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Greetings, Hennepin County business community. In this week’s newsletter, we invite you to read about the following topics:

• Focusing on the big picture in CEO Next
• Elevate Answers - learning to delegate
• ELEVATEor Pitch from Drifter Music Group
• Event Spotlight: Are you ready to start a business?

If you know someone who would benefit from the info covered in this week’s newsletter, please forward it to them.

Focusing on the big picture in CEO Next

Minuteman Press Uptown is doing great. It’s the largest black-owned printer in Minnesota, the only BIPIOC-owned union print shop in the Upper Midwest and the second-largest Minuteman Press franchise in the country.

Owner Frank Brown, however, is not sitting back and relaxing. He is pushing for further growth. He joined CEO Next with some seriously ambitious revenue goals for the year and big plans for the future of his company.

He joined CEO Next to connect with peers and get support for things he knew had been issues. Frank said the speakers, the fellow cohort members, and deep research and consulting he got in CEO Next helped him chart a path from great to greater.

“If you think you’re doing great, you can do better. You can always do better and CEO Next helped me do better,” said Frank.

See how Frank was able to get away from his day-to-day operations and look at the bigger picture.

Elevate Answers: Learning to delegate is a must for business leaders

Delegating is an essential skillset for growing business leaders. While it can be difficult to hand over control, accepting the fact that you can’t do everything is an important step in becoming an effective leader in the long term.

Building trust and sharing responsibilities allows leaders to focus on strategic aspects of the business while cultivating a sense of ownership and development among team members. Embracing delegation is not just about redistributing tasks; it’s about building a sustainable framework where everyone can thrive and focus on the things they’re great at. Read the article “Learning to Delegate as a First-Time Manager” from the Harvard Business Review for practical advice on navigating this shift.

New managers can also receive expert guidance at no cost by connecting with one of Elevate Hennepin’s many business advisors who specialize in strategic planning. Business Navigators are also available to support you in matching with the right Elevate Hennepin advisor.

ELEVATEor Pitch: Drifter Music Group

This week’s ELEVATEor Pitch comes from Adam Schaberg, owner of Drifter Music Group. While working with Elevate Hennepin, Adam received expert support from Kathy Hanson of Back Pocket Strategy, Ka Oskar Ly of Springboard for the Arts, and Bao Vang of Better Business Bureau. Adam says this helped him hone his ideas and develop a viable business plan before going to market. Let’s hear more from Adam about the business he’s built: “Drifter Music Group provides high quality, custom audio, video, and event production services in Minneapolis. Through collaboration, artistry, and attention to detail, Drifter consistently delivers vision-focused, unique products that inspire audiences.” Keep up the great work, Adam!

Event spotlight: Are you ready to start a business?