Midwest Visiting Professors Symposium

Presented by Wells Fargo

September 26-27

MVPS brings together small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs with top entrepreneurship professors from across the country—right here in Milwaukee. Hosted by BizStarts, this 2-day summit features masterclasses led by nationally recognized educators, including voices from HBCUs, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and leading universities. These dynamic, practical sessions are designed to drive real impact for Wisconsin’s entrepreneurial community. The program will be presented in English and American Sign Language and in Spanish in November (more information to come!)

September 26

Time	Professor	Title	Description
1:00 – 1:55	Dr. Michael Morris	It’s Not All About Money: Growing Your Business through Resource Leveraging	You have more resources than you think you do. Unlock the power of leverage to scale smarter, and do more with less. This class explores how to maximize your time, capital, and partnerships for exponential growth.
2:00 – 2:55	Dr. Ted Zoller	Go to Market Strategy	Professor Zoller will present how to prepare a go-to-market strategy based on his innovative 6M venture circuit which prepares founders to ready their business to test, validate and enter their target market. Topics in Market include defining the value prop with a focus on the target market, the creation of a universal selling proposition, segmenting and positioning for your target market and defining your beachhead. It then covers the approach in developing a direct market approach for consumer businesses and a channel strategy for B2B businesses. He will then present how to attract and recruit the correct talent for your founding team and to organize an advisory board to support the team as they make their transition to the market facing phase of the business.
3:00 – 3:55	Dr. Sara Cochran	Grow Lean with the Customer-Funded Business	Discover how successful entrepreneurs have built exciting, scalable ventures in a lean way by leveraging paying customers from launch. This session will unveil proven customer-funded business models and help you explore how to apply them to your own venture. Whether you’re launching a startup or scaling your existing venture, you’ll leave inspired and equipped with practical tools to launch and grow lean.
4:00 – 4:55	Dr. Lois Shelton	Planning, Thinking Strategically and Creating Your Future	This course equips entrepreneurs with the tools to think and plan strategically from the start, helping them define a compelling vision, stand out in competitive markets, and avoid the commodity trap. Participants will learn to articulate their unique value proposition, understand the difference between planning and plans, and explore the fundamentals of crafting a strong business plan. Through future-focused exercises, the course encourages visionary thinking to shape a distinct path forward.
5:00 – 6:00	Networking Event

September 27

Time	Professor	Title	Description
7:30	Breakfast
8:00 – 8:55	Charles Inokon	Negotiation	Gain the tools and confidence to negotiate effectively in any setting. Learn tactics to close better deals, manage conflict, and build lasting business relationships.
9:00 – 9:55	Dr. SherRonda Gibbs	Opportunity Recognition	Great businesses grow by spotting opportunities others miss. This session explores how to identify market gaps, assess potential, and take action so you can turn ideas into measurable results.
10:00 – 10:55	Dr. Howard Jean-Denis	Design Thinking	Learn how to solve complex problems creatively by putting your customer at the center. This session walks you through a proven, human-centered approach to innovation and idea development.
11:00 – 11:55	Charles Inokon	Financial Literacy & Your North Star	A fast-moving, hands-on session that shows Main-Street entrepreneurs how to use their numbers as a true compass for every decision, anchoring strategy in cash flow, profitability, and asset efficiency. Participants will learn to practice weekly cash-flow forecasting, smarter payment terms, and reserve planning, so money is there when opportunity knocks. The workshop demystifies loan & grant readiness, highlights the power of keeping business and personal accounts separate, and maps out easy first steps to build rock-solid business credit with on-time vendor trades and a D-U-N-S number.
12:00 – 12:55	Dr. Jonathan T. Shirley	Leadership	Great businesses start with great leaders. This session dives into mindset, decision-making, and team development to help you lead with clarity and purpose.