Brad Poquette

On a Tuesday evening, they leave their day jobs and families behind. They gather – this week, there are 14 of them – in a small classroom on the UW-Eau Claire campus, toting binders, notebooks, and – most importantly – dreams. These dreams of forming new businesses or expanding existing ones will be examined, amended, and honed over the course of 10 weeks. Ideally, by the end of that time, the participants in the Entrepreneurial Training Program will have business models and plans on paper as well as the knowledge and confidence to either launch their new ventures or to dream up new ones.

Once each semester, the UW-Eau Claire Small Business Development Center presents the Entrepreneurial Training Program. As the program’s promotional materials explain, “Understanding the full scope of what it takes to start and run a small business is overwhelming. The Entrepreneurial Training Program is a resourceful set of classes designed specifically to help you develop a solid plan and learn what it takes to build a thriving business.” This semester’s participants include those hoping to pursue businesses ranging from drone photography and sports promotion to vehicle appraisal and music education. 

It was a great guidance to get me organized and focused. I don’t know how I would have done it without the help I got. – Carmi Simonson Animal hospital owner and entrepreneurial training program graduate

“The concept of the ETP and the lean startup model is increasing the chances companies will make it to the second stage,” explains Brad Poquette, a former executive and entrepreneur himself, who facilitates the class. In essence, the lean startup model focuses on putting a business idea in front of potential customers as soon as possible to test its viability. “Companies that fail don’t fail to produce an elegant service or product,” Poquette explains, “but inevitably (because) the customer doesn’t give a damn.” Using a tool such as business model canvas – a visual template that outlines what a business will deliver to customers, who those customers are, etc. – can help prevent costly, time-consuming mistakes for entrepreneurs.

Participants in the ETP complete both a business model and a more traditional, long-term business plan. “They’re both needed, but if you put the model before the plan, the plan becomes much more valuable,” Poquette said.

Poquette facilitates the class with the help of Luke Kempen, who directs the university’s Small Business Development Center, which provides no-cost services to new and growing businesses. Participants hear from guests with real-world expertise in topics such as financing, human resources, and legal issues.

On a recent Tuesday night, the guest was Mike Berry, a serial entrepreneur and founder of Superion Technology, an Eau Claire-based microchip design firm. Berry spoke about the mix of self-confidence and self-doubt that many entrepreneurs feel: They may be experts in a certain field, but they are unsure of themselves when it comes to launching a business. For example, Berry recounted how he and the fellow engineers who founded his first business, Silicon Logic Engineering, were asked early on about their exit strategy. “We all looked around the room and said, ‘What’s an exit strategy?’ ” he recalled.

Carmi Simonson, a graduate of last fall’s Entrepreneurial Training Program, can relate to such uncertainty. While she had a veterinary degree and 10 years of experience as a small-animal veterinarian, she had never taken a business class before she decided to open her own animal hospital last year. “I had no clue how to make a business plan or even how to approach a bank to ask for money to get us off the ground,” she said.

“It did highlight all of the things I didn’t know, but that’s what it’s for,” she said of the program. “It’s eye-opening.” Among other things, the program helped Simonson prepare financial projections for her new business as well as focus on marketing. Her business, Riverview Animal Hospital in Chippewa Falls, opened Dec. 1.

If she hadn’t taken part in the program, Simonson said, “I’m sure I would’ve made a lot more mistakes than the few that I have. It was a great guidance to get me organized and focused. I don’t know how I would have done it without the help I got.”

Poquette, the facilitator, knows that every Entrepreneurial Training Program graduate won’t become a superstar entrepreneur. (In fact, the class helps some participants realize their business goals aren’t viable, and thus saves them time and money.) However, he added, “What we’re trying to do is get a higher percentage of them to be successful.” More successful entrepreneurs means a better economy, more jobs – and, ultimately, more dreams realized.

The Entrepreneurial Training Program runs for 10 weeks during each fall and spring semester from 6:30-9:15pm Tuesday evenings. The course costs $1,000, but the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. will cover $750 of the price for those who complete business plans and take part in business plan counseling. To learn more contact the UW-Eau Claire Wisconsin Small Business Development Center at (715) 836-5811 or email ETP@uwec.edu.