March 21, 2014 at 4:39 p.m.
New programs being launched to help area businesses
New programs being launched to help area businesses
That was a question posed to a sampling of downtown Rhinelander business owners earlier this year by Downtown Rhinelander Inc's (DRI) Economic Restructuring Committee. From that question came a more in-depth discussion about the various issues with which local business owners struggle. What has developed out of that discussion is a new program being rolled out by DRI.
The downtown revitalization organization has put together a team of advisors that will be available to guide business owners toward solutions to their problems. It would begin with what is known as a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis. From there the advisors would put together a proposal for the business owner of recommended actions to take. From there it would be up to the business owner as to how to proceed.
"Our job is recruitment and retention," said Ray Burgan, chairman of DRI's Economic Restructuring Committee. "So we asked some business owners, what keeps you up at night? What we discovered were these more in-depth issues. It wasn't problems where you can just send them an article from a magazine. They were tough business issues. How do I compete with big box stores and the Internet? I want to expand but I can't find the right people to hire. I don't know how to best spend my advertising dollars."
That's where the advisors come in. Burgan said the advisors are all a part of the downtown and cover different areas of expertise such as banking, accounting, real estate and marketing. The SWOT analysis and proposal would be free for any downtown business, Burgan said. Depending on what the business owner wants to do after that, there could be a small fee. For example, he said one of the areas that can have a significant impact on a business' bottom line, but is often overlooked is pricing. To address that, the advisors would have to do some "mystery shopping" and there likely would be some cost attached to that.
"If there is a charge, it would be a nominal fee," Burgan said.
"This is the retention part of our mission," he added. "Businesses talk about recruitment (of new businesses). They want more traffic in the downtown, but you can't rely on that. You have to fend for yourself. What can you do? We want to help businesses."
In doing the initial survey of downtown businesses - a sample size of about 10 - business owners seem to fall into one of three categories, Burgan said.
"There is, 'I don't know what to do.' There is, 'I know what to do but I don't have the time.' And there is, 'I know what to do but I don't know who to turn to,'" he said. "That's what we're trying to be. Not be there to just point out what their problems are, but to point them to the resources that can help them."
Since the program is a DRI initiative, the services are meant only for downtown businesses, Burgan said.
"If an outside business wanted to go through the process, we would probably charge," he said.
Another initiative Burgan is currently involved in is the creation of a business incubator in Oneida County. That is still in the very early planning stages, but the new DRI program represents a starting point toward that goal.
"It is mainly for current downtown businesses, but if there was a new entrepreneur who needed help, we would do that," Burgan said. "This is sort of the beginning of the incubator. If the incubator doesn't go - I think it will happen, but if it doesn't - an entrepreneur could still go through this to get help."
With the team of advisors in place, Burgan said the next step will be promoting the new program. There will be a kickoff meeting soon and he said DRI will likely talk to businesses one-on-one as well.
That program isn't the only new resource for businesses. Wednesday, at its Business after Five event, the Rhinelander Area Chamber of Commerce announced a new program called "Business Buddies." It is a mentor/mentee type program where newer businesses will be paired with more established businesses. The businesses won't be in competing markets. They will be required to make a one-year commitment in which they will meet, in an informal setting, at least once every three months. The idea is that the businesses will benefit from the sharing of ideas and resources - particularly the "mentee" business.
"Ours is solely about people. Having a partner to lend a hand," Maggie Steffen said of the difference between "Business Buddies" and the new DRI program.
Steffen is executive director of DRI but became involved in "Business Buddies" through her participation in the Leadership Oneida County program. Participants in the annual program are required to do a community project and "Business Buddies" was developed by Steffen and two other participants. She said it is being promoted now but likely won't get started until the fall. The chamber will operate the program. To be involved, a business would also have to be a chamber member.
"We're adding another benefit to being a chamber member," Steffen said. "And the hope is that the partnership goes both ways. Maybe the new business has some ideas the mentor business doesn't know about. So it's really an equal partnership."
Kyle Rogers may be reached at [email protected].
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