Taking Your Business to the Next Level

Improving Operations & Growth

Congratulations on what you have accomplished with your business and for being ready to take it to the next level! There is extensive information provided in the Expanding Your Business section of this website to assist you at this stage of your business. In addition, there are three other programs you may wish to consider.

ScaleUp Training Series

The ScaleUp Training Series includes three courses for building small business strength and profitability, presented by the EDC Center for Business & Innovation. Take one course, two, or all three.

Because of the excellent track record of the courses and the importance of local businesses to the City of Lacey, the City has funded full scholarships for Lacey-based businesses. See course application for details.

Business TuneUp

TuneUp is a course for business owners looking for a better return on their time and money. The program offers a supportive environment where business owners can build essential management skills that are difficult to acquire while immersed in the day-to-day activities of operating a business.

Business owners will be given tools necessary for increasing operational efficiency, improving profitability, and creating a long-term sustainable business that can continue to run smoothly when the owner is not there.

This four week program is offered in Lacey at the Center for Business & Innovation. For more information, please visit ScaleUpThurston.org, or contact Ryan Norskog at rnorskog@thurstonedc.com or (360) 464-6060.

Build Your Market

Build Your Market is a training program designed for business owners who would like to explore growth opportunities that will be right for their business and how to make strategic decisions to capitalize on these opportunities.

Business owners will learn how to develop their competitive advantage, strengthen their business model, improve their product/service offerings based on market needs, and develop a plan for implementing and testing the effectiveness of their marketing strategy.

This 4 week program is offered in Lacey at the Center for Business & Innovation. For more information, please visit ScaleUpThurston.org, or contact Ryan Norskog at rnorskog@thurstonedc.com or (360) 464-6060.

Financial Mastery

Financial Mastery is a training program for business owners who recognize they need to strengthen their knowledge and understanding of their company financial information so they can improve strategic decision making.

Business owners will gain mastery of their financial statements and what the numbers are revealing, learn how to develop a budget, project cash flow, and gain an understanding of the different ways to finance their business growth.

Increasing Sales

Economic Gardening–Washington State is committed to helping its small businesses grow. One way to do that is to help business leaders get over the inevitable hump that occurs in the second stage of a company’s life. And that’s what the Washington State Economic Gardening program is designed to do.

Typically, businesses at this stage know that they need to grow, they just don’t know how, where or when. Growth, of course can be risky, especially at critical junctures in the life of a company, especially in a rapidly changing, dynamic marketplace. Washington’s Economic Gardening program is designed to reduce this risk while increasing the potential for growth by engaging business specialists from throughout the country to help a company more fully understand its strengths, challenges, and most important, opportunities.

Economic Gardening has been successfully implemented throughout the United States and has developed innovative methodologies for successful business assistance that complements conventional practices. At its core is a group of highly specialized professionals known as the National Strategic Research Team (NSRT). These individuals are certified by the National Center for Economic Gardening, hosted by the Edward Lowe Foundation. Working together with the company’s management team, they provide analysis on core strategy, market dynamics, qualified sales leads, innovation, and temperament.

Leveraging sophisticated corporate tools often not available to second-stagers, the NSRT functions like an adjunct research staff, providing CEOs with information to make better decisions about critical issues. Researchers show second-stagers the big picture so they can make necessary adjustments that lead to increased growth and profitability.

Economic Gardening FAQs

What are second stage growth companies?

Private, for profit companies that have been operating in a Washington State community for at least two years
Employ between 6-99 employees
Generate between $750,000 and $50 million in annual revenue.
Demonstrate the intent and capacity to grow
Provide products and services beyond the local area
How does the pilot program work?

National Strategic Research Team coordinates schedule with participating CEOs
Participating CEOs spend 8 to 12 hours collaborating with the National Strategic Research Team
The research team spends 20-24 hours working on specific business issues
It then conducts a follow up engagement for assistance with implementation
Completion of individual engagement with the company is completed in 4 to 6 weeksEconomic Gardening allows you to:
What are the benefits to a company?

Identify market trends, potential competitors and unknown resources
Map geographic areas for targeted marketing
Raise visibility in search engine results and increased web traffic
Track websites, blogs and online communities to better understand competitors and current and potential customers
Make informed decisions on core strategies and the business model
Gain access to competitive data intelligence
What are the deliverables?

Identification of critical industry trends, current and new competitors, and implementation of underutilized resources
Enhanced visibility in new media and web traffic, including improved search engine rankings
Improved tracking of digital information and on-line communications to improve knowledge of customers and competitors
Timely data that can be used to shape core strategies and future decision-making in order to better respond to the dynamic market encountered by the businessTo participate in the program, companies must meet one or more of the following criteria:
Who are the targeted businesses?

Located in underserved counties based on the latest employment security department designation
Based in rural counties based on a combination of Census Bureau and Office of Financial Management related data and definitions
Based in counties that may suffer significant transitions as a result of the military downsizing
Qualify as women, minority, or veteran owned business
What is the role of state and local support organizations (economic development organizations, chambers, SBDC’s, etc.)?

Identify eligible companies
Refer companies to the program
Discuss opportunities
Set expectations
Participate in follow up engagement

For more information, including State funding status for the program, please visit the economic gardening website.

WANT TO KNOW MORE

If you don’t see what you’re looking for here, please contact us. We will be very happy to locate the data—the information—that you’re seeking!