprise Center.
The Enterprise Center is located at 210 4th Avenue on the Blackhawk Technical College Campus in Monroe. Attendees may enter through the north door of BTC, across from Alp & Dell Cheese Store.
Networking will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a short presentation at 6 p.m. Cake and punch will be served.
As part of the merriment, we will be celebrating the graduation of seven brave souls and their partners and spouses, who are taking a leap to build their businesses by attending our Entrepreneurial Training Program classes every week for the last eight weeks. By graduation day, participants will have created high-quality business plans suitable for lender presentations under the guidance of our Small Business Development Center business consultants. They will have also gained valuable networking opportunities with presenters and classmates. Come ask them about their businesses.
Celebrate the 49 Green County businesses our Small Business Development Center business consultants have assisted over the past year. This group has created five new business starts, 21 new jobs, and raised nearly $700,000 in capital.
Four of these businesses will be spotlighted in short video presentations unveiled as part of the program: Cherri Bell from Twisted Tree Eatery in Monticello, Valerie Weber from Hagemann Trucking in Juda, Jen and Bryce Riemer from Riemer Family Farm near Brodhead and Erick Wells from Sniff N Fumes in Monroe.
If you’ve gone through the heart-wrenching process of starting or growing a business, we want to celebrate you.
Perhaps your business is growing and you need funding for an expansion or new equipment. Our business consultants can help you identify financing options and help you put together your financial package.
Perhaps your sales have slowed. We can help with marketing and sales growth planning. Perhaps you are struggling with how to best hire or manage your employees. Contact us for executive management consulting and human resources help. Perhaps you’d like to retire in the next few years and don’t want to lose all the assets from your business. Our consultants can help you develop a succession plan.
These results would not have been possible without funding from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, the William S. Knight Foundation and in-kind support from Big Radio.
— Cara Carper is executive director of Green County Development Corporation. She can be reached at cara.gcdc@tds.net.
