ETP is an intensive business-planning training program designed to help participants who want to start a new business, grow an existing business, or make a substantial business pivot that requires viewing the business with a new perspective.
Please read on to understand requirements and to ensure your business’ eligibility for this program.
The focus of the program is to help you complete a comprehensive “rough draft” of your business plan in the form of a written workbook. Each session of class will help you learn business terminology and work toward putting your ideas on paper so that, by the end of class, you have made significant progress toward launching your business or writing a more comprehensive business plan.
Registration Spring 2025
Location: Live Virtual portion & In-Person portion on UW-Madison’s Campus*
LIVE VIRTUAL SESSIONS Dates & Times – Thursdays from 5:30 pm – 8:00 pm
- February 20 | Session 1 – Introduction, Business Model Canvas, Value Proposition
- February 27 | Session 2 – Customer Segments & Marketing Fundamentals
- March 6 | Session 3 – Marketing Research
- March 13 | Session 4 – Business Financials
- March 20 | Session 5 – Business Operations
IN PERSON SESSION*: Friday, April 4, 2025 from 8:00 am – 4:30 pm
* Please note that for this course, there are both live-virtual and in-person components; you must be able to attend both components to successfully complete the course.
Register for Spring 2025 or call 608-262-2451 to register. Registration closes February 18, 2025.
Fee & course requirements: $250
The $250 reduced cost of this $1,000 course is being funded in part by our generous supporters – Summit Credit Union, Neider & Boucher, S.C., and M3 Elevate. In addition, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) provides significant financial support to the ETP program. See requirements section below for additional information.
Note about multiple participants (business partners): All participants in the course must be registered. Businesses can add additional business partners for $99 per person (must be working together on the same business). Each business will submit one workbook, regardless of the number of class participants. If you would like to add additional participants, please call the SBDC at the number listed in the footer of this page.
Registration & Cancellation policies
- 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.
- Cancelations at least 24 hours before the program begins will incur a $25 cancellation fee. Cancelations less than 24 hours before the start of the program will incur the full program fee. To cancel, call registration at 608-262-2451. Please note that in the case of a cancellation (by either the participant or the SBDC), participants can only be transferred one time into a new course.
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.
Requirements and Cost
Participating in ETP means receiving a wealth of resources and support to help you develop your business-plan workbook. Because this $1000 program is made affordable to you through partial support from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), successful course completion requires:
- Attend at least 4/5 live-virtual sessions
- Attend at least 75% of the full-day session
- Successfully complete your business plan workbook
Eligible Businesses
Because of the partial grant funding associated with this program, businesses interested in participating must:
- Be a for-profit business currently located in Wisconsin, or the owner must be planning to start a Wisconsin-based business
- Be re-examining their currently operating business or plan to start a new business within the next 24 months
- Not have declared bankruptcy in the past 12 months
- Not have previously received an Entrepreneurial Training Program (ETP) grant in the past
“Comprehensive overview that provided so many resources for further exploration. Gives me much more confidence about the scope of what needs to happen and my ability to accomplish those things – even as an artsy, non-business, non-numbers person. I now I have a road map, woot-woot! This course was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. Just top-notch. And a fabulous deal for the price. Incredible! So grateful for this opportunity!”
~HBB Studio, Spring 2022 participant
Program Structure
This course contains three primary components, all geared toward helping you complete your business workbook.
ETP starts with a 5-week live-virtual class. These 2.5-hour sessions provide you with an introduction to business basics and terminology. At the end of each session, you will receive direction about what corresponding workbook sections you should complete to stay on track.
- Session 1: Course introduction and understanding the Business Model Canvas
- Session 2: Business value proposition, identification of key customers and market in order to determine product/market fit
- Session 3: Marketing Strategy
- Session 4: Financial basics (key terms, pricing, managing cash flow, sources of financing) – for a deeper dive on this topic, join us for one of our financial management courses
- Session 5: Legal and Operational Considerations (entity selection, HR Laws/policies, insurance/liability, etc.)
Program Structure
This course contains three primary components, all geared toward helping you complete your business workbook. 
For most entrepreneurs, one of the most difficult parts of starting a business is knowing where to start. By joining the Entrepreneurial Training Program, we help you overcome that challenge by providing you with a comprehensive workbook of guided questions to help you sketch out the fundamentals of a business plan.
This comprehensive workbook (as paired with class content) walks you through all of the major areas of your business, including:
- Creating your elevator pitch
- Sketching out the building blocks of your business with your Business Model Canvas
- Determining your target market/customer segment with market research
- Considering industry trends, your competitors, and your marketing plan
- Understanding key components of the major financial statements (your income statement, your balance sheet, and cash flow for your business) and business financing
- Operational considerations (legal considerations, human resources, reducing risk)
- And more!
Throughout our virtual course, we will introduce you to many of the key concepts and resources that can help you sketch out these areas of your workbook. From there, you will need to arrive at the full-day session with your workbook 75% completed. During the full-day session, you will then have the chance to ask more in-depth questions to experts, get feedback from your peers and SBDC consultants, and refine your workbook to turn in for a third-party review.
After class is over, you’ll have clarified your business idea and developed written objectives that will inform your next steps, the launch of your business, or the start of your formal business plan.
Program Structure
This course contains three primary components, all geared toward helping you complete your business workbook.
