MARSHALL - On the surface, these small business owners may not appear to have much in common.

But once they started meeting monthly, they quickly learned they had much in common.

Dan Fosvick, Elaine Nyquist, Ron VanDenBroeke, Ray Louwagie and Rick Konold all own their own businesses. The five owners have been meeting monthly as part of the Southwest Minnesota Initiative Foundation's Step Up Your Business program, which is designed to help small business owners discuss their issues and learn from each other while working on a course and with a facilitator.

Facilitator Jeff Kruse said small business owners often spend more time as technicians or working in the business than being the owners. The monthly meetings are a formal way for the owners to step away from the daily work and act as owners, Kruse said.

"It's interesting, we all have the same issues, even though we come from different types of environments," Louwagie said. Louwagie owns a tooling and machine business in rural Cottonwood.

Nyquist owns a sewing machine business in Marshall. Fosvick owns a cleaning business. VanDenBroeke owns a technology-based home entertainment business in Marshall and Konold owns a sporting goods, bait and taxidermy business in Minneota.

Fosvick said he had questions about hiring and how to evaluate when to hire staff.

"For me, it was a way to gauge my business and what I was doing right and what was doing wrong in comparison to other folks," VanDenBroeke said.

Nyquist has been in business the longest but said she always wants to learn more about how to improve business.

The members of this Step Up group said they are getting answers to their questions and learning from each other.

The group is confidential and the members trust each other.

"We're kind of like each other's mentors," VanDenBroeke said. "We are able to share with each other. You can't go into a coffee shop and sit down and talk about your problems or even share what's worked for you."

"You just don't get the time, (to meet with other owners)," Fosvick said. "This is on my calender. This is a once-a-month meeting."

"I may have situations the same as Ron," Louwagie said "These people understand business. You can't sit down at a coffee shop with your competition. You can't sit down and say 'how are you doing.'"

The monthly group started meeting after a large group event in January which was sponsored by SWIF.

The Step Up program is designed for three years, Kruse said. The second year focuses on marketing, the third year on finance.

"I think back to the spring and the goals I wanted to accomplish," Fosvick said. "This has helped me get back on track to what I want."

Fosvick said he'd recommend the program to other small business owners.

"If you have a willingness to learn," Nyquist said.

"A willingness to share," VanDenBroeke said.