4 Access Partners
Our Process
How We Help
At 4AP, we believe in being there for the long haul. Our commitment to entrepreneurs goes beyond one-time consulting; we’re a steadfast partner throughout their journey. In contrast to other organizations, 4AP goes deep, engaging with founders and working side-by-side with them as they grow.
Our network of volunteer food industry experts allows us to equip entrepreneurs with knowledge and support that is hard to find elsewhere. We take our role as educators and mentors seriously, and we recognize that entrepreneurs not only need business and technical skills, but essential soft skills as they navigate the challenges of growing a business. As one of our partners shared, “When you’re navigating tricky waters, you either need a lot of money to pay for help, or you need the right expertise. Thankfully, 4AP brings the brains.”
All of our services are provided at no cost to our entrepreneur clients.
4 Access Partners has developed a unique system to measure an entrepreneur’s growth and success. Our entrepreneurs progress through four stages, known as the Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum levels. We use several metrics to determine when an entrepreneur is prepared to advance to the next stage, including sales revenue, appropriate funding, and the strength of their business strategy. The support we offer is designed to be appropriate for each entrepreneur’s needs at every level within this system.
How does 4 Access Partners help fledgling entrepreneurs grow into full-scale, successful business owners? By focusing on the four access points that are most beneficial to our clients—Expertise, Training, Capital and Scale— we are able to provide support that lays a foundation for balanced growth. We encourage our entrepreneur clients to establish a timeline appropriate for them and we aid them in making the right choices for their business to maximize the chances of long-term success.
Access to Expertise
One of the most important components of our mission is connecting clients with our expert volunteers. We match volunteers with the promising women and/or BIPOC food entrepreneurs who could benefit most from their expertise. Our volunteers offer ongoing support throughout the process, including during our clients’ “graduation” from our program. Learn More →
Access to Training
Our 4 AP Training Programs have two pillars. Both take the wealth of Food Industry “content” we have and apply it to change LIVES. The first is aimed at Entrepreneurs. Running a successful food production company requires a steep learning curve. Our volunteers help women and BIPOC food entrepreneurs navigate the hurdles of business ownership with hands-on training. We do that both in “cohorts” and via “targeted individual training.” Learn More →
Access to Capital
Attaining reliable access to capital is a common setback for many food entrepreneurs. While we do not provide funding, 4 Access Partners has built relationships with several financial institutions, such as community banks, foundations, government groups, and private investors. These capital providers grant our entrepreneurial clients access to the capital they need to progress through the different stages of our program. We believe if an entrepreneur has access to expertise and access to capital they are a leg up. An “idea with no access to capital doesn’t get implemented.” Similarly, “access to capital with no idea doesn’t work.” We are committed to and are grateful for the financial partnerships we have built. Learn More →
Access to Scale
4 Access Partners’ relationships with scale partners allows clients the opportunity to scale their business from commercial kitchen to retail. This work begins by identifying gaps in the current production and manufacturing process. We then provide the advice and creative solutions necessary to close those gaps and achieve long-term scalability. It can be a significant leap from commercial kitchen to Contract Manufacturing and beyond. We help our clients bridge that gap. Learn More →
Our Process for Helping Entrepreneurs
The typical flow for working with a new entrepreneur client involves:
Introductory Call – In this initial call, we learn more about you and you learn about us to determine if the partnership will be a good fit.
- Introductory Call – In this initial call, we learn more about you and you learn about us to determine if the partnership will be a good fit.
- Enrollment – Once both parties have decided to move forward, we enroll you as an official client.
- Finding the Right Problem to Solve – As we learn more about your goals and business strategy, we will help you identify an initial 1-2 areas where we can leverage volunteer support from industry experts and drive impact in your business.
- Develop Project Charters – The project charter document helps us define the goals and scope of volunteer projects. We work together with the entrepreneur and volunteer team to create achievable deliverables and timelines.
- Monitoring Progress – 4AP checks in with you regularly to ensure your projects are moving along
- Project Close and Debrief – Once projects have ended, we meet to debrief with 4AP, volunteers and the entrepreneur.
- Business Strategy and Operations Planning – This is an ongoing process of developing your 1-3 year planning with the help of volunteer Operations and Finance experts.
How We Tailor Our Support
We seek enduring relationships and strive to support our clients through every step of their journey.
At 4AP, we ask three key questions of every entrepreneur we work with: “Where are you now?” “Where are you going?” and “How can we help you get there?” We have learned over the years that needs vary greatly based on where an entrepreneur is at in their journey. Because of this, we have established a 4-tiered system for tracking the stages of growth for food entrepreneurs: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Each business stage comes with its own unique curriculum, hurdles, and rewards. We realize that not everyone aspires to move from Bronze to Platinum, and many are satisfied once they reach a level of sustainable business. Our role is to support entrepreneurs on the journey to their desired destination. Some of the metrics that we use to determine business stage include:
- Defined Consumer/Customer Understanding and Targets
- Preliminary Business Strategy/Plan
- Sales Revenue
- Brand Establishment and Loyalty
- Depth and Breadth of Retail Penetration
- Appropriate Staffing to Support Growth
- Appropriately Funded and Capitalized
- Access to Capital
Each of 4 Access Partners’ entrepreneur clients will have a different experience, but categorizing these experiences into four stages allows us to provide targeted support and may increase the speed at which the entrepreneur advances their business. Our process doesn’t work without the support of our partners. If you would like to join 4 Access Partners in uplifting underrepresented members of your local community, contact us to connect.