The MEDC in collaboration with the Edward Lowe Foundation is offering the “System for Integrated Growth” (SIG) program. SIG is designed for second stage growth companies who are at a pivotal point in their development and need assistance to help manage evolving challenges. According to their promotional flyers, the SIG program is not about consulting, rather, it provides business owners with information and best practices to make educated decisions in light of their particular needs regarding employees, customers, and markets.
For example, SIG can help you:
- Learn how to recruit, retain and develop talented employees.
- Get a handle on your financial management and understand what your books are telling you.
- Bring in best practices around supply chain and operations to complement your managers’ working knowledge.
- Prepare to export — from documentation to identifying global markets and setting up distribution channels.
- Explore new markets, create prospect lists for those markets, or analyze competitors while addressing your sales and marketing process.
You should apply to the SIG program if you meet the following criteria:
- Be a for-profit, privately-held company based in Michigan
- Typically generate annual revenue of between1 million and $50 million.
- Typically employ between 10 and 99 full-time equivalent employees.
- Have both the appetite and aptitude for growth.
- Provide products or services beyond the local area to regional, national or global markets.
There are no costs as they are covered by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and subsidized by the Edward Lowe Foundation. The Time commitment of 8-12 hours is spread over about two months. The major Focus Areas are HR (recruiting and retention as well as compliance),operations and supply chain, accounting and finance, global trade, sales and marketing, succession planning, secondary market research, online marketing and customer prospecting.
To attend a 45-minute Zoom info session/overview for how SIG can help your company please RSVP to buck@northernlakes.net to attend either Tuesday 9/22 at 7:30 am or Wednesday 9/23 at 2:00 pm. Let us know which date to schedule and to send our Zoom link.