Throughout the course, you will work on completing your business-plan workbook. By the time you arrive at the full-day session, you should have your workbook 75% complete. At our full-day class session, you will have the opportunity to refine the work you have already done by:
- Receiving peer feedback – and being able to ask questions of SBDC consultants
- Learning more in-depth knowledge about:
- Understanding the lending process
- Accounting for your business
- Understanding how to estimate your market size – and how that information connects with your financial projections
- Entity selection for your business
- Key contracts you may need
- And more!
Looking for a lower-commitment opportunity to learn business basics? Biz Smart Sprint might be the best fit for you. For a comparison of the programs – the Entrepreneurial Training Program or Biz Smart Sprint – visit this page.
Thank you! The course was a huge help, and a big confidence boost that I can do this.
2024 Participant
Going through the [Entrepreneurial Training Program] was tremendously valuable and caused me to think through things in a way I hadn't considered previously. Considering most of my pursuits of late consist of ways to reframe problems, this class was fitting. It also was a great introduction to the entire cause and intent of the SBDC, which I think is just lovely and inspiring!
Kyle Smith, Owner, Tilesmith LLC
The value of this class was immeasurable, but, notably, the workbook provided me step-by-step help building a business plan, and the resources provided gave me everything I needed to complete it!
Brooke Hoffman Photo, 2023 Participant
[I appreciated] the dedicated time to think about all aspects of running a business. [This allowed me to] think of other areas I don’t typically work in.
Quest CE, 2023 Participant
The in-person meeting with all the professionals in their area was really informative. I would 100% attend another event like this if I could. -Ta.ee.noh Coffee
Ta.ee.noh Coffee, Spring 2023 participant
The [ETP] organizational framework was great. Learning about various aspects of creating a business plan was helpful. [I am] very grateful to learn and get this support and meet others who are in the same situation.
Fall 2022 Participant
Everyone was so kind and helpful, and I learned a ton of information. So grateful I discovered and was able to complete the course.
Firefox Bakery LLC, Fall 2022 participant
The entire course content was presented in a high-end format at a very low cost. Very impressive! Great team with great energy.
Simply Speaks LLC, Fall 2022 participant
The most valuable piece of this course was being able to talk and think out my business. It helped me reconstruct my idea.
Assured Home Health Care, Fall 2022 participant
I really valued how structured the whole course was. It put into perspective all the different aspects to think about. And finally made me sit down to think about the details to move my business forward.
Jalistic Coaching, Spring 2022 participant
"This course provided me with structure and accountability to work on my plans in a smarter way. It gave me the confidence to say 'I'm doing this!' and to make it real. There is a world out there that I had no idea about.
Spring 2022 participant
[I loved] the clarity of the workbook - I considered things I had not thought of. Thank you for a great experience; I understand the business world in greater detail.
Four Winds Gallery, Spring 2022 ETP participant
Advice from past ETP participants
- “Complete the workbook sections before the session that covers them. Go over the slides, and write down any questions you have so you can bring them up while the topic is being taught.”
- “Work through the workbook as the class moves on, as it makes everything learned not feel too overwhelming.”
- “Even if business is like a totally different language to you like it is for me, just start with this class. Just start. Ask for help.”
- “Like anything, the more you put into it, the more you get out of it.”
- “Start working on your workbook before class, so you know what to expect and have a solid base to start. Use as many resources as possible, ask questions and build connections with classmates.”
- “Don’t be timid; this is not just for people with a solid business plan intact!”
- “Pay attention to every detail taught from this course!”
- “Make the connections with your classmates. These relationships will help you see your business through fresh eyes.”
- “Keep your camera on!”
- “Go to the library!”
- “Be open minded, and engage with other participants”
President and Founder, Kou Communications, LLC
“I can’t say enough great things about the Wisconsin SBDC at UW-Madison's Entrepreneurial Training Program. This is – by far – the best value in education and training that you’ll ever find!
Anyone who is thinking about starting their own business or considering taking their business to the next level should jump at opportunity to enroll in the ETP course. Kudos to the SBDC for offering such an inspiring and informative program.”
~Tami Kou, President and Founder, Kou Communications, LLC
Advice (Ct’d)
- “Do things that make you uncomfortable! Participate often, and no question is a dumb question.”
- “Stay actively in touch with the people you meet in ETP! Right after participating in the program, a few of us formed a weekly accountability group. It’s still going strong, and not only has it been helpful business-wise, but we’ve also all become wonderful friends.”
- “Take it all, and do the work.”
- “Don’t fall behind on homework”
- “Listen more than you talk, do your homework”
- “Keep an open mind and ask questions, whether during class or in follow up”
- “Show up and ask as much as you can. No questions are stupid. This is a great resource to come back to.”
- “Just go for it”
- “Utilize the resources and tools”
- “No matter what stage of business planning you are in, this class will benefit you. It will also give those who are forming a partnership some common ground.”
- “Be open minded to re-think and re-strategize the direction of your business and decision along the way”
Castle Walls
"Being able to look at our business idea from many different angles and through others eyes was incredibly valuable. I had no education on owning a business prior to this class. Now we have tools and knowledge to feel stronger on our fee going forward."
2023 ETP Participant
Blue Highway Lodge
“I am seriously so grateful for ETP and everything I learned from SBDC. I would not have developed such a strong business plan or secured a traditional commercial loan without that class. I also wouldn't have been as well prepared to deal with all the challenges and potential pitfalls of starting and running a business. I felt like the course really set me up for success, so thank you!!... I tell every new entrepreneur to take this course!"
~Karri Bartlett, Owner, Blue Highway Lodge
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.
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.
