When William Shakespeare wrote of Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, “Though she be but little, she is fierce,” he could just as easily have been referring to local small businesses right here in Dane County and Wisconsin.
Think that’s a stretch? According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, Wisconsin has more than 445,000 small businesses (defined as businesses with fewer than 500 employees). Those businesses represent 99.4% of all employers in the Badger State and with 1.2 million employees account for 50.2% of the private sector workforce. Small businesses also account for 40,468 of the minority-owned business in the state.
That’s a lot of economic power for a bunch of very small businesses. In fact, nearly 87% of all Wisconsin exports in 2014 came from small businesses, and they generated more than 28% of Wisconsin’s $21.4 billion in total known exports. In short, small businesses make the Wisconsin economy go.
Eight area businesses were honored for their distinctive achievements on June 27 at the 35th annual Dane County Small Business Awards. Each year, these prestigious awards recognize successful small Dane County businesses that have rewarding workplace environments and contribute to their community.
Contributions to the community were a particular hallmark of each of this year’s honorees.
“You continually go above and beyond the products and services you produce,” Dane County Executive Joe Parisi noted of the award winners during the event, “to give back in a most impressive way.”
Matt Howard, EatStreet CEO and cofounder, was the morning’s keynote presenter and he recognized each of the small business award winners for cultivating work environments that capitalize on Greater Madison’s quality of life.
“People have asked why we’ve stayed in Madison,” Howard commented about EatStreet’s decision not to leave the city where it started. “It’s talent — we have the best homegrown talent right here, and we can recruit people from elsewhere. If we get them to Madison, they realize how great of a city it is. The thing all of the winners here today have in common is that the success of our companies is dependent on the people we hire, and Madison has great people.”
This year’s award winners come from a wide variety of industries, with differing challenges and goals, but all have strived to foster a positive sense of community both in and out of the office to become leaders in their fields.
designCraft LLC — Madison
Yvette Jones, President
designCraft is a full-service, woman-owned advertising agency focused on local businesses and nonprofits. Since its inception 32 years ago designCraft has provided “advertising with a conscience” and helped local businesses and nonprofits increase brand awareness via logo and brand development, marketing plans, websites, graphic design, copywriting, print ads, digital ads, social media management, website analytics, billboards, vehicle graphics, and videos. A hallmark of designCraft is its building, which has no cubicles or individual offices, just one large room where staff can exchange ideas quickly and openly. President Yvette Jones sits in the same room as everyone else and actively participates in almost every project. This year, Madison Community Foundation chose designCraft as its agency of record for its 75th anniversary Year of Giving campaign, which includes the announcement of a new major grant project each month for a year, and requires working in concert with a wide range of nonprofits to plan and create the marketing and materials for multiple public events.
Tip for small biz success: Create a democratic workplace. Involve every staff member in key conversations, decisions, goals, and results.
Enterprise Solutions Technology Group Inc. — Madison
BJ Pfeiffer, President/CEO
Enterprise Solutions Technology Group is a woman-owned information technology consulting firm that provides services in project management, business analysis, application/web development, and cyber security. When President/CEO BJ Pfeiffer started the company 21 years ago, she made a commitment to creating a pipeline of homegrown IT talent by developing an intern program in conjunction with the University of Wisconsin. The company helped design an accelerated six-month curriculum and set up internships that allowed students to attend classes for eight hours and then work on site at a selected company for four hours each day. Upon graduation, that company had first right of hire. While many similar companies in the IT consulting field didn’t survive the Great Recession, Enterprise Solutions was able to navigate the economic downturn on Pfeiffer’s philosophy of paying herself last and continuing to provide educational benefits to employees so that they could stay current. It’s resulted in an average term of employment for the company’s 15 full-time employees of 16 years.
Tip for small biz success: Work with people you like and trust — you might make less money by choosing not to do business with particular clients, but you’ll never have to compromise your integrity.
Gorilla Movers of Wisconsin Inc. — Sun Prairie
Dustin Olson, Owner
Gorilla Movers of Wisconsin may only be two years old but the company is already doing big things. The full-service moving company provides full packing services, loading, and unloading for commercial and residential clients, including larger hard-to-move items such as gun safes, pianos, hot tubs, and more. Family owned and operated Gorilla Movers started in April 2015 with nothing more than one truck, two partners, and a strong desire to create a moving experience for clients that’s second to none. In February 2016 the operation moved to Sun Prairie and its first employee was hired. By the end of 2016 Gorilla Movers had added two full-size moving trucks and about 25 employees, along with more than $600,000 in gross revenue. Projected revenue for 2017 is double that at $1.2 million and the company plans to add another two moving trucks to its fleet. Gorilla’s movers all receive a full uniform, including high-end performance footwear, at no charge to the employee. Employees also receive free snacks and a variety of refreshments, a birthday bonus, and participate in quarterly team outings, among other workplace perks.
Tip for small biz success: Treating your employees exceptionally well creates a culture of positive attitudes and extraordinary customer service.
