Built to Last: The Entrepreneur’s Wellness Framework
Running a small business demands constant resilience—managing finances, leading others, making high-stakes decisions, staying creative, and showing up day after day. But no entrepreneur can do their best work when they’re emotionally exhausted, physically depleted, financially stressed, or constantly operating in survival mode.
When personal well-being erodes, business performance follows.
This five-session program is designed to help business owners reduce stress and build sustainable resilience by strengthening balance across the 8 Pillars of Wellness: emotional, physical, financial, occupational, innovative, social, environmental, and purpose-driven wellness.
Each pillar has been intentionally adapted for the realities of entrepreneurship, helping you understand how your personal capacity directly impacts your business outcomes. Throughout the program, you’ll gain practical, evidence-backed tools you can apply immediately—supporting clearer decision-making, healthier habits, stronger boundaries, and a business that works with you, not against you.
This isn’t about doing more.
It’s about creating the conditions that allow you—and your business—to last.
Topics that we’ll cover in this course include:
- Occupational and Financial Wellness- Set healthier boundaries, reduce financial stress, and create stability in how you manage and operate your business.
- Physical and Emotional Wellness- Build simple habits that boost your energy, support recovery, and help you stay grounded during high-pressure moments.
- Social and Innovative Wellness- Strengthen your support network, foster creativity, and develop a growth mindset that keeps your business moving forward.
- Environmental and Purpose Wellness- Create a workspace that supports your well-being, clarify your values, and align your business decisions with your long-term purpose.
You Will Leave This Program With:
- A personalized 90-day roadmap to guide your next steps toward balance, well-being, and long-term business success
- A clearer understanding of which wellness pillars support you most and which drain your energy
- Tools to manage stress, increase resilience, and strengthen your daily business habits
- Practical strategies that make both your personal life and your business more sustainable
Registration Information
Dates: September 18, 2026 – October 23, 2026 (see full schedule below)
Location: Hybrid (includes virtual and in-person components)
This course includes both live-virtual and in-person components. See the full schedule in the registration portion of this page.
The in-person experience is intentionally designed to help you step out of the office—literally and mentally. Held at the UW–Madison Arboretum, this session creates space to:
- Break routine and mental autopilot
- Reflect without constant digital interruptions
- Engage in meaningful conversation with other entrepreneurs
- Integrate learning through movement, nature, and guided reflection
This setting supports clearer thinking, deeper connection, and more grounded planning—helping ideas and insights actually stick.
Registration Fall 2026
Dates: September 18, 2026 – October 23, 2026 (see full schedule below)
Location: Hybrid (includes virtual and in-person components)
Fee: $415
The cost of this course is being paid by the Main Street Bounceback Program for eligible businesses. Eligible businesses must be in business (not pre-venture), located in the state of Wisconsin, and employing fewer than 500 employees. These businesses may register here:
Nonprofits, pre-venture (not yet started) businesses, and those participants from a company of over 500 employees, register below:
Live-Virtual Sessions (Zoom)
Fridays, noon – 1:15 pm – 1 pm CST
- September 18
- September 25
- SKIP October 2 (participants will receive asynchronous content)
- October 9
- October 16
In-Person Session
Friday, October 23 – 8:30 am – noon
(UW–Madison Arboretum Visitor Center, 2880 Longenecker Dr, Madison, WI 53713)
Public parking available
Registration Types & Dates
Early Bird Closes: 8/19/2026
Late Registration Begins: 9/4/2026
Course Registration Closes: 9/17/2026
Registration Fees
Early Registration Fee: $332
Late Registration Fee: $457
Cancellation Policy: Due to program costs and space limitations for these programs, participants are expected to cancel their registration at least 24 hours ahead of the program. Cancellations that occur less than 24 hours prior to the start of the program will be considered no-shows and may be removed from future programming and/or charged a course fee.
Disability Statement: Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance. Contact the UW–Madison SBDC office at sbdc@bus.wisc.edu to request accommodations.
Note: Payment will be required at time of registration. You must have either a credit card or valid UW–Madison funding string to be able to register.
Jessica Maes
Instructor
Jessica Maes, M.S., is a business strategist and performance psychology practitioner who helps professionals and entrepreneurs strengthen both their business skills and mental resilience. As the Business Support Specialist for the City of Green Bay, she leads initiatives that support local businesses through innovation, partnerships, and improved access to resources. In her consulting work, Jessica coaches high-achieving individuals to manage stress, build confidence, and reach their goals without burnout.
Her passion for this work stems from her own experience living in a long season of chronic stress. Learning how to manage stress effectively—not just push through it—transformed her health, energy, and sense of control. Now, she empowers others to experience the same change.
Jessica holds a Master of Science in Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology from the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay, where she focused on the science of stress, performance, and resilience. Her work bridges business strategy and human potential to help people thrive in demanding environments.
The Wisconsin SBDC Network is a proud part of the Office of Business & Entrepreneurship within the Universities of Wisconsin. It is funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. The Wisconsin SBDC at UW–Madison is also part of the Wisconsin Entrepreneurship Hub at UW–Madison.
The Wisconsin SBDC at UW–Madison helps entrepreneurs succeed at any stage. We offer no-cost, confidential consulting and business education across a wide region, primarily serving Dane, Sauk, and Columbia counties. SBDC services are provided in a nondiscriminatory way to all legal residents and citizens in the US.
Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance. Contact us at sbdc@bus.wisc.edu or call (608) 263-2221.