Business Resources Building a Business

Many of the firms in the seven-county region are small companies with fewer than 300 employees. The people who run these businesses are often looking for advice, networking possibilities and revenuegenerating opportunities.

MMAC offers a variety of small business services, including programming specifically tailored to the needs of small businesses, networking opportunities to help expand and strengthen contacts within the business community, and a legislative voice for companies that don’t necessarily have the resources to advocate on their own behalf. MMAC also helps minority and historically disadvantaged businesses through its affiliation with The Business Council, The African American Leadership Alliance Milwaukee and the Hispanic Collaborative

For companies seeking more in-depth engagement with their peers, MMAC’s Executive Roundtable Program provides confidential peer advisory boards for CEOs, CFOs and other senior executives to share best practices and resolve business challenges.

The Leadership Council, reserved for MMAC’s most engaged stakeholders, offers opportunities to make strategic connections and participate in discussions that will benefit both their companies and the community. mmac.org/leadershipcouncil

Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development

The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) is a state agency charged with delivering effective and inclusive services to meet Wisconsin’s diverse workforce needs, and advocates for the protection and economic advancement of all Wisconsin workers, employers, and job seekers. DWD’s primary responsibilities include providing job services, training and employment assistance to people looking for work, while simultaneously working with employers to find the necessary workers to fill current job openings. It delivers services through publicprivate partnerships, a statewide network of Job Centers, and online at JobCenterofWisconsin.com and dwd.wisconsin.gov

Technical Assistance

A wealth of technical assistance is available to startups and growing businesses throughout the Milwaukee Region. Some even offer customized coaching to help business owners address specific needs. Following is a listing of some of the programs that offer technical assistance.

WEDC: Coordinates and directs state resources to promote business startup, retention, expansion and attraction, including financial and technical assistance programs. wedc.org

BizStarts: A one-stop resource center that brings entrepreneurs together from all backgrounds, ethnicities and beliefs to create a collaborative learning environment. bizstarts.com

CEOs of Growing Businesses (CGB): Brings together entrepreneurs who operate businesses with consistent growth and annual revenues in excess of $3 million; provides monthly roundtables, educational forums and networking opportunities. mmac.org/roundtables-for-high-growthcompanies.html

Cybersecurity Center for Business: The Cybersecurity Center for Business at UW-Whitewater

Turbocharging Startups

The MMAC is committed to fostering a culture that promotes startups and entrepreneurs. It has created a dashboard to track regional startup and investment activity, as well as a dedicated website (MKEstartup.news) and “storyteller” to highlight success stories.

The region benefits from a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem with organizations devoted to helping startups, including BizStarts; MiKE; gener8tor; Scale Up Milwaukee, which recently launched SPARC, a growth-training program designed for businesses with revenue between $100,000 and $1 million; and Start in Wisconsin (startinwi.com), an online resource tool developed by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. Several incubators and shared officespace solutions have opened throughout the area. These efforts – combined with the city’s entrepreneurial spirit and networking organizations – have placed Milwaukee among the nation’s top 30 cities as a hub for startups.

is an online center that offers no-cost training to reduce or eliminate cyber risk. uww.edu/cobe/business-resources

Fiscal and Economic Research Center (FERC): Helps area businesses, local governmental agencies and not-for-profit organizations with economic research. uww.edu/cobe/businessresources

Marquette Law and Entrepreneurship Clinic: Offers free legal services to startup businesses and entrepreneurs, with a focus on clients who cannot afford qualified legal counsel. law.marquette.edu/community/marquette-lawand-entrepreneurship-clinic

Department of Neighborhood ServicesPermit & Development Center: Provides a primary point of contact for developers, contractors, businesses and homeowners undertaking development or construction projects within the city as well as a wealth of technical assistance to startups and growing businesses. Offers customized coaching to help business owners address specific needs; resources to design professionals, new business owners, developers and homeowners regarding the city approvals that may be required for business operations and/or construction goals; services, including preliminary plan reviews, zoning evaluations as well as plan review and permitting for occupancy permits, Board of Zoning Appeals referrals and all constructionrelated projects on private property. DPW-related permit processing for work within the Public R.O.W. also offered by DNS Tech Team. Phone: 414/286-8210. Email: developmentcenterinfo@milwaukee.com. https://city.milwaukee.gov/DNS/permits

SCORE Southeast Wisconsin: Volunteer business executives provide free and confidential small business advising, as well as classes on a wide variety of business-related topics. sewisconsin.score.org

707 Hub: Marquette University’s innovation space encourages a cross-disciplinary approach to solving problems. It also houses the Kohler Center for Entrepreneurship and the Social Innovation Initiative, which runs a free Boost program to help local social enterprises and businesses in the Near West Side of Milwaukee. marquette.edu/707-hub

Small Business Development Center (SBDC): The Wisconsin SBDC at UW-Whitewater is part of a statewide network supporting entrepreneurs and business owners through no-cost, confidential consulting and targeted educational programs. uww.edu/cobe/business-resources

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Small Business Development Center: The Center, in UWM’s School of Continuing Education, is a go-to resource for entrepreneurs and business owners. Helps to build strong frameworks for growing and improving small- and mid-sized companies while also helping launch successful new ventures. Provides free online training as well as no-cost, confidential consulting and education programs. https://uwm.edu/sce/program_area/ small-business-development-center/

U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA): Offers loan programs and technical assistance to businesses. sba.gov/wi

Waukesha County Technical College Small Business Center: Free one-on-one counseling, networking, classes, technical assistance and referrals for financial assistance. wctc.edu/smallbusiness

Wisconsin Innovation Service Center: Helps entrepreneurs research product feasibility, competitive intelligence, licensing/strategic partnering and distributor assessments. uww.edu/cobe/business-resources

WMEP Manufacturing Solutions: A non-profit, professional services firm that helps companies become more profitable and valuable. Experts work side-by-side with manufacturers to help them develop and implement solutions to their challenges in operational excellence, automation and technology, growth and strategy, human capital, certifications and standards, and sustainability initiatives. 608/240-1740. wmep.org

Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corp. (WWBIC): Assists individuals interested in starting, strengthening or expanding businesses by providing lending, business and financial wellness training, and one-on-one technical assistance. Services open to anyone, but primarily women, minorities, veterans and people of lower wealth. 414/263-5450. wwbic.com