| Dear entrepreneur, At Michigan Women Forward, the Women’s Entrepreneurship Initiative Team speaks with entrepreneurs daily and know very well of the hardships and challenges that all small business owners have faced and continue to experience throughout the pandemic. It is not the individual challenges that shape the entrepreneur and the business but how the entrepreneur responds to those challenges that will determine the success of their business. Throughout the pandemic, small business owners have been forced to adapt and make small to large changes to their business models to stay competitive or even stay in business. It is times like these where you have and will be forced to think creatively, and possibly rethink your target market for the product or service that you provide. Keeping this idea in mind, I wanted to share some information on a group of technical assistance providers in Michigan called PTAC. The Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTACs) of Michigan are a group of non-profit organizations that provide an array of services to small businesses in Michigan to secure local, state, and federal government contracts. They provide one-on-one consulting services as well as seminars, events, and other forms of training to assist small businesses in Michigan with applications, registration, marketing, bid preparation and submission, for government contracts. They have 11 offices located across Michigan and offer their services free of charge to small businesses located and registered in the state. This will not be an option for all businesses, but if your business manufactures or provides a product or service that can pivot to this specific market, this could be a great opportunity for your business. I strongly encourage those of you that are interested to contact me or your local PTACs of Michigan office directly for more information. Here is a link to PTACs of Michigan’s local office finder where you will be able to locate your local PTAC office and be provided with the office’s direct contact information. Sincerely, Ben Jirik Loan Officer Michigan Women Forward |
| Michigan Women Forward’s WEI Program is made possible by contributions from generous individuals, corporations, and foundations. To view a list of our funders, click here. Thank you! |