Building the infrastructure for small business growth in Greater Lansing

Supporting MSU Culture of Finance Program

The Lansing Economic Area Partnership contracted Base Builder Labs to work with its alumni to support them as mentors, coaches, and strategist to improve their small business department.

The Situation

LEAP runs one of the region's most active small business support ecosystems with programs like Elevate, Ascend, One & All, and Hatching bring entrepreneurs through structured cohorts. But what happens after graduation? Alumni were leaving programs without a dedicated support system for what comes next: hiring, expanding, accessing capital, entering new markets.

LEAP needed a strategic partner who could operate at the client level — building real relationships with business owners — while also thinking at the program level, designing sustainable systems for the full time staff at LEAP to manage.

The engagement

Direct client advisory. Provided customized, one-on-one business support to at least 10 alumni per quarter — focusing on expansion events: new hires, new locations, new products, new markets, and access to funding.
Program design. Designed and developed a fully operational fractional C-suite program for alumni — defining the service mix, building the pricing model, developing partner engagement flows, and launching the pilot with enrolled clients.
Workshop facilitation. Managed and delivered the Business Made Simple workshop as a sub-contractor through the Lansing Regional SmartZone, supporting program participants in foundational business operations.

What we built

Fractional CXO program framework

A fully operational, revenue-generating program ready for full-scale rollout — with pricing, service mix, partner flows, and pilot clients enrolled.

Alumni support system

A repeatable client engagement model for post-program alumni — with onboarding, check-ins, and outcome tracking built in.

Reporting infrastructure

Quarterly reporting to LEAP leadership on new businesses formed, jobs created, and program KPIs — with insights to improve the client experience over time.

Regional reach strategy

Outreach approach for engaging businesses in underserved, diverse, and rural outer-county areas — expanding LEAP's footprint beyond its core geography.

Base Builder Labs

Building the infrastructure for small business growth in Greater Lansing

The Lansing Economic Area Partnership contracted Base Builder Labs to work with its alumni to support them as mentors, coaches, and strategist to improve their small business department.

The Situation

LEAP runs one of the region's most active small business support ecosystems with programs like Elevate, Ascend, One & All, and Hatching bring entrepreneurs through structured cohorts. But what happens after graduation? Alumni were leaving programs without a dedicated support system for what comes next: hiring, expanding, accessing capital, entering new markets.

LEAP needed a strategic partner who could operate at the client level — building real relationships with business owners — while also thinking at the program level, designing sustainable systems for the full time staff at LEAP to manage.

The engagement

Direct client advisory. Provided customized, one-on-one business support to at least 10 alumni per quarter — focusing on expansion events: new hires, new locations, new products, new markets, and access to funding.
Program design. Designed and developed a fully operational fractional C-suite program for alumni — defining the service mix, building the pricing model, developing partner engagement flows, and launching the pilot with enrolled clients.
Workshop facilitation. Managed and delivered the Business Made Simple workshop as a sub-contractor through the Lansing Regional SmartZone, supporting program participants in foundational business operations.

What we built

Fractional CXO program framework

A fully operational, revenue-generating program ready for full-scale rollout — with pricing, service mix, partner flows, and pilot clients enrolled.

Alumni support system

A repeatable client engagement model for post-program alumni — with onboarding, check-ins, and outcome tracking built in.

Reporting infrastructure

Quarterly reporting to LEAP leadership on new businesses formed, jobs created, and program KPIs — with insights to improve the client experience over time.

Regional reach strategy

Outreach approach for engaging businesses in underserved, diverse, and rural outer-county areas — expanding LEAP's footprint beyond its core geography.

Building the infrastructure for small business growth in Greater Lansing

The Lansing Economic Area Partnership contracted Base Builder Labs to work with its alumni to support them as mentors, coaches, and strategist to improve their small business department.

The Situation

LEAP runs one of the region's most active small business support ecosystems with programs like Elevate, Ascend, One & All, and Hatching bring entrepreneurs through structured cohorts. But what happens after graduation? Alumni were leaving programs without a dedicated support system for what comes next: hiring, expanding, accessing capital, entering new markets.

LEAP needed a strategic partner who could operate at the client level — building real relationships with business owners — while also thinking at the program level, designing sustainable systems for the full time staff at LEAP to manage.

The engagement

Direct client advisory. Provided customized, one-on-one business support to at least 10 alumni per quarter — focusing on expansion events: new hires, new locations, new products, new markets, and access to funding.
Program design. Designed and developed a fully operational fractional C-suite program for alumni — defining the service mix, building the pricing model, developing partner engagement flows, and launching the pilot with enrolled clients.
Workshop facilitation. Managed and delivered the Business Made Simple workshop as a sub-contractor through the Lansing Regional SmartZone, supporting program participants in foundational business operations.

What we built

Fractional CXO program framework

A fully operational, revenue-generating program ready for full-scale rollout — with pricing, service mix, partner flows, and pilot clients enrolled.

Alumni support system

A repeatable client engagement model for post-program alumni — with onboarding, check-ins, and outcome tracking built in.

Reporting infrastructure

Quarterly reporting to LEAP leadership on new businesses formed, jobs created, and program KPIs — with insights to improve the client experience over time.

Regional reach strategy

Outreach approach for engaging businesses in underserved, diverse, and rural outer-county areas — expanding LEAP's footprint beyond its core geography.