University of Wisconsin - Extension

MADISON, Wis. – July 13, 2005 – Erica Kauten, state director of the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at the University of Wisconsin-Extension, testified today before the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Small Business.

Invited to testify by Rep. Donald Manzullo, chairman of the committee, Kauten represented not only the University of Wisconsin, but also the national Association of Small Business Development Centers. She spoke in support of legislation that would create a four-year pilot program to coordinate peer-learning opportunities for second-stage small businesses.

Kauten spoke about Wisconsin’s success with the PeerSpectives Network, which is the first and only public peer networking program in the United States. In its first year, that innovative program has enrolled more than 100 Wisconsin firms.

“Peer learning, in the broadest terms, simply means learning from others who share similar responsibilities, goals, problems and opportunities. In the context of PeerSpectives, peer learning means gaining knowledge and insight through interaction with other second-stage business owners, CEOs and presidents,” Kauten explained.

“As they gain experience in operating a growing company, many entrepreneurs discover the value of such interaction. It provides opportunities to share experiences, to solve problems, to think through opportunities and to give—and accept—a special kind of support they can find nowhere else,” she added.

While business people regularly enjoy peer-learning interactions that occur as chance meetings at social events or other meetings, Kauten spoke about the importance of a formalized, facilitated process of interaction among participants in peer-learning roundtable discussions.

“By gathering in small groups in a roundtable setting, entrepreneurs receive several benefits from each other: relevant knowledge and experience, objective input, accelerated learning and the perspective needed for better decision-making,” Kauten testified. “As a result, they make emotional and intellectual breakthroughs that enable them to become better leaders, strategists, decision-makers and problem solvers.”

The Wisconsin SBDC includes 13 campus-based centers plus the Wisconsin Innovation Service Center (WISC) at UW-Whitewater, the Center for Advanced Technology and Innovation at UW-Parkside and the Center for Innovation and Development at UW-Stout. Coordination is provided by a state administrative office at UW-Extension in Madison.

As one of the first in the nation, the Wisconsin SBDC has operated continuously since its inception in 1979. With the University of Wisconsin-Extension as its host institution, the SBDC now operates with a broad base of partner support. This includes the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), 13 UW System campuses, the Wisconsin Department of Commerce, the Wisconsin Technical College System, SCORE, Wisconsin Women's Centers, community based organizations and many other local and statewide partners.

The Wisconsin PeerSpectives Network began in the summer of 2004. In this program, business presidents and CEOs participate in facilitated roundtables, which provide valuable opportunities to tap into the collective wisdom of business peers on topics such as finance, employee relations, legal compliance, marketing and advertising, accessing new markets, production, and personal isolation. The group members are committed to confidentiality, sharing, accountability, and dispassionate analysis.

The peer groups are composed of eight to 12 non-competing business owners who gather for confidential sharing of experiences and challenges approximately 10 times over a 12-month period. The peer-to-peer exchanges enhance the decision-making processes, critical for owners who want to improve their already established companies.

Each Wisconsin PeerSpectives Network roundtable is led by a facilitator trained by the Edward Lowe Foundation. Full tuition is $1,500 for 12 months. The Governor’s PeerSpective Scholarship Program provides 75 percent of the cost of the first year of tuition. Scholarships are awarded to CEOs or owners when they are selected for first-year participation. Entrepreneurs are expected to cover the full cost of their participation in subsequent years.

“The Wisconsin Department of Commerce, the University of Wisconsin-Extension, the Wisconsin Technical College System, the Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation and other small business organizations are collaborating in a unique way that more closely aligns the state’s business development strengths with second-stage company needs,” Kauten said.

More information:

http://www.wisconsinsbdc.org/peerspectives