Breaking through complexity with WomenVenture

Breaking through complexity with WomenVenture

As an Elevate Hennepin advisor, WomenVenture uses more than 40 years of experience in small business consulting to break down the complexities of small business ownership. 

Emily Conroy, chief program and client experience officer at WomenVenture, said she and the staff think of the organization as a place for all entrepreneurs to start, grow, and scale no matter the stage.

“We think of WomenVenture as this infinity loop where someone comes to us when they need us to start a business, help with marketing and strategy to grow, then coming back for business loan guidance,” said Emily.

WomenVenture advisors like Abdiwahid Ali said the process is straightforward. He or another advisor will hold a call to understand the needs, see where the entrepreneur is in the process of starting or growing a business, and outline how WomenVenture advisors can support.

“If you haven’t gotten started, we can work on registering your business,” Ali said. “If a client is looking to scale and grow their business, then we start looking at supporting them in areas such as marketing to look at what their branding looks like.”

Advisors like Ali can offer support for general business strategy, marketing, and preparations to access capital as a part of Elevate Hennepin advising.

As a community development financial institution (CDFI), WomenVenture has an especially deep skillset for helping advisees get ready for a loan or investment. Ali said they can support entrepreneurs and business owners with a checklist of documents as well as guidance around cash-flow projections, target market research, and anything else a bank, CDFI, or investor is looking for.

Emily said the expertise in financing means they can help clients understand exactly what they need and avoid getting overwhelmed and slowed down by all the complexities of financing, what she calls “information paralysis.”

“A lender might say, ‘Can you give me the articles of business incorporation and bylaws,’ but a lot of people don’t know what that is,” said Emily. “Just getting to talk to a real human being is so important to our clients and that’s why Elevate Hennepin no-cost consulting has been such an amazing thing.”

* Pictured above WomenVenture's Emily Conroy (in the blue blazer second from left) with a group of advisees.