The UW-Whitewater SBDC sponsors a Waukesha Area Roundtable Meeting of Peerspectives: Peer-to-Peer Learning for Entrepreneurs, a unique opportunity providing CEOs, presidents, and business owners with:

• Timely insights from experienced peers
• Proven, productive problem-solving methods
• Unbiased knowledgeable feedback

Wisconsin PeerSpectives Network peer groups are composed of eight to 12 non-competing business owners who gather for confidential sharing of experiences and challenges approximately 10 times over a 12-month period. The peer-to-peer exchanges enhance the decision-making processes, critical for owners who want to grow their already established companies.

The Waukesha Area Peerspectives roundtable is led by UW-W SBDC Director Bud Gayhart. Like all Peerspectives facilitators, Mr. Gayhart was trained by the Edward Lowe Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to providing assistance to business owners seeking rapid growth for their established businesses.

Wisconsin PeerSpectives Network roundtables provide a valuable opportunity for owners, CEOs and presidents to tap into the collective wisdom of their peers on topics such as finance, employee relations, legal compliance, marketing and advertising, accessing new markets, production, and the personal experience of being a business owner. The group members are committed to confidentiality, sharing, accountability, and dispassionate analysis.

Who can participate?
Wisconsin PeerSpectives Network is most effective for qualified owners, CEOs, and presidents of growth-oriented Second-Stage™ companies. In general, a company is Second-Stage if it is

• privately held
• past the start-up stage
• facing issues of growth rather than survival
• transitioning from an entrepreneurial to a professional management style
• generating between $1 million and $27 million in annual revenue or has that range of working capital in place

For more information:

Quotes from Waukesha Area PeerSpectives participants:

“You hear the cliché all the time that it’s lonely at the top, but for business owners like me it’s really true. But suddenly, here I was in the middle of a group of bright executives who were all grappling with the very same problems and were willing to help each other.”

“My business has increased 212%. My stress at work is way down. My attitude is way up.”

“The key for me is that I’m interacting with people who really value time. That’s my shorthand way of saying these are people who won’t beat around the bush. Unlike a board, which tends to pussyfoot around trying to be diplomatic, these guys come out and tell you exactly what they think. They’re straight to the point and that saves everybody time. You get a clear message of what you need to do.”