Thousands of Resources, Ready to help.
Advantages
Popular
Initiate Business Retention Training Series
Small businesses across the state now have access to new tools and resources to help them launch and grow in Michigan, including an online small business learning platform called Initiate. The Initiate resource portal covers topics such as money, marketing, and management resources by using a variety of learning methods including videos, templates, and guides. To best position our business community to access these tools, the MEDC is partnering with community and economic development organizations, financial institutions, and other small business support organizations to work one on one with businesses at the local level.
As our state emerges from the pandemic, we have learned just how important business retention efforts at the local level are. Through a “Train the Trainer” model, partner organizations that serve small business customers will learn how to establish a consistent business retention program locally, how to build trust with business owners, how to use available tools to understand business needs, where to direct businesses using the MEDC Initiate Portal, and how to develop consistency, accountability and follow-through in your organization’s small business support and development services.
Over the next year, the MEDC in partnership with Northern Initiatives, will be offering three training cohorts, each lasting about 4 weeks, that will provide four strategic learning sessions for trainers. Registration is required and space is limited. Northern Initiatives is the creator of the Initiate platform and a Community Development Financial Institution based in Michigan. They have trained community and economic development organizations serving 33 states on how to utilize the Initiate platform and enhance their business retention programs.
Each training cohort will serve as a shared learning community, in which program participants will have the opportunity to meet throughout the year with Northern Initiatives staff and other cohort members as part of a peer learning group. In addition, cohort participants and the businesses you serve will have access to the online resource platform.
As a participant in the Initiate Training Cohort, you will be able to:
Organizations interested in participating in a learning cohort and accessing the MEDC.Initiate portal must meet the following eligibility requirements:
Cohort – Spring 2023 |
Cohort – Fall 2023 |
Cohort – Winter 2024 |
April 12, 2023 April 19, 2023 April 26, 2023 *Sm. Business Training May 3, 2023 Trainings will take place from 1 - 2pm for participants. *The training for small businesses will take place at 5:30 pm. |
August 9, 2023 August 16, 2023 August 30, 2023 *Sm. Business Training August 30, 2023* Sm. Business Training (in Spanish) Trainings will take place from 1 - 2pm for participants. *The training for small businesses will take place at 5:30 pm. |
February 7, 2024 February 14, 2024 February 21, 2024* Sm. Business Training February 28, 2024 Trainings will take place from 1 - 2pm for participants. *The training for small businesses will take place at 5:30pm. |
Interested participants can register using the link below. Within the online registration form, please indicate your desired Cohort date.
The Initiate Cohort Trainings will fill on a first come, first serve basis with eligible program participants, based on the selected dates indicated in your registration form. Consideration may be giving to ensure each cohort represents diversity in location, organization size, and organization type.
As part of the MEDC’s continued effort to support small business directly as well as organizations that support small businesses, the Business Retention Training Series and usage of MEDC.Initiate is available to eligible organizations at no cost.
To learn more about MEDC’s Community Development Small Business Services, please contact Chelsea Beckman at beckmanc1@michigan.org or visit https://www.miplace.org/small-business/.
For information about MEDC’s Capital Access Program, please contact Chris Cook at cookc@michigan.org or visit https://www.michiganbusiness.org/services/access-capital/.
About Northern Initiatives:
Northern Initiatives is a Community Development Financial Institution. They provide loans and business services to small business owners and entrepreneurs who create jobs and enable the communities of Michigan and neighboring Wisconsin to thrive.