Education

Second-stage businesses face specific challenges unique from those of new ventures and well-established large corporations. These businesses have successfully navigated the waters of identifying a viable market and product and are no longer concerned on a day-to-day basis simply with survival, they are now facing a new set of challenges. Their leaders often find that they and their businesses are stretched to the limit due to increasing sales that require perpetual increases in people, inventory, space, and financing. Second Stage programs are designed to give the leaders of these businesses the skills necessary to begin to transition their companies into professionally managed ventures with the appropriate organizational structures in place to sustain and cultivate further growth, without creating innovation crushing bureaucracies.

Second Stage Programs include:

• Growth Business Strategies provides a high-level, focused, professional development experience for the key leaders of second-stage companies. Led by experts, this 3 module program will teach the essential skills to move past surviving and start growing. Click here to view >>
• SMART (Strategic Management Assessment & Review Tool) is an individualized business assessment performed in cooperation between a company’s key leaders and the Second Stage team. Companies will be evaluated against the Criteria for Performance Excellence, the best measure of outstanding management in the business world. As you work on the areas for improvement, you will see change happen in your business!
• PeerSpectives® Roundtable System was created by the Edward Lowe Foundation, a nationally recognized foundation focusing on the issues facing businesses that are past the startup stage and in the growth stage. The focus of the PeerSpectives® roundtable system is on peer-to-peer learning, using a structured roundtable format that focuses on sharing personal experiences rather than giving advice.

If you are interested in learning more about any of these programs, call or e-mail our program manager Diane Scott at 816-265-6063 or scottdia@missouri.edu.