Start a New Business in Wisconsin

Your one-stop-shop for Wisconsin business services including Economic Development, Economic Indicators, Finding Employees, Infrastructure, Taxes, Training Employees, and Government Resources.

Featured services include:

• One Stop Business (OSB) Registration: OSB creates an easy step-through process where Wisconsin's businesses can find the requirements and tools they need to start a business in Wisconsin. ​

• Business Tax Information: Access tax information, forms, resources and frequently asked questions as a business through the Department of Revenue website.​

• Job Center of Wisconsin Employer Tools: Need to post a new opportunity or search for a potential resume match? The Job Center of Wisconsin connects talent with opportunities throughout the State of Wisconsin​.

State of Wisconsin Business Services website

The SBA’s Wisconsin offices provide services including funding programs, counseling, federal contracting, certifications, and disaster recovery. They can also connect you to partner organizations, lenders, and other community groups that help small businesses succeed.

Both offices in Milwaukee and Madison are available to serve all 72 counties across Wisconsin.

A sample of event topics include Estate Planning for Women in Business, Start a Small Business in 8 Steps, Wage and Hour Laws and Retirement Plans, and Financial Management: Building Financial Confidence in Your Business.

310 West Wisconsin Avenue
Suite 580W
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53203
Phone: 414-297-3941

Wisconsin Small Business Administration SBA website

740 Regent Street
Suite 100
Madison, Wisconsin 53715
Phone: 608-441-5263

Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation (WWBIC) provides underserved individuals who are interested in starting, strengthening or expanding businesses, with access to critical resources such as responsible financial products and quality business and personal finance training.

They focus on individuals who face barriers in accessing business financing and training support, including women, people of color, veterans, and lower-wealth individuals.

Start or grow your business: Resources and expert advice to help launch and grow your business with over 400 workshops offered each year.

Finance your business: As the State’s largest microlender providing access to fair capital for business start-ups and expansions, WWBIC makes loans to small and micro businesses up to $350,000.

Strengthen your finances: WWBIC offers education and coaching to build life-changing money skills.

In addition to the center in Milwaukee, WWBIC has a South Central regional office in Madison, a Southeast regional office in Racine, a Southeast regional office Kenosha, a Northeast regional office in Appleton, and a Southwest regional office in La Crosse.

Milwaukee Business Office
1533 North Rivercenter Drive
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212
Phone 414-263-5450

Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation Milwaukee WWBIC website

The Wisconsin SBDC offers consulting, education, referrals, tools, and resources, whether you’re just getting started or looking for ways to improve your business.

• Determine if your business idea is feasible: Do you have a business idea and want to find out if it’s worth your investment? WSBDC can help you determine if that idea can become a business and how to get started.

• Launch a new business: Time to launch your business but you’re not sure where to start? Let the Entrepreneurial Training Program and other resources guide you.

• Get financing for your new or growing business: Finding people who believe in your idea as much as you do can be difficult, especially when it comes to funding. WSBDC can help secure initial funding or aid in expansion.

• Grow your existing business: An established business’ next steps are maintenance and often growth. Take advantage of WSBDC cybersecurity and business management programs.

780 Regent Street
Suite 305
Madison, Wisconsin 53715
Phone: 608-263-7794

Wisconsin Small Business Development Center website

The Women’s Business Development Center Wisconsin office in Milwaukee supports and accelerates business development and growth, targeting women and serving all diverse business owners. Services include:

Coaching and Education including strategic one-on-one and group business advising, specialized cohort-based curricula and workshops, and digital learning.

Contracts including private sector procurement opportunities, public sector contracting assistance, and WBE (Women's Business Enterprise) certification.

Capital including financial education, debt and equity placement, direct lending, and Kiva microlending.

1533 North River Center Drive
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212
Phone: 414-395-4564

Women’s Business Development Center WBDC website

Whether your business is in the pre-revenue stage or your doors are already open, BizStarts provides structured guidance to clear the path for your next step forward. The organization provides one-on-one coaching, personalized mentoring, and business connections.

BizStarts brings entrepreneurs together from all backgrounds, ethnicities and beliefs to create a collaborative learning environment that embodies positivity, inspires confidence, and develops people’s capacity to achieve personal success and business growth.

