ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Collaboration builds businesses
In 2006 the University of Wisconsin-Extension and a network of 85 partners reached more than 20,000 entrepreneurs with one-on-one business counseling and training. The Wisconsin Entrepreneurs' Network continues to expand its reach, helping to create value-added jobs and add more dollars to Wisconsin's economy.
Wisconsin might want to consider changing its slogan from "America's Dairyland" to "Wisconsin: Land of Entrepreneurs."
Eager entrepreneurs
According to a study of the state's entrepreneurial climate released in 2006, roughly half the adults in Wisconsin are thinking about starting or have started a business. "A Medium for Growth: The State of Entrepreneurship in Wisconsin," sponsored by the Wisconsin Department of Commerce, UW-Extension, the Edward Lowe Foundation and the U.S. Small Business Administration, reported the strikingly high figure after surveying 1,144 randomly selected households across the state last year. (See the report at www.wenportal.org.)
Small-business support
UW-Extension spurs entrepreneurial vitality and prosperity for Wisconsin communities through its division of Business and Manufacturing Extension. The division administers the statewide network of 12 SBDCs and three specialty business centers located on four-year UW campuses and the Wisconsin Entrepreneurs' Network (WEN). The SBDCs provide business assistance counseling and management-education programs. WEN provides seamless access to entrepreneurial resources and expertise from across Wisconsin both to spawn new ventures and help grow existing businesses.
Wisconsin Entrepreneurs' Network
Entrepreneurs and business owners can tap into the business knowledge of almost 90 WEN partners, which include public universities and technical colleges, state of Wisconsin departments, economic development corporations and many other organizations. Clients get timely answers to their questions and a quick start toward growth and long-term success.
WEN connects clients to services and information encompassing the following topics and more: determining whether to start a business; developing business plans; sources for financing, grants and angel investors; networking; inventors and entrepreneurs clubs; and training opportunities.
Favorable entrepreneurial climate
Debra Malewicki, interim director of Business and Manufacturing Extension who also serves as interim managing director for WEN, says the Wisconsin climate for entrepreneurship is favorable. "Wisconsin offers many financing packages, technical assistance programs and organizational support mechanisms, such as the SBDCs, incubators and network groups, to aid both fledgling and established enterprises. Together with the Small Business Administration and the Wisconsin Department of Commerce, WEN supports investment, development, research and funding for small businesses."
Success stories
Using resources they connected with through WEN, UW-Madison College of Engineering students Nick O'Brien, Chandler Nault and Mitch Nick are on the path to commercializing their innovative system to guide firefighters out of smoke-filled buildings. WEN Southwest Regional Director Ayla Annac helped them strengthen their business plan and is working with them to get their product to market.
Mike Teff (second from left; now retired) and his colleagues from the Madison Fire Department helped UW-Madison Engineering students (from left) Nick OÕBrien, Mitch Nick and Chandler Nault develop a transmitter-receiver system that helps guide firefighters out of smoke-filled buildings. Photo by David Nevala
Working together with various organizations including the UW-Madison SBDC, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) and the Wisconsin Department of Commerce, Annac helped the trio's company, FireSite, raise capital and further develop a business plan and financials.
"Ayla has also kept our minds open and not on a one-way track," says O'Brien. "It's important to know where you're going, but it's also important to keep your eyes open and realize there's always opportunity to go another direction."
Duane Lotting, founder and owner of Superior-based Empire Canvas Works, took the Entrepreneur Training Program (ETP) offered by the SBDC at UW-Superior, even though his business had been in operation for more than 12 years.
The mentoring he received throughout the process was phenomenal, says Lottig. "There were times we wanted to throw in the towel, and they encouraged us to keep at it. We wrote, rewrote and researched. By the end of the class, we had clarity about our business and who we were."
The plan that Lottig toiled over took first prize in the Superior/Douglas County Business Plan Contest.
Job-growth engine
"Entrepreneurial activity has become the most important job-growth engine of the economy," Malewicki says. "Through WEN, entrepreneurs and small businesses get access to expertise and stronger skills Ð a powerful combination that helps them better plan, manage and grow their businesses." —Ashwini Rao
One-stop help
By bringing diverse service providers together and sharing information and resources, the Wisconsin Entrepreneurs' Network (WEN) makes it easy for entrepreneurs and small-business owners across the state to access business-development help.
To contact WEN and learn more about the resources it provides: www.wenportal.org
WEN can also be reached through the Wisconsin Business AnswerLine 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday: (800) 940-7232