Presented by the Sonoma County Economic Development Board, in conjunction with local and area partners, the North Bay Executive Strategies Forum is open to owners, managers, and CEOs interested in taking their businesses to the next level. The Forum, planned for 2008 is devoted to seminars and workshops led by expert speakers and targeted to second-stage companies. The executive forum provides a unique and useful form of business development, education, and expansion assistance.

What’s a Second-Stage Company?

Small businesses account for 51 percent of all private sector employment and drive domestic job growth, creating 75 percent of new jobs annually. Two million new small businesses start every year, and fortunately for the entrepreneur, many resources are available to assist start-ups, either within their local communities or through the Internet. Among these are local junior college and university business education and extension courses, the U.S. Small Business Administration, and private and public entities that offer everything from free advice to paid professional services.

Successful companies often can fall into an education gap between start-ups and large corporations. Although these second-stage employers create the bulk of new, sustainable jobs, the challenge for their owners and managers is to understand and implement the crucial decisions necessary to position their companies for growth and expansion.

Characteristics of second-stage companies are:

• Annual revenues approaching $1 million and up to $10 million.
• Depending on the industry, employees number between 10 and 100
• Driving these companies are their owners—often the founders—who may have benefited by adding professional managers, but not yet a full-scale professional management team.
• The company’s market has been proven, and survival is not a daily issue.

Second-stage businesses are those that have been growing successfully for several years and have a stable labor force. These companies may be facing issues of growth rather than survival. The North Bay Executive Strategies Forum will offer resources to aid management in making decisions at critical times. Employers in all economic sectors, financial institutions, and professional services firms have a vested interest in keeping “homegrown” businesses strong so that their owners will want to stay and expand in the North Bay. The forum will bring together business executives and resources, and also offer these entrepreneurs a unique opportunity to network with their peers and share ideas and best practices.

How do you know if your company has reached second-stage growth?

• Many people are not aware of what others are doing.
• People lack an understanding of the firm’s ultimate goals.
• A sharp drop in product quality occurs for unknown reasons.
• Turnover increases sharply, just when the company needs more employees.
• The CEO wakes up worrying about operational tasks that someone else should be handling.
• All your customers want to meet with you, but finding the time seems impossible.

What’s Unique about this Program?

1. The North Bay Executive Strategies Forum is the only known program of its kind on the West Coast targeted to second-stage companies and not part of a university course of study.
2. The curriculum presented by local and national experts will contain materials and resources that attendees can continue to utilize long after the three-day weekend is over.
3. Supported by the Sonoma County Economic Development Board and local businesses, participants can always access recommended area resources and referrals.
4. The educational experience will allow North Bay executives the opportunity to meet and learn from other second-stage company owners and managers.
5. Formal and informal meetings throughout the year will aid participants in exchanging information with each other and putting the curriculum into practice in real-life situations.

Business executives need information and insight they can trust. Their most credible sources are their entrepreneurial peers in the North Bay who share similar opportunities, responsibilities, stresses, and passion for growth. Relying on proven strategies and structures of other established entrepreneurial education programs, the EDB will weave together key regional dynamics that enable the small business owner to succeed. These characteristics have been identified as:

• Diversity in sources of capital
• An enabling culture
• Peer networks
• Supportive infrastructure
• Entrepreneur-friendly government resources

Where can I learn more?

As updates to the North Bay Executive Strategies Forum become available they will be posted to this page. In the near future, look for a list of sponsors and information about speakers, curriculum, and cost. In the meantime, please feel free to contact us with any questions.

Some excellent resources are available online that provide additional information about economic development strategies, building entrepreneurial communities, second-stage businesses, and peer networks.
Edward Lowe Foundation
Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation