Progress Partners, The Milwaukee Urban Entrepreneur Partnership (UEP) and the Metropolitan Business Collaborative (MBC), are about to activate a Special Project Grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to plan, design and initiate the Milwaukee Urban Entrepreneurship Center.

Background on the MBC:

The Metropolitan Business Collaborative launched in the fall of 2006 was designed to create alliances and marshal resources to better address the challenges of growing minority businesses to scale. The MBC is associated with The Urban Entrepreneur Partnership, a national program designed to encourage entrepreneurship in urban areas, particularly among minority entrepreneurs. This partnership combines public, private and nonprofit sector resources to expand entrepreneurship and jobs in historically neglected and economically underserved areas across the country. The MBC serves minority business owners in the Milwaukee area that are linked with resources, classes, training and counseling that will help grow and build companies.

The mission of MBC is to promote the expansion of growth businesses, primarily minority- and women-owned businesses in Milwaukee’s urban areas.

In accomplishing this mission, the MBC and the UEP will increase economic development, job and wealth creation, through collaboration and partnerships with service providers, community organizations, corporations, and local, regional, state and federal government agencies.

The hallmark of the MBC model is the Kauffman Institute's "intrusive" coaching model, which has proven to be the most successful method of advancing minority, urban entrepreneurships. The goal of the MBC is to connect private, public and nonprofit resources to build successful and sustainable minority businesses. The result is wealth creation, job creation and better economic health in the minority and urban core communities in Milwaukee. The MBC has worked with over 25 businesses providing a variety of services and has created over 25 jobs.

Milwaukee Urban Entrepreneurship Center (MUEC) Description:

In 2011/12, with the support of the Economic Development Initiative – Special Project Grant funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the MBC is expanding its business solidification services to plan and design the Milwaukee Urban Entrepreneurship Center, a multi-purpose one-stop information and referral center to promote the growth of small businesses in the Milwaukee area.

The center will house computers with internet access, as well as an extensive business reference library for business planning and research. Not only will the center offer information and link businesses to resources, the center will surround selected MBE firms with an advisory team and experienced industry experts through its Capacity Building Program. The advisory team will provide our MBE firms with the level of strategic planning, accounting, legal, business development and industry experience found at top companies that is key to their future success and growth.

Services Provided:
Business Certification Orientation
Business Analysis
Business Coaching
Business Plan Assistance
Capacity Building Program
Referrals

The Minority Business Development Agency of the U. S. Department of Commerce recognizes the impact of MBEs on job creation and the need for programs to ensure their success. Of the millions of small businesses that are launched each year, many will close before the end of their first year. The MUEC will help increase the success rate of our MBEs by giving them the tools to increase profitability.

Our MBEs face many obstacles that do not impact high-level executives in top companies. Small business owners struggle with the stresses of being responsible for not only everyday challenges of business but also the impact of their decisions on their family and employees.

By working closely with our clients, the MBC builds relationships, giving us a strong sense of how the MBEs businesses are structured and the role the CEO plays. We use these insights to help their business function more effectively and essentially affect the bottom line. Once we establish buy-in from the owner, we are able to move into wider areas of the business to increase success. Based on MBCs continued support of MBEs we have found that they need continued support to continue their entrepreneurial and managerial growth that ultimately create jobs and generate sustaining revenue and profits.