2450 West North Avenue
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53205
Phone: 414-973-2334

BizStarts Empowered Through Entrepreneurship website

The Western Wisconsin Women's Business Center is a program of Western Dairyland EOC Inc. and funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Services are designed to provide entrepreneurs with access to individualized as well as group business training, referrals, financing, technology, and ongoing business case management services. Owners of start-up, existing, and expanding businesses receive technical assistance in all aspects of business operation including business plan development, feasibility studies, marketing assistance, business management, and operations. Special efforts are made to assist economically and socially disadvantaged women.

The Western Wisconsin Women’s Business Center serves woman in Barron, Buffalo, Chippewa, Clark, Dunn, Eau Claire, Jackson, Pepin, Pierce, Polk, St. Croix, and Trempealeau counties.

Eau Claire Office
418 Wisconsin Street
Eau Claire, Wisconsin 54703
Phone: 715-836-7511

Independence Office
23122 Whitehall Road
PO Box 125
Independence, Wisconsin 54747
Phone: 715-985-2391

Western Wisconsin Women’s Business Center website

DOY·ENNE: A WOMAN WHO IS KNOWLEDGEABLE, RESPECTED, AND PROMINENT IN A PARTICULAR FIELD OR PROFESSION

Women and marginalized gender(s) entrepreneurs are powerful players in our economy. Doyenne brings strong, motivated people together to advance early-stage, scalable ventures into their next phase of success to effectively change the face of entrepreneurship.

While the majority of the organization’s ventures have some sort of technology business sector basis, they typically fall into the categories of technology (broad), service provider, and product manufacturing (food production is included in this category).

4915 Monona Drive
Suite 304
Monona, Wisconsin 53716
Phone: 608-590-6853

Doyenne Group website

SCORE Wisconsin mentors are experienced entrepreneurs, business owners, corporate managers, and executives with a diverse set of industries and specialties who volunteer their experience and knowledge to help small business professionals start, develop, and grow businesses. They offer free and confidential mentoring along with low-cost or no-cost business training, seminars, workshops, and numerous tools and templates.

They provide free and confidential one-on-one business counseling by phone, email, and in-person in the Southeast Wisconsin area and conduct workshops for both start-up entrepreneurs and seasoned small business owners.

The SCORE office in Madison serves Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Grant, Green, Iowa, Lafayette, Richland, Rock, Sauk, and Vernon counties. The Southeast SCORE office serves Milwaukee, Waukesha, Washington, Racine, Kenosha, Sheboygan, Ozaukee, Dodge, Jefferson, and Walworth.

PO Box 248
Madison, Wisconsin 53715
Phone: 608-535-4978

SCORE Wisconsin

The U.S. Small Business Administration helps small businesses get the funding they need. Funding resources include:

• Loans - Start or expand your business with loans guaranteed by the SBA.

• Investment capital - Find an investor for your business. Investors make both debt and equity investments.

• Disaster assistance - Get help after a disaster with low-interest disaster loans.

• Surety bonds - Protect your work and your client with an SBA-guaranteed surety bond.

• Grants - Look for government grants that help businesses do scientific research and development.

US Small Business Administration SBA website

The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation offers various funding opportunities.

• Capital Catalyst Program: Matching grants to seed funds managed by local communities and other eligible entities to provide capital to high-growth startups and emerging growth companies.

• Entrepreneurial Micro-Grants: Grants to support business planning and strategy for Wisconsin entrepreneurs and small business owners, administered through the Center for Technology Commercialization.

• Entrepreneurship Partner Grant: Grants to encourage the formation of entrepreneurship support programs and to develop startup and emerging growth companies in the state of Wisconsin.

• Qualified New Business Venture (QNBV) Certification: Helps drive investment to innovate early-stage Wisconsin companies by allowing investors to claim a 25 percent tax credit on the amount they invest into a QNBV-certified business.

• SBIR/STTR Matching Grant: Grants to stimulate technological innovation by supporting technology-based Wisconsin small businesses, administered through the Center for Technology Commercialization.

• Technology Development Loan Program: The program provides direct financial assistance to startup and emerging growth companies in Wisconsin that are developing and commercializing innovative products and services at critical stages in their development.

