EFund staff conference refocuses on mission and impact

In our Be Strategic program we often talk about taking time to “work on your business instead of in your business.” What that means is taking some time as business owners to gain clarity on the best strategies to improve their business.

In January, the entire Entrepreneur Fund team took two days at Pier B Resort Hotel in Duluth to practice what we preach. We stepped away from the daily grind and we focused on each other and the EFund mission. We learned specific skills from one another, we talked about elevating our efforts to achieve our core purpose and impact, we built trust within our team, and we had a little fun, too.

“What a productive two days of learning, laughing and leaning into the Mission of EFund,” said EFund COO Dean Zuleger. “I can’t think of a better way to start 2023.”

Leadership and EFund team members presented on many topics including, the art of a complete loan application, creating impactful client road maps (new tool coming soon!), using data to lift our story throughout the region, building trust and keeping the best intentions while working remote (our service area covers over 43,000 square miles, across 29 counties and 10 Native nations).

The team also gained valuable outside perspective from Patrick Keefe, owner of Keefe Consulting in the Twin Cities area (pictured left). Keefe led a session on indicators of business success and being able to help our clients read the signs on the road to stability.

“Sometimes those signs will indicate success and sometimes those signs might point to distress,” said Keefe. “So, it is absolutely vital that you know what your results are telling you.”

And of course, you can’t have your entire team under one roof without a little bit of fun. We celebrated our successes with the EFund Staff Impact Awards and started off Day Two with an insightful team building “Shark Tank” exercise (pictured below).

“Other than being in the same room together physically, many of you have told me that getting to know each other’s talents was the highlight of the two days. That’s exactly what we wanted to happen because the strength of the wolf is in the pack,” said Zuleger. “We are a thoughtful, bright and dedicated group and if we mutually commit to each other, there is no goal we cannot achieve.”

Here’s to elevating our mission and impact in 2023!

2023 Impact Award winners:

Impact Lender Award: Mike Korte

Impact Advising Award: Jennifer Ford

Impact Teammate Award: Carly Viegut

Most Valuable Player: Carmen Beardsley

Resilience Award: Nick Johnson

Unsung Hero Award: Penny Junget