Wisconsin Rapids Mayor Says Current Priorities Include Ensuring New Business Startups Have Tools for Success

Monday, May 20th, 2024 -- 8:00 AM

(Mike Leischner, WSAU) Wisconsin Rapids Mayor Matt Zacher says one of his current priorities is ensuring new business startups have the tools they need to succeed.

According to Mike Leischner with WSAU, Zacher, a former small business owner himself, says most new startups fail because their owners aren’t prepared for everything that comes with running a business.

“They don’t fail because of your passion or willingness to put in the work. They fail because you don’t understand the peripheral stuff like saving and investing money properly or marketing, legal, and accounting. Most people, when they get started, they see the money coming in [and forget] that it can be spent just as fast or faster. Next thing you know you get your insurance bill or tax bill and you had no idea that this stuff was coming later on.”

He says he wants to find a way to provide those new business owners with training to set them up for success. “Then they can take it up to the next level. Find their own accountants, money managers, and marketing [teams]. They can do that, but we as a community can help them in the start-up phases so they can work their passion.”

There are no firm plans or serious discussions around the idea, but Zacher says he wants to start that dialog soon. “I’m one person and I can only do so much. I feel like my job is to build communication and relationships [so they can] connect and grow."

“If I’m excited about the future and speaking this way to other people, then they get excited and pass it on to others. You create an environment of ‘this is what’s possible, this is what we are looking towards,” added Zacher.

He also sees the empty Verso mill building as one giant incubator that could provide space for someone with a newly established business that has outgrown their garage or other location. “Maybe they’ve made it through startup and they have enough money for a big machine that needs to plug into big power, they can do that there.”

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.