Created for owners, managers and employees who want to understand and use financial information to make sound business decisions.

If you as an entrepreneur or business manager are looking for the answers and solutions to these sorts of questions and challenges, then this class is for you: (1) How to read and understand financial information, (2) How to analyze financial information to improve business management decisions resulting in business return on investment commensurate with the risks of the business, (3) How to improve and manage profitability using budgets and better manage working capital, (4) How to improve and manage cash flows using budgets.

In this series of four financial management classes, you will learn how to set up financial records, how to use and analyze financial statements to make decisions, how to create budgets to for profitability and how to manage cash flow.

This class is a hybrid class. You may attend in-person or online.

Take a bike tour of Fitchburg's local breweries, including the Great Dane Pub & Brewing Company, Delta Beer Lab, and Hop Haus Brewing Company. This ride will give riders an opportunity to explore local bike trails along the way and discover what makes Fitchburg a top biking destination! Each stop will have snacks and beer samples to try (for those 21+), and swag giveaways. Every brewery has non-alcoholic beverages available, too!

All proceeds from the 2026 Brewery Ride will go to Fitchburg's Cycling Without Age Chapter, a local non-profit on a mission to offer people who cannot ride a bike themselves an opportunity to feel the wind in their hair as they ride as a passenger on a trishaw with a certified, trained pilot.

Midday Reset is intentional, quiet studio time designed to help you refocus, regulate, and move through the rest of your day with clarity.

Whether you need to catch up on work, study, read, journal, or simply sit in stillness, this space is here to support you.

We’ll begin with a brief 2–5 minute grounding practice to calm the nervous system and shift into focused energy before transitioning into quiet co-working time. Come for 30 minutes or stay for the whole hour and a half; either way, your future self will thank you.

This isn’t a coffee shop. (Although complementary coffee, tea, and snacks are available!)

It’s a curated, calm space.

It’s time set aside for you.

____________________________________________

Learn More Here --> https://etherwellnessmadison.com/midday-reset-quiet-coworking-intentional-space/

Register Here --> https://etherwellnessmadison.buzops.com/MiddayReset

Concerts at McKee, presented by Oak Bank, is back for 2026! Bring the family or coworkers and enjoy a relaxing evening in the park.

Concerts at McKee is a Party in the Park for everyone! A Youth Band from Madison Music Foundry is at 6:00pm, and the headliner will take the stage at 7:00pm.

Armchair Boogie is rapidly becoming one of the country’s hottest acts!

Food trucks from local vendors, beverages, and beer are available, or pack a picnic and bring family, friends, and co-workers. It is the best way to spend a summer Monday night! Thank you to our generous sponsors: Oak Bank, Ward-Brodt, Cardinal Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electric, Mosquito Joe of Madison, The Cesta an Illuminus Community, Grand Appliance, Matt Winzenreid Real Estate Partners, Fitchburg Chamber of Commerce, City of Fitchburg, WI - Government, and Madison Music Foundry.

Midday Reset is intentional, quiet studio time designed to help you refocus, regulate, and move through the rest of your day with clarity.

Whether you need to catch up on work, study, read, journal, or simply sit in stillness, this space is here to support you.

We’ll begin with a brief 2–5 minute grounding practice to calm the nervous system and shift into focused energy before transitioning into quiet co-working time. Come for 30 minutes or stay for the whole hour and a half; either way, your future self will thank you.

This isn’t a coffee shop. (Although complementary coffee, tea, and snacks are available!)

It’s a curated, calm space.

It’s time set aside for you.

____________________________________________

Learn More Here --> https://etherwellnessmadison.com/midday-reset-quiet-coworking-intentional-space/

Register Here --> https://etherwellnessmadison.buzops.com/MiddayReset

 
Join us every last Friday of the Month 9am!!

Gather & Grow: Madison Women’s Network is your new favorite connection circle—designed for women who crave meaningful conversation, community, and support as they navigate both their professional and personal lives.

Whether you’re a seasoned entrepreneur, a creative spirit, a healer, or a working professional, this is a space to connect, reflect, and grow alongside other inspiring women.

Grab your favorite coffee, join us downtown, and experience the magic that happens when women gather intentionally.

When: Last Friday every month at 9:00 AM

Where: Ether Wellness | 25 N Pinckney St. Ste 310, Madison, WI

Cost: $8 per gathering for non-members | Free for Gather & Grow Members 
 

Biz Smart Sprint is your introduction into the world of entrepreneurship. In this live, virtual 6-week course, you will learn the building blocks you need to become a successful entrepreneur. Each week, you’ll discover the key components you need to start a business, including the Business Model Canvas business planning tool, understanding your customers and market, developing a marketing strategy, legal and operational considerations, and financial basics.

This course is an excellent touchpoint for:

• Entrepreneurs who are just starting out
• Participants who need a refresher on business basics
• More established businesses looking to formalize or revamp their business planning process
• Individuals who are considering the feasibility of their “big idea”
• Product or industry experts who are looking to learn how to think of their product or service in business terms

Biz Smart Sprint is your introduction into the world of entrepreneurship. In this live, virtual 6-week course, you will learn the building blocks you need to become a successful entrepreneur. Each week, you’ll discover the key components you need to start a business, including the Business Model Canvas business planning tool, understanding your customers and market, developing a marketing strategy, legal and operational considerations, and financial basics.

This course is an excellent touchpoint for:

• Entrepreneurs who are just starting out
• Participants who need a refresher on business basics
• More established businesses looking to formalize or revamp their business planning process
• Individuals who are considering the feasibility of their “big idea”
• Product or industry experts who are looking to learn how to think of their product or service in business terms

Concerts at McKee, presented by Oak Bank, is back for 2026! Bring the family or coworkers and enjoy a relaxing evening in the park.

Concerts at McKee is a Party in the Park for everyone! A Youth Band from Madison Music Foundry is at 6:00pm, and the headliner will take the stage at 7:00pm.

Bumpus brings energy, funk, and soul to every performance!

Food trucks from local vendors, beverages, and beer are available, or pack a picnic and bring family, friends, and co-workers. It is the best way to spend a summer Monday night! Thank you to our generous sponsors: Oak Bank, Ward-Brodt, Cardinal Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electric, Mosquito Joe of Madison, The Cesta an Illuminus Community, Grand Appliance, Matt Winzenreid Real Estate Partners, Fitchburg Chamber of Commerce, City of Fitchburg, WI - Government, and Madison Music Foundry.

Maximizing Your Leadership Potential is a program designed to help you with practical to achieve lasting, sustainable results through people. This course will enable you to sharpen your skills in four fundamental areas of leadership: self-awareness, learning agility, communication, and influence.

Who should attend:

• Managers and supervisors of individual contributors
• First-level managers who are facing new challenges
• People who have recently been promoted to a management role

Key Topics:

• Increase commitment and engagement to improve team effectiveness
• Build and strengthen relationships in ways that allow for better performance, effective delegation and contribution of others
• Find constructive responses to conflict by understanding self and others
• Learn how and when to adjust leadership style and draw on others to understand and solve problems

Biz Smart Sprint is your introduction into the world of entrepreneurship. In this live, virtual 6-week course, you will learn the building blocks you need to become a successful entrepreneur. Each week, you’ll discover the key components you need to start a business, including the Business Model Canvas business planning tool, understanding your customers and market, developing a marketing strategy, legal and operational considerations, and financial basics.

This course is an excellent touchpoint for:

• Entrepreneurs who are just starting out
• Participants who need a refresher on business basics
• More established businesses looking to formalize or revamp their business planning process
• Individuals who are considering the feasibility of their “big idea”
• Product or industry experts who are looking to learn how to think of their product or service in business terms

Whether you are communicating with your employees, customers, or suppliers your ability to express yourself well and understand others is a major factor of your success. You will take the DiSC Personal Profile and use the results to strengthen your business relationships. You will leave the session with a personal plan for improving your communication skills. The second half of the class will focus on developing delegation as a valuable skill that will allow you to enable your employees to willingly take more responsibility for performance and use their expanded authority well.

What you will learn:

• The most common causes of communication breakdown and the actions you can take to reduce them.
• What your DiSC behavioral profile is, how to interpret it and how to use it to communicate better with others.
• How to understand the different DiSC styles, their interactions at work and how you can use that to manage others.
• The what, why and benefits of delegation.
• The conditions necessary for successful delegation.
• The 5 steps of effective delegation.