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Ideas That Evoke — Madison
Kelly Ehlers, Founder and President
This woman-owned marketing firm creates, narrates, and manages brand experiences in the social space. Evoke utilizes a consumer centric/client centric model, where staff takes what a brand wants to accomplish and finds the best platforms and strategy to achieve that goal — whether that’s growing a brand, selling a product, or just keeping dialogue open between the brand and its audience. Evoke operates 100% on word-of-mouth referrals, which has enabled it to grow from its roots in the beauty industry to support clients in the hospitality, luxury, and lifestyle industries. Evoke is also about innovative outreach and in 2015 the firm developed #SMDayMadison, Madison’s first official Social Media Day. Within just a few short weeks the Evoke team took a good idea, quality content, and a willing team of volunteers to pull in over 1 million social media impressions and a reach of almost 700,000 individuals.
Tip for small biz success: Evoke’s in-house motto is to over manage the details. Your team and your clients will appreciate the value of making a real connection in an otherwise digital landscape. Small gestures of kindness are today’s key to growing quickly, and the key to our rapid, referral-based growth.
KMA Bodilly CPAs and Consultants S.C. — Madison
Cory Myers, President
KMA Bodilly is a certified public accounting firm that was formed in 2011. In that time the company has grown from under $1 million in revenue to over $6 million revenue. In addition, KMA has grown from five employees to 42 employees, and has acquired and merged with four other accounting firms. KMA services clients with needs in business taxation and attest services, as well as individual taxation needs. The firm also consults with business on mergers and acquisitions, company valuations, and internal accounting needs. KMA is serious about giving back to the local community, participating in a Habitat for Humanity build every year, and working toward creating the first annual KMA Golf Event for Charity. All employees are encouraged to participate in the numerous events KMA is a part of, and it’s common for 80% of staffers to turn out for these events — including the firm’s partners, who are mandated by company rules to attend all events, as well.
Tip for small biz success: Success starts with keeping quality records and finishes with an accountant that can make sure that they are as tax efficient as possible.
LinkEHR LLC — Madison
Jill Nemoir, Chief Operations Officer
LinkEHR delivers Epic support with measurable value to meet the growing needs of the health care industry. Its co-located staffing model enables teams to solve complex tickets together. This knowledge integration increases support center first-call resolution rates and allows LinkEHR to more efficiently troubleshoot incidents and requests. Since its inception four years ago, LinkEHR has grown from one customer to six and from three employees to 48. Management intentionally promotes a work hard, play hard environment, setting high expectations and holding staff accountable to achieve those expectations. The flip side is an intentional focus on fun. LinkEHR has monthly, themed team activities that bring the entire company together and provides multiple recreation opportunities in its office, such as badminton, air hockey, Wii, and basketball. LinkEHR also provides each employee with a paid day to volunteer at the charity/organization of their choice, and the company schedules multiple volunteer events during the year, including the participating in the Polar Plunge, and working with Habitat for Humanity and Special Olympics.
Tip for small biz success: When planning, always overestimate expenses and underestimate revenues.
Mobius Holdings Inc., dba Academy of Little Vikings — Mt. Horeb
Brenda Moore Fritz, President
Rapid growth has also been a trend for the Academy of Little Vikings childcare center in Mt. Horeb. The three-year-old company, which offers care for children ages 6 weeks to 12 years of age, reached its three-year projection for business growth in just its first year. Little Vikings is one of the collaborating 4-year-old kindergarten sites for the Mt. Horeb Area School District, and the facility provides before and after school childcare, as well as summer camps. The woman-owned business even has an innovative long-term plan to add a senior care facility adjacent to its current 6,000-square-foot facility that will allow the two populations to interact and create a cross-generational experience for the child-care center. Little Vikings also strives to support its employees and have them feel like they’re part of the family. Employees receive a 50% discount on childcare expenses and a 4% 401(k) match that is vested from day one.
Tip for small biz success: Plan your work, and work your plan. And get yourself an outstanding lending banker.
Octopi Brewing LLC — Waunakee
Isaac Showaki, CEO
Octopi Brewing is the leading contract brewery in the Midwest. The brewery was built to cater specifically to the needs of the modern craft brewer, and its services extend far beyond the average contract brewer. Octopi strives to be a one-stop shop for its client’s brands. Whether it’s sourcing packaging materials, collaborating on new recipes, designing new brand identities, or helping navigate regional distribution channels, Octopi sees itself as its clients’ extra limb. At Octopi, the philosophy is simple: Brewing your beer, propelling your brand. The three-year-old Latino-owned business has quickly grown to 15 full-time and three part-time employees, who together bring 35-plus years of commercial brewing experience to the operation. Each Octopi employee gets to nominate a charity and the company creates a bi-monthly event for those charities, which have included The Road Home, Fetch, Wounded Warrior, and River Food Pantry, among others. Octopi has invested heavily in automated, state-of-the-art equipment, and created a unique wastewater management program that cleans all the water before returning it into the Waunakee municipal water system.
Tip for small biz success: Always prepare for the worst because it will happen. If you prepare for the worst scenario, you are prepared for anything.
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