DATE
07/01/2024
Built to Scale
A Wisconsin-based organization providing bilingual education and specialized job training to help Latino individuals and families achieve economic success and social dignity.
Nonprofit
Fractional CMO Leadership
Program & Initiative Launch Planning
Systems & Infrastructure
Team Training & Enablement
Strategy & Planning
Services
Program Launch Planning & Delivery
Category
Nonprofit
Client
Latino Academy of Workforce Development (LAWD)
Analysis
The barrier was not technical skill. It was access, communication, and business infrastructure.
Participants in the Construction and Transportation Business Accelerator had the ability to perform the work and often had active businesses, but lacked the business systems, communication strategies, and relationship-building skills required to grow and access larger opportunities.
Across the accelerator cohort, this showed up as:
Limited business systems such as pricing, CRM, proposals, and marketing
Limited understanding of how networking functions in U.S. business environments
Language and cultural barriers that reduced confidence in professional settings
No structured approach to introducing their business or communicating value
A lack of strategy for building partnerships and generating referrals
The gap was not effort or technical ability. The gap was business structure and access to opportunity.
To address this, Adapt first helped design and deliver the business accelerator framework, and then developed additional workshops focused on networking and relationship-building to continue supporting accelerator participants and expand services to additional businesses in the community.
Problem
Problem
Entrepreneurs in the construction and transportation sectors often possess strong technical skills but face structural barriers when trying to grow their businesses.
Traditional training programs typically focus on:
Technical skills
Certifications
Compliance
Licensing
However, they often overlook:
Business systems and pricing
Marketing and positioning
Communication and networking
Relationship-building and referrals
As a result:
Businesses remained informal or inconsistent
Participants lacked confidence when engaging with decision-makers
Businesses were not clearly positioned or communicated
Opportunities were missed due to limited follow-through and relationship development
The issue was not awareness of opportunity. It was the absence of business systems and a structured approach to navigating opportunities.
Solution
Adapt supported Latino Academy through two connected initiatives:
1. Business Accelerator Program (Foundation)
Adapt helped design and deliver a structured accelerator framework focused on helping entrepreneurs transition from technical workers to structured business owners.
The accelerator focused on:
Business registration and formalization
Pricing and cost structure
Marketing and positioning
CRM and client management systems
Proposal and sales processes
Business plan development
Participants progressed through a structured framework focused on building operational and marketing systems that support long-term business sustainability.
The accelerator served approximately 10–12 businesses and established the foundation for structured business growth.
Networking & Relationship Building Workshops (Expansion)
After the accelerator, Adapt designed and delivered specialized workshops focused on networking, communication, and relationship-building to continue supporting accelerator participants and expand services to additional businesses in the community.
These workshops supported an additional 20–25 businesses, expanding the program’s reach beyond the original accelerator cohort.
Workshop Framework and Content
Participants were introduced to core concepts including:
Business plan development
Elevator pitch development
Value proposition clarity
Relationship mapping
Follow-up strategy
How networking functions in professional and contracting environments
Applied Learning Environment
Rather than lecture-based delivery, the workshops focused on real-time application:
Live introductions and role-play exercises
Simulated networking environments
Guided prompts to initiate and sustain conversations
Facilitated networking sessions
The workshops were delivered in a bilingual and culturally informed format to ensure accessibility and relevance for participants.