Biz Smart Sprint is your introduction into the world of entrepreneurship. In this live, virtual 6-week course, you will learn the building blocks you need to become a successful entrepreneur. Each week, you’ll discover the key components you need to start a business, including the Business Model Canvas business planning tool, understanding your customers and market, developing a marketing strategy, legal and operational considerations, and financial basics.

This course is an excellent touchpoint for:

• Entrepreneurs who are just starting out
• Participants who need a refresher on business basics
• More established businesses looking to formalize or revamp their business planning process
• Individuals who are considering the feasibility of their “big idea”
• Product or industry experts who are looking to learn how to think of their product or service in business terms

At CultureCon, we believe that meaningful work isn’t reserved for a select few. It’s something everyone can help create, no matter their role.

Join us at CultureCon 2026 to dive into the forefront of employee experience, workplace innovation and culture transformation. From executives and HR leaders to people managers and workplace changemakers, this event brings together passionate professionals who are committed to building more connected, inclusive and high performing organizations.

Through immersive workshops, inspiring speakers and new connections, you’ll gain real world insights and tools to take back to your team. Every session is designed to help you spark positive change and implement practical strategies that make work better for everyone.

All leaders deal with conflict in one form or another. In this class you will learn how to turn conflict into collaborations and reach win-win resolutions. You will see conflict to clarify roles, relationships, and heighten creativity. Learning how to reach beyond the impasse and find solutions that work is one of the best tools that leaders can use.

What you will learn:

• The 5 conflict styles.
• Strategies for building trust.
• The 4 stages of conflict resolution and how to use them for any situation.
• The best listening strategies to use for the best resolution.
• Emotion management and anger resolution techniques.
• How creativity plays into resolving conflict.
• Steps to planning a negotiation conversation

-Save 10% when you register for the three day series (Learning to Lead Series)

Biz Smart Sprint is your introduction into the world of entrepreneurship. In this live, virtual 6-week course, you will learn the building blocks you need to become a successful entrepreneur. Each week, you’ll discover the key components you need to start a business, including the Business Model Canvas business planning tool, understanding your customers and market, developing a marketing strategy, legal and operational considerations, and financial basics.

This course is an excellent touchpoint for:

• Entrepreneurs who are just starting out
• Participants who need a refresher on business basics
• More established businesses looking to formalize or revamp their business planning process
• Individuals who are considering the feasibility of their “big idea”
• Product or industry experts who are looking to learn how to think of their product or service in business terms

Biz Smart Sprint is your introduction into the world of entrepreneurship. In this live, virtual 6-week course, you will learn the building blocks you need to become a successful entrepreneur. Each week, you’ll discover the key components you need to start a business, including the Business Model Canvas business planning tool, understanding your customers and market, developing a marketing strategy, legal and operational considerations, and financial basics.

This course is an excellent touchpoint for:

• Entrepreneurs who are just starting out
• Participants who need a refresher on business basics
• More established businesses looking to formalize or revamp their business planning process
• Individuals who are considering the feasibility of their “big idea”
• Product or industry experts who are looking to learn how to think of their product or service in business terms

100+ Local Artists – Explore and purchase unique works in a variety of mediums.

Live Performances – Experience the awe-inspiring Cycropia Aerial Artists in an afternoon show.

Delicious Local Eats – Madison’s best food trucks will be serving up tasty options.

Wisconsin Craft Beer & Wine Garden – Relax in the shade with a cool drink!

Live Music – Enjoy performances from talented local bands throughout the day.

Art in the Wind Kite Exhibit – Watch colorful kites soar over the festival grounds!

More Fun & Surprises!

Rain or shine! 

Plenty of FREE Parking.

Mark your calendars & invite your friends!

Visit the event website for updates and more information. 

Concerts at McKee, presented by Oak Bank, is back for 2026! Bring the family or coworkers and enjoy a relaxing evening in the park.

Concerts at McKee is a Party in the Park for everyone! A Youth Band from Madison Music Foundry is at 6:00pm, and the headliner will take the stage at 7:00pm.

Chicago Latin Groove is the Midwest’s premier Tropical music band

Food trucks from local vendors, beverages, and beer are available, or pack a picnic and bring family, friends, and co-workers. It is the best way to spend a summer Monday night! Thank you to our generous sponsors: Oak Bank, Ward-Brodt, Cardinal Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electric, Mosquito Joe of Madison, The Cesta an Illuminus Community, Grand Appliance, Matt Winzenreid Real Estate Partners, Fitchburg Chamber of Commerce, City of Fitchburg, WI - Government, and Madison Music Foundry.