• Wisconsin Investment Fund: Launching in 2023 with $50 million in investible resources, the Wisconsin Investment Fund will provide venture capital investment through designated fund partners.

201 West Washington Avenue
Madison, Wisconsin 53703
Phone: 608-210-6700

Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation website

The University of Wisconsin School of Business houses the Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship. This Center for Entrepreneurship promotes entrepreneurial thinking for students at all levels, whether undergraduate or graduate, business majors, or students in a nonbusiness program.

Undergraduate programs include major in Management and Human Resources: Entrepreneurship, courses for UW-Madison Undergraduates, and Certificate in Entrepreneurship for Nonbusiness Majors.

Graduate programs include Certificates for MBA and other Graduate Students, MBA Fellowship in Enterprise Development, Weinert Applied Ventures in Entrepreneurship (WAVE), and Morgridge Entrepreneurial Bootcamp (MEB).

Doctoral programs include PhD in Management and Human Resources with a focus on entrepreneurship, and Doctoral Minor in Entrepreneurship.

Wisconsin School of Business
Grainger Hall
975 University Avenue
Madison, Wisconsin 53706
Phone: 608-262-1550

University of Wisconsin at Madison’s Wisconsin School of Business website

The Donald J. Schneider School of Business and Economics is Northeast Wisconsin’s hub for business intelligence.

Programs include:

• Innovative undergraduate degree programs, grounded in the liberal arts with coursework designed to meet the future needs of the business community, such as a new data analytics major.

• The Schneider MBA, designed to prepare high-potential women and men for career transitions into leadership roles.

• The Center for Exceptional Leadership’s certificate programs tailored to both emerging and established leaders.

• The Center for Business & Economic Analysis, which leverages cutting-edge analytic techniques to provide custom research services to local and regional businesses and policy-makers.

• The Strategic Research Institute, which provides rigorous survey-based analysis to organizations throughout northeast Wisconsin and beyond.

School of Business and Economics
Cofrin Hall
100 Grant Street
De Pere, Wisconsin 54115
Phone: 920-403-3440

St. Norbert College Donald J. Schneider School of Business and Economics

In print, online and in person, BizTimes Media provides up-to-the-minute business news, analysis, and valuable strategic insights to Southeastern Wisconsin business leaders.

The print magazine, BizTimes Milwaukee, includes industry trend analysis, strategic advice and one-on-one interviews with Milwaukee’s top executives, achievers and up-and-comers.

Areas of focus include arts and culture, banking and finance, energy and environment, healthcare, hospitality, insurance, law, manufacturing, media, nonprofit, real estate, sports, technology, transportation, coaching, economic development, economy. education and workforce development, entrepreneurship and small business, family business, financial management, human resources, innovation, leadership, marketing, sales, and wealth management.

126 N. Jefferson Street
Suite 403
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202
Phone: 414-277-8181

BizTimes Milwaukee Business News website

In the Milwaukee Business Journal online you'll find the latest breaking business news, updated throughout the day, this week's top stories from the Milwaukee Business Journal, and other popular features from the print edition.

Areas of focus include banking and financial services, career and workplace, commercial real estate, education, energy, food and lifestyle, government and regulations, healthcare, manufacturing, media and marketing, nonprofits, professional services, commercial real estate, retailing, sports business, technology, transportation, travel and tourism, Wisconsin innovation, small business week, and people to know.

825 North Jefferson Street
Suite 200
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202
Phone: 414-278-7788

Milwaukee Business Journal website

WisBusiness covers economic development and the latest news from companies across Wisconsin, both big and small.

14 W. Mifflin Street
Suite 222
Madison, Wisconsin 53703
Phone: 608-441-8418

WisBusiness website

In Business magazine is the premier business-to-business publication in the Greater Madison region. It covers the companies and people shaping the business community through readership news, analysis, and in-depth profiles – both online and in print. The publication provides interview-style reporting on industry business practices, profiles new businesses in the marketplace, and honors the stakeholders who built the business community.

2801 Crossroads Drive
Suite 1600
Madison, Wisconsin 53718
Phone: 608-204-9655

In Business website