Entrepreneurship Bootcamp Cohort 4

Entrepreneurship Bootcamp Cohort 4 is in progress with 8 EITs meeting in Milwaukee on Wednesday evenings and online Saturday mornings. Diana taught two classes recently about meaningful apologies, the power of a promise, and time management. In addition, 3 EIT alumni joined the group to share about their experiences and encourage them. People with criminal […]

First Wisconsin EITs Graduate

On June 9, Lightning Leah of Fond du Lac County and Wild Card Willie of Jackson County became the first Entrepreneurs in Training (EIT) to graduate from Bootcamp. Participating with Defy Illinois via Zoom, they successfully completed all the coursework in the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp. The Business Pitch Showcase was their opportunity to articulate their business […]

Extension Defy Ventures Entrepreneurship Bootcamp

The Extension Defy Ventures Entrepreneurship Bootcamp is a 14-week program for people with criminal histories who want to explore entrepreneurship and develop their small business idea into formal business concept and pitch. The program is designed for adults (18 and over) who are stable in their reentry (employed and housed) and have been released for […]

Entrepreneurs of Color in Wisconsin: Bridging the Gap in Resources to Mobilize Potential

Despite their substantial contribution to economies, little is known about how entrepreneurs of color in rural areas leverage resources to start ventures. From August 2014 – October 2015, local researchers from UW-Extension and Ripon College met with 35 Fond du Lac County entrepreneurs who shared their start-up and business experiences, challenges, and successes. All participants were African-American, […]

Video: Black Business Owners Study & Discussion, 11.14.2020

In this session for Startup Wisconsin Week, Black Business Owners Speak (event flyer with speaker details, 295KB) UW-Madison Extension educators and area business owners discuss the results of interviews with 48 African American business owners in northeast Wisconsin in 2019. In the video recording (65 minutes) of the presentation and discussion, you’ll learn about the […]

Small Business Resource Pages – Quick Links

Below you will find two resource pages for small businesses – one related to funding and the other related to health and safety considerations to reopen. These webpages are intended to provide quick access to important information. Both sites are “living” resources where information will be updated and added to as needed. Financial Assistance for […]

Waupun Area Chamber of Commerce Board

Diana met with the Waupun Area Chamber of Commerce Board to teach them about the responsibilities of board members, including setting a vision and long-term strategy for the organization.   This type of group planning can be useful in a crisis but is not advisable during a crisis. If you have a COVID-19 related challenge […]

Office Operations March 2020

As a Division of UW-Madison, Extension is following the lead of UW-Madison leadership in responding to the COVID-19 virus outbreak, in conjunction with public health and county officials. The latest guidance from UW-Madison and local government is to limit on-site work in addition to postponing events. This guidance is in reaction to a worldwide event […]

Support Extension