Pressure Chamber returns for its 13th year as emerging companies pitch for the coveted "golden suitcase" and a reserved spot in the Chamber's exclusive Greater Madison startup meetings with top Silicon Valley investment firms this fall.

Participating companies will present in front of a panel of national investors and a live audience, with the winning company chosen based on a combination of judges' scoring and audience votes.

This event is a part of Forward Fest, Wisconsin's largest technology and entrepreneurship festival. Forward Fest 2026 is August 17 - 21. You can learn more HERE.

For questions, please contact Kevin Little, Vice President, at kevin@madisonbiz.com.

While tax planning is a regular part of every entrepreneur’s work cycle, value planning may have a bigger long-term impact. Given that your business is likely your largest asset, wouldn’t you want to maximize its value?

For a business owner, retirement often translates into selling your business. Even if you never plan on selling, building your business as though you will sell someday will ensure more efficient operations, clearer business trends, a cleaner financial picture, and better standard operating procedures – all key qualities for both effective ongoing operations and value drivers for the future.
 

This course helps you understand that qualitative and quantitative factors that drive value in your business and put you on the right track – whether you’re planning to stay in business for many years or looking to sell in the next few.

Whether you are looking to improve your operations, purchase another business, or sell your own, there is no crystal ball to help you determine perfect timing. However, there are ways to monitor the financial performance of your company – or the company you are looking to purchase – that can help guide your decisions.

In this session, you will:

• Understand the actions you can take – quantitative and qualitative – that can increase the potential value of your business for a buyer
• Explore the idea of a “buyer” – who are they? What are they looking for?
• Learn tips for building your business to sell
• Understand how to build credibility and clear financial statements
• Understand risk factors that impact value
• Understand qualities of the ideal time to sell
• Learn the basics of what to expect when selling your business – or what to look for if you are hoping to buy a business

Using this session as a launch point for longer-term planning can also help you set goals for what you need to achieve before you go into the market.

Fashion Finds Sale: Style with Purpose! 
Featuring new and gently used women's apparel and accessories, along with other designer clothing. The sale is held every autumn. Proceeds fund our Community Grants Program benefitting non-profit organizations in Dane County that align with our annual focus.
 

 

Fashion Finds Sale: Style with Purpose! 
Featuring new and gently used women's apparel and accessories, along with other designer clothing. The sale is held every autumn. Proceeds fund our Community Grants Program benefitting non-profit organizations in Dane County that align with our annual focus.
 

 

The Chamber's 73rd Annual Dinner is coming to Monona Terrace on Oct. 8!

Join the waitlist by selecting "register now" above and be first to know when official registration opens for Greater Madison's premier business event. To secure your seat via sponsorship, please contact Jill Wood, Managing Director of Development, at jill@madisonbiz.com.

For other questions, please contact Sharla Rowe, Events Manager, at sharla@madisonbiz.com.

Oak Bank will be hosting its annual Great Pumpkin Give Away on October 10th! Families are welcome to join them behind their building in the parking lot at 5951 McKee Road in Fitchburg, to pick out pumpkins, grab a goodie bag (while supplies last), and enjoy tractor-drawn carriage rides. Kids will have the opportunity to meet local mascots. All cash donations collected during the event will be donated to a local charity.

Get in some exercise before the Thanksgiving festivities start! The Birdie Derby (previously known as Berbee Derby) is an annual Thanksgiving Day 10K run and 5K run/walk, and is a family-friendly event. Enjoy something fun before the busy day begins—a scenic run or walk along Fitchburg's Capital City Trail. The Derby is a fun-filled community event that has been running 15+ years strong!

The Birdie Derby offers a full range of amenities for its participants before and after the race. Warming tents, warm coffee will get you going, and complimentary snacks will fuel you back up after you finish. Complimentary “swag” includes long-sleeve t-shirts and free downloadable photos.

Visit the website for updates and more information. 

Join your friends and neighbors at Get Festive With Agora, kicking off the Fitchburg Holiday Lights Tour & Jubilee!

This holiday celebration features family-friendly activities such as carriage rides, cookie decorating, fire pits & s'mores, shopping from local vendors, and so much more. Bundle up and enjoy music with some hot mulled wine, local brews, and holiday eats and treats amid the twinkling lights.