A Joint Initiative Between     Heart of Wisconsin     Business & Economic Alliance and     Community Foundation of Greater     South Wood County

Home About Us B2B Club Breaking News Contact Donate Events / Programs Feedback Ideas Incubator Industry Clusters Links / Resources Progess Funds Progress Teams Public Art / Murals Publications		Breaking News June 16, 2005 - Entrepreneurs hope for boost from camp By Mae Schultz, for the Daily Tribune Kathy Hartjes plans to open a children's book and toy store in Rudolph after she retires as a kindergarten teacher, but she's not sure about the process of running a business. That's why she enrolled in an Entrepreneurial Boot Camp that will be held today through Monday at Mid-State Technical College's Wisconsin Rapids campus. The boot camp is one of several that are part of the Community Progress Initiative, a program to assist economic growth in Wisconsin Rapids and surrounding communities. The camps are organized by the Heart of Wisconsin Business & Economic Alliance as "part of an overall strategy to stimulate micro-business growth in our area," said Heather Wessling, small business development specialist. Hartjes and other entrepreneurs will create business plans in the boot camp and present them to a panel that includes a banker, a commerce specialist, a technical provider and an investor. The panel will give the entrepreneurs feedback about the feasibility of their business ideas. "Talking to someone who has been through one or more stages (of starting a business) is a real asset," said Hartjes, 56, who teaches at Rudolph Elementary School. The boot camps also include guest speakers who are experts in one aspect of business or the economy. This week's boot camp, which is the fifth that has been held since the Community Progress Initiative was launched in April 2004, will host an attorney, business owners, a banker and a franchise owner as speakers. Hartjes said she is excited to learn from so many different people. "I think information is power," she said. "If you get more information, it will help you make choices." Hartjes said she wants her children's book and toy store to be a success because she thinks it is important for people to have books and traditional toys as an option. "I just see a need for it," she said. "We need to get back to the intent of toys, which is play. That's how kids learn." Her store would sell back-to-basics toys including puzzles and building blocks that require children to use their imaginations, she said. As a kindergarten teacher, she said she sees many children who lack imagination and socialization because they watch too much TV and play too many video games. "I have kids who ask to take crayons and scissors home because they don't have any," she said. Hartjes also is involved in the Community Progress Initiative in Rudolph, and she thinks her business would fit in well with the residents' vision for the community. "The overwhelming response is that they want it to be a family-friendly place where people want to live," she said. "This (business) would certainly be a key part of that." While other people might be nervous about the boot camp, which is four days of intensive work, Hartjes said she looks forward to the opportunity. "I'm very excited about getting started," she said.
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