Progress Lakeshore, Manitowoc County’s economic development agency, is starting a new small business mentoring program that brings together peers and a mentor for monthly meetings to tackle a wide variety of topics.
Circles of Seven, or C7, is offered by MartinKarl Consulting, an Illinois-based economic development and small business development consulting agency.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 45% of all new businesses fail in the first five years of operation. Progress Lakeshore intends to slow that business failure rate through this peer-based mentoring program.
C7 operates with one seasoned mentor surrounded by six protege business owners. Meeting monthly, the C7 group tackles topics such as marketing, finance, human resources, and social media.
“We like the program because it fits our mission to retain and grow businesses in Manitowoc County. C7 is unique in that it is a peer-to-peer program of businesses helping each other. The program optimizes the time and leverages the wisdom of the group.” said Jamie Zastrow, executive director of Progress Lakeshore.
According to Martin Vanags, founder and creator of the program, “C7 works because the businesses are helping other businesses through one-on-one interaction. In each group, the mentor facilitates discussion, and the proteges dig in and have robust conversations about the business topic.”
The program is open to businesses in Manitowoc County that have been in operation for 12 months or more. The deadline to apply for the program is Aug. 28. Apply here.
For any inquiries about the program, email Ann Flad-Jesion, Director of
Entrepreneurship & Business Development, at ann@progresslakeshore.org.
