Early-Stage Start-up Conceptual Strategy
Parm - https://www.parmwi.com/
Chef Andy Saray of Parm approached us in early 2021 which the idea to start his own restaurant franchise. Andy was an executive chef of almost a decade and wanted to take the leap to start his own business.
Through conceptual strategy and consulting meetings, the Venture Project team helped him develop a plan that would leverage high profitability with low overhead. The plan was a pop-up restaurant. The pop-up concept would help Andy develop a personal brand and develop a following surrounding Parm. The Venture Project also helped connect Andy to community stakeholders, networking functions, and other resources to get off the ground. The pop-up was a success! Andy was able to use the earnings from his pop-up restaurant to snowball into a growth focused fund. The earnings from his pop-up restaurant were then leveraged into a physical site to begin a brick-and-mortar restaurant. In summer of 2022, Parm Restaurant moved into a physical restaurant located at 803 Otter Ave, Oshkosh, WI 54901. He was able to achieve this without the help out of outside investors of debt financing.
Elektra Cruise - https://elektracruise.com/
Sue and Bob Everhard had family ties to the Oshkosh area and marine industry. Sue approached the Venture Project seeking assistance with a boat charter concept. She had the idea to bring an electric Duffy boat to the Oshkosh water ways to reduce environmental impact and still have a relaxing experience.
The Venture Project helped Sue with the initial growing pains of the start-up and assembled a creative package for her. The Venture Project conducted photography, video advertising, logo design, and website creation for her business.
Additionally, the Venture Project assembled launch campaign for Elektra Cruise summer of 2021. The Venture Project released a press-release to local news outlets and regional influencers. Elektra Cruise was then featured in The Oshkosh Northwestern and Channel 5 News, and many other local blogs and podcasts.
In less than 8 weeks from concept to launch, The Venture Project was able to deliver roughly $10,000 worth of leads to the Elektra team upon opening.
Market Research, Lead Generation, & Business Intelligence
“Mortgage Brokerage” (Name Hidden due to Confidentiality Agreement)
Mortgage Brokerage is a nationwide mortgage broker with several hundred employees that services conforming loan products aimed at first time home buyers. The Venture Project team conducted a comprehensive market study to capture niches in Naples, FL real estate market.
The Venture Project outlined several significant opportunities in the Naples region for first time home buyers. The Venture Project concluded with recommendations to find customers from a B2B perspective. The Venture Project data mined for HR professionals in regional companies that had the authority to select company-wide benefits and delivered that list to the client. Data mining for data is one of our specialties, and it helps us identify key individuals or behaviors to discover business insights.
We proposed a strategy to “pitch” HR representatives in regional companies on discounted mortgage services unique to their employees. This strategy provided the company with an incentive to keep key employees local with discounted brokerage fees. Additionally, the Mortgage brokerage received a streamline of steady business.
The Mortgage Brokerage accepted our proposal and invested several million dollars into geographical expansion into the Naples, FL market.
Audio Engineering, Video, & Media Productions
University of Wisconsin College of Business – “It’s Time Podcast” https://uwosh.edu/cob/departments/masters-business-administration/podcast/
Professor Dale Feinauer of UWO School of Business was speaking at an event at The Venture Project when several members of Propel indicated, “you should start a podcast!” Dale, responded “What’s a podcast?” Fortunately, the Venture Project had a full podcast studio located a few rooms down. We showed Dale the podcast room and after several weeks of planning and deliberation with UWO faculty and staff, we were able produce the “It’s Time” Podcast.
The Venture Project helped with early-stage planning and continues to produce these podcasts. We use state of the art audio and video recording equipment and a team of highly trained editors to deliver a professional studio quality podcast featuring some of the most notable business leaders in the Northeast WI area. The Venture Project is contracted to help with strategy, recording, editing, publishing, and reporting analytics for the “It’s Time” podcast.
Real Estate Sales, Site Selection, and Business Brokerage
Starstruck Artistry - https://www.starstruckartistry.com/
Jennifer (Frees) Spanbauer was a local beautician needing a space for her expanding hair and make-up studio. She was renting an office in the Venture Project Coworking space for her studio when an interesting opportunity came up.
The long-time owner of “A Cut Above” salon, an established and thriving salon in town, decided it was time for her to retire and needed a succession plan. Jennie approached the Venture Project team to help advise her during the negotiation process of the acquisition, the transfer of Starstruck to a suitable location, and the transition from “A Cut Above” to her branding under “Starstruck Artistry.”
In 2022, Starstruck moved to 2211 Oregon St Unit R, Oshkosh, WI 54902 where she has been able to expand rapidly to become one of the premier beauticians in Northeast WI.