BizStarts Has Been Helping Wisconsin Entrepreneurs Grow Since 2008
Entrepreneurs participating in a BizStart informational session. (Picture provided by BizStarts)
On Saturdays, St. Ann Center for Intergenerational Care is taken over by BizStarts Institute and turned into a hub for Wisconsin entrepreneurs to receive tools and knowledge to help them in their journey.
BizStarts Institute is a community boot camp–under the Milwaukee nonprofit BizStarts–where entrepreneurs spend hours each Saturday not only learning concepts but engaging with other local entrepreneurs in different industries. The bootcamp specifically wants to help low-income Black, Brown and POC individuals who have the will to be an entrepreneur but may lack certain knowledge that isn’t usually accessible to them.
The bootcamp covers a list of topics including addressing all facets of a successful venture, designing a profit model and setting up operations properly.
“BizStarts is all about helping people, but you have to do the work,” said BizStarts President Dan Steininger. “Is all about helping people succeed…[but] they have to want to succeed.”
Steininger is an entrepreneur and teacher himself as the president of Steininger & Associates: a firm that focuses on teaching tools of innovation to drive growth for companies. Just years before his firm, Steininger was the CEO of a major financial institution and he also launched a national equity mutual fund.
He understands what it takes to make it, but he also understands not everyone is given the same opportunities to succeed which is why he created BizStarts.
BizStarts started in 2008 to support early-stage companies in southeastern Wisconsin through offering one-on-one consulting to entrepreneurs, but the nonprofit wanted to change its focus to be a better support to those they serve. This switch happened once BizStarts opened an office in St. Ann’s.
Along with the bootcamp, BizStarts has been acknowledging entrepreneurs, new and established, through BizStarts Honors. The awards has three categories: Hall of Fame Honorees, Inspirational Entrepreneurs and Honorary Inductees to ensure the nonprofit is honoring entrepreneurs in all stages of their journey.
Last year’s awards was held virtually, but this year honorees received their praise in person.
John Floreslem of Weyco Group was one of the 2021 BizStarts Hall of Fame Honorees and he’s more proud of the work BizStarts is doing than the actual recognition itself. Floreslem is also a mentor of BizStarts where he worked closely with Blossom Candle Co.
“It’s important for Milwaukee to have a center that encourages entrepreneurship” and that’s what BizStarts provides to the community said Floreslem.
As the president of a multi-million dollar footwear company, Floreslem says he’s gotten away from the true spirit of entrepreneurship and the grit that it takes to successfully make it. Through mentoring, Floreslem is passing on what he’s learned to hopefully help his mentees avoid his same downfalls but to also help them better succeed.
“I’m also learning from them,” he said. “I find it refreshing to see entrepreneurs so creative and resilient.”
To learn more about BizStarts, click here.