Interested in Growing Your Established Small Business? The Michigan SBDC Growth Team May Be Right For You.

When most people think of the Michigan Small Business Development Center (Michigan SBDC), they picture early-stage startups drafting their very first business plans or solopreneurs launching a passion project from their garage. While helping new businesses plant their roots is a vital part of our statewide mission, there is another side to economic development that is just as critical: helping established companies navigate the complex, often turbulent waters of rapid scaling, operational bottlenecks, and long-term transition planning. We call this phase “second stage.”

That is where the Michigan SBDC Growth Team comes in.

As a specialized unit within our network, the Growth Team provides consulting services designed exclusively to help proven businesses scale efficiently, across the Great Lakes State. If your business has passed the survival phase but you are feeling “stuck,” facing rapid expansion pressures, or wondering how to prepare your company for an eventual sale, the Growth Team is built for you.

Who We Are: An Overview of the Growth Team
The Growth Team is a collaborative group of senior business consultants with deep functional expertise across finance, human resources, marketing, process improvement, and industry-specific mechanics. Rather than operating in a vacuum, our growth consultants work hand-in-hand with our regional teams to offer a continuous, state-wide wrapper of support. This specialized team leverages the power of our regional teams and statewide partners.

Our mission is simple: To make Michigan the best place to start and grow a business by helping established small businesses succeed.
We achieve this by embedding ourselves within the local economic ecosystem, cultivating robust working relationships with regional Economic Development Organizations (EDOs), chambers of commerce, and funding partners like the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). By matching our specialized knowledge with the lived experiences of Michigan business owners, we transform complex market challenges into predictable opportunities for sustainable wealth and job creation.

Your business is an ideal candidate for the Growth Team if you match the following attributes:

• Established Longevity: Your company has successfully been in business for 3 to 5 years.
• A Growing Workforce: You have moved past the solopreneur stage and employ more than 8 employees.
• Infrastructure in Place: You have established leadership roles and maintain organized, accurate financial and accounting records to drive data-backed decision-making.
• The “Growth Pause” or Expansion Crisis: You find your company in one of three critical phases—experiencing Rapid Growth (and struggling to keep up), feeling Stuck (unable to break through to the next revenue tier), or facing structural Distress.
• Interested in Growing your small business.
• Interested in Transitioning (Selling or Buying) your small business.

We work across an incredibly diverse cross-section of Michigan industries. On any given day, our active portfolio includes everything from fast-growing trade businesses (HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and general contractors) to advanced manufacturers, specialty retailers, and modern tech service providers.

The Growth Team Toolbox: 7 Powerful Tools and Frameworks We Use
We don’t rely on generic advice or superficial consulting. The Growth Team utilizes a proven suite of contemporary, institutional-grade tools to audit your business, map out inefficiencies, and unlock hidden value. Here are seven of the primary frameworks we put to work for our growth clients:

1. The Focus Four™ Program & Field Guide
   This cornerstone framework allows us to dive deep into the four foundational pillars of sustainable business scaling: Vision, Strategy, Execution, and Cash Flow. Our team logs thousands of combined hours helping business owners refine their strategic direction and translate high-level vision into weekly, actionable execution.
2. The ValueBuilder System™
   What is your business actually worth, and how sellable is it without your day-to-day involvement? Using this 12-module engagement system, we benchmark your business across critical metrics like the “Switzerland Structure” (reducing dependency on any single supplier or customer) and the “Hub & Spoke” model (ensuring the business can run smoothly when the owner steps away).
3. Vertical IQ® Industry Intelligence
   To compete effectively, you need hyper-localized data. We leverage advanced industry intelligence platforms to evaluate industry-specific benchmarks, track micro-economic trends, and understand valuation multiples specific to your sector so you always hold the upper hand in market negotiations.
4. ProfitSense® Peer-to-Peer Financial Analysis
   Numbers tell a story, but only if you know how to read them. Through specialized peer-to-peer training and comparative financial analysis tools, we help second-stage business owners dissect their margins, isolate cash-flow leaks, and build predictive budgets that withstand economic shifts.
5. Specialized Artificial Intelligence (AI) Leadership & Tools
   As co-chairs of the statewide AI Special Interest Group (SIG), the Growth Team is at the absolute forefront of helping small businesses integrate modern technology. We guide business owners through adopting “low-code” scheduling, invoicing, and back-office AI tools to automate repetitive tasks, lower overhead costs, and combat tight labor markets.
6. Market Research
   We offer no-cost secondary market research to help you better understand and reach your target audience. Knowing your target audience is a critical step for any business in order to reach the right customers and generate revenue. Sign up your small Michigan business for business consulting and request custom market research reports.
7. Exporting Services
   The Michigan SBDC offers no-cost small business consulting services to help Michigan small businesses market products and services to an international audience.

Real-World Impact: By the Numbers
The work of the Growth Team translated into immense economic momentum for local communities across the state. In the first half of 2026 alone, our clients received:

• $24.1 million in total capital formation.
• 735 hours of highly specialized Focus Four consulting.
• 188 hours of rigorous Value Builder and transition planning.

From hosting statewide roundtables for the trades to developing innovative webinars on succession planning and commercial real estate, we ensure that Michigan’s small business leaders have the continuous education they need to lead with clarity and resilience.

Ready to Take the Next Step? Connect With Us!
Scaling a business can feel lonely, but you don’t have to navigate it by trial and error. If your business has more than 8 employees, revenue over $1 million, has been operating for over 3 years, and is ready to confidently unlock its next stage of growth, our team is ready to stand in your corner.

How to Engage With the Growth Team:

• Visit Us Online: Learn more about our statewide resources, register for an upcoming growth webinar, or request standard consulting services directly at michigansbdc.org.
• Talk to Your Michigan SBDC Consultant: If you are an existing Michigan SBDC client, ask your primary consultant about a Core-to-Growth Team referral. Our internal co-consulting framework makes transitioning or looping in a growth specialist seamless.

Let’s work together to build a more prosperous, scalable, and resilient small business community right here in Michigan.

Jim McLain

Growth Team Manager

Grand Valley State University

Seidman College of Business