Elevate Hennepin one-on-one advising

Professional consulting at no cost

Elevate Hennepin advising powered by investment from Hennepin County connects Hennepin County business owners with expert consultants at no cost to promote growth and resilience across the county business community.

Hennepin County business owners can work with more than 30 advisors for up to 25 hours each. Idea-stage entrepreneurs can also work with each of Elevate Hennepin’s idea-stage advisors for up to 15 hours to get the support they need to move their business ideas forward.

Expertise on demand, across disciplines

Elevate Hennepin’s network of professional consultants is available and ready to support Hennepin County business owners and entrepreneurs. Advisors can support owners across multiple key areas of support, including:

Access to capital
Accounting
Business strategy
Certification
Financial management
Human resources
Idea stage
Legal
Marketing
Technology

To learn more about Elevate Hennepin advising, visit www.elevatehennepin.org, or book a 15-minute consultation appointment with one of our on-staff business navigators here.

Elevate Hennepin advisors offer support for businesses large and small. While they may support some implementation activities, business owners are responsible for ongoing maintenance and day-to-day operations. Businesses should be prepared to engage their own resources for complex projects that are anticipated to take more than 25 hours. Please review our FAQ page for more information.

Idea-stage advisors offer guidance and expert support to take your idea to the next step. Idea-stage support is offered at 15 hours per advisor and entrepreneurs should be prepared to engage their own resources for complex projects that are anticipated to take more than 15 hours. Businesses are not required to be registered with the state of Minnesota to work with an idea-stage advisor.

Both traditional and idea-stage advisors also make referrals for specific needs across the network.

“Elevate Hennepin really helped out with my business consultant. A huge help he has been for my business—especially with pricing and profit and loss and understanding all that, and then it just went from there. So, it's really just been like one referral to the next.”

—Melanie Lewis, founder of Perfect Piece Sweets Co.

Hennepin County and the Hennepin County Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HCHRA) invest in Elevate Hennepin consulting as part of our strategic work to drive inclusive economic growth. Elevate Hennepin reflects our ambition to provide best-in-the-nation resources to develop entrepreneurs, support business creation, and help businesses grow and thrive.

Who is eligible?

Elevate Hennepin consultants are available to business owners and entrepreneurs based in Hennepin County, Minnesota.

To be eligible for Elevate Hennepin consulting, business owners must:

Be incorporated with the state of Minnesota
Operate in Hennepin County
Be receptive to coaching and consulting

To be eligible for idea-stage advising, entrepreneurs must:

Live in Hennepin County
Have a business idea to pursue

About Elevate Hennepin advisors

Elevate Hennepin advisors are professional consultants that work in Hennepin County. Each advisor has been competitively selected based on their expertise and experience working with small businesses and business owners from all walks of life.

Advisors bring cultural understanding to their practice, as well as deep expertise across various business types and sizes. Advisors collaborate with you to determine a plan or strategy so that you can take the next step.