Overview
Running a small business requires constant resilience, managing finances, leading others, staying creative, and maintaining your own well-being. This four-week program is designed to help business owners strengthen their resilience and reduce stress by building balance across the 8 Pillars of Wellness: emotional, physical, financial, occupational, innovative, social, environmental, and purpose-driven wellness.
Each pillar has been adapted specifically for the realities of entrepreneurship, helping you understand how your personal well-being directly impacts your business success. Throughout the program, you will gain practical, evidence-backed tools you can immediately apply. These strategies support clearer decision-making, healthier habits, and a more sustainable business.
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 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
- A personalized 90-day roadmap to guide your next steps toward balance, well-being, and long-term business success
Registration for Spring 2026
Location: Live Virtual portion & In-Person portion on UW-Madison’s Campus*
LIVE VIRTUAL SESSIONS Dates & Times – Fridays around Lunch Hour (Can be Subject to Change)
- March 27 | Session 1 – Foundation of Wellness for Business Owners
Pillars: Occupational & Financial - April 3 | Session 2 – Performance & Energy Management
Pillars: Physical & Emotional - April 17| Session 3 – Connection & Growth
Pillars: Social & Innovative - April 24 | Session 4 – Business Financials
IN PERSON SESSION*: Friday, May 1, 2026 from 9 am – 12 pm CST (Can be Subject to Change)
* 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.
Fee: WEDC and the Mainstreet Bounceback Program are covering the $289 cost of this webinar for operating, for-profit businesses under 500 employees. These businesses should register here:
Businesses <500 employees, Registration for Spring 2026 Coming Soon
Fee: We have a limited number of seats available for nonprofits, pre-venture (not yet started) businesses, and those participants from a company of over 500 employees thanks to the generosity of UW-Madison SBDC’s supporters. These organizations should use the link below to register.
Registration Deadlines
| Registration type | Date | Fee |
| Earlybird | Earlybird closes: TBD | Earlybird Registration Fee: TBD |
| Late Registration | Late Registration begins: TBD | Late Registration Fee:TBD |
| Course registration closes | TBD | — |
Registration Coming Soon for Spring 2026
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.
The Small Business Development Center at UW Madison is recognized by SHRM to offer Professional Development Credits (PDCs) for the SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP®.
Instructor
Jessica Maes
Bio Coming Soon!
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 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.