Entrepreneurial Services
The Door County Economic Development Corporation is a great
resource for anyone thinking about starting a new business
in the Door County Peninsula. We have the programs, people
and a proven track record of helping businesses of all sizes
succeed. DCEDC wants to continue to nurture a strong entrepreneurial community spirit in Door County. Whatever your dream, we can help you achieve it.
To speak with a member of our staff, please contact
us any time.
In addition to our full time staff, a counselor from the
Small Business Development Center at the University of Wisconsin-Green
Bay comes to Door County once a month to meet with entrepreneurs
and other people wanting to start a business in the county. Click
here to arrange a meeting.
New businesses find an enthusiastic, nurturing partner at
the Business Development Center,
a small business incubator located in the Sturgeon Bay Industrial
Park. Tenants, paying competitive rents, share services and
equipment, which allows them to keep overhead costs low and
get off to a strong start in business.
Each January, DCEDC co-sponsors a 10-week entrepreneurial
training course, taking students step-by-step through the
process of writing a business plan. Registration for the
course begins in November. Click
here to get on the mailing list.
The Wisconsin Department of Commerce offers two grant opportunities
for the creation of business plans for new businesses.
-
Wisconsin
Early Planning Grant: The Early Planning Grant (EPG) program is designed to help individual entrepreneurs and small businesses obtain the professional services necessary to evaluate the feasibility of a proposed start up or expansion.
Under the EPG program, the Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Network (WEN) can provide a grant to cover a
portion of the cost of hiring a for-profit, in-state, independent third party to develop a comprehensive business plan. In
addition to formalizing an entrepreneur's goals and objectives, a well-prepared business plan is critical to
attract the capital financing necessary for a business to be successful. The
grant (up to $3,000 and requiring
a 25% match) is available to
business start-ups in the following
industry sectors:
• Automation
• Agriculture/Food Products
• Biotechnology
• Information Technology
• Manufacturing
• Medical Devices
• Paper/Forest Products
• Printing
• Tourism
• Childcare (not including in-home childcare).
Entreprenurial
Training
Grant: Provides
funding for
entrepreneurs
to attend
a course
focused on
determining
the viability
of their
business.
Coursework addresses legal and financial issues, staffing, accounting, record-keeping and
marketing. In addition, individual counseling and coaching will help to complete the business plan and
prepare to request financing from banks, investors and/or public institutions.
Each January, DCEDC co-sponsors a 10-week entrepreneurial training course, taking students step-by-step through the process of writing a business plan. The grant covers up to 75% of eligible tuition costs;
you will be required to provide a cash match of at least 25% of the eligible tuition costs. Registration for the course begins in November. Click here to get on the mailing list.
Commerce also has a toll-free Business Help Line (1-800-HELP-BUS) and a helpful “Building Your Business in Wisconsin” home
page: http://www.wisconsin.gov/state/byb
There is also a wealth of other information available on
the Internet regarding starting a business. For your convenience,
some of the most helpful web sites are listed below:
Click here for
information regarding building permits, zoning and business
utility rates in Door County.
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