GrowthWheel® 360° Perspective
on Start-up and Growth
GrowthWheel® is a visual way to look at areas of business that are already known to experienced entrepreneurs and business advisors.
All Companies have the Same Challenges : Whatever the industry, lifestage, or company size. Building and
growing a company comes down to four basic challenges.
When a start-up or growth company is not getting off the ground or not growing the way it could, the reason is that more work is needed in one or several focus areas. Decisions have not yet been made, and actions have not yet been taken.
Rather than trying to do everything at once – or make plans for everything – the core message of GrowthWheel is to find the single most important areas and focus on them first. The 20 focus areas are:
Attractive Business Concept - Meeting or creating demand
Getting the right business idea and designing the right product portfolio. Selling it to the right customers using the right revenue model, and doing so while maintaining a strong market position.
Strong Organization - Building teams and partnerships
Finding the right ownership and board, recruit and develop the right employees. Outsourcing tasks through partnerships with suppliers and contractors and mapping the core business processes. Having the legal frameworks in place for working together.
Lasting Customer Relations - Finding and keeping clients
Networking to get the right introductions. Choosing the right way to do marketing and organizing effective sales processes. Getting in the media and on the customers· agenda by handling communications and PR. Living the values that shape a strong branding of the organization and the products.
Profitable Operations - Being productive and making money
Making sure the right financial practices are in place and ensuring that there is enough funding for profitable investments to be made. Setting up the right production and project management systems to ensure deliveries and set up the right IT systems and facilities to carry out the business.
SSBCI
Intermediary Lending
NEF provides loans to mission-focused Micro Development Organizations reaching targeted diverse and under served entrepreneurs.
Invoice Financing
Small-dollar financing to small and emerging business based on existing contract, provided in collaboration with the Greater Omaha Chamber’s REACH Initiative.
Direct Lending
Loans from $1,000 to $150,000 provided directly to businesses based on business capacity, ability to repay and growth plans.
GAP Financing
Loans in collaboration with a lead bank. NEF provides the crucial “gap” financing to ensure good deals are great by augmenting the bank’s ability to fund.
Your Access to Capital
NEF provides flexible lending products to businesses and programs across Nebraska and Southwest Iowa to support your capital needs and growth plans.
NEF has received an increasing number of inquiries from Iowa entrepreneurs and bankers with requests for loans in this area. With few other non-traditional lending options available for small businesses, NEF expanded services into Iowa in 2021, focusing on the neighboring community of Council Bluffs and the Western portion of the state.
