PCDC Board Member Completes Goldman Sachs Business Program

PCDC Board Member Jeff Moon recently completed a small business program that helped him create a five-year growth plan. He shared his experiences at a recent PCDC board meeting with the hope of encouraging other business owners to participate in the highly-educational and free program offered by Goldman Sachs.

“It is an excellent program for any business owner,” Moon said. “There is so much information and resources that are offered through this program, and it is offered at no cost to the scholar.”

The Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program helps small businesses grow and create jobs by providing them with access to education, capital and business support services. More than 10,000 businesses owners have participated in the program from all 50 states. The program helps participants learn practical skills and includes topics such as resource mapping, risk audit, leadership, culture, marketing/selling, customer value proposition, financial forecasts, and operational processes.

Moon is the managing broker/co-owner of AgWest Land Brokers, LLC, which was founded in December 2017 in Holdrege to help landowners buy and sell farmland, ranches, recreational properties and acreages. AgWest Land Brokers operates in Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa and South Dakota and has 13 employees and real estate agents.

He enrolled in the class last fall to learn how to better manage and grow the company. He participated in the program from September to December of 2021 and attended a graduation ceremony in New York City at the Goldman Sachs headquarters in December.

The 12-week program required several Zoom calls per week with instructors and other business owners plus weekly homework. He estimated it is a 10-hour weekly time commitment. The final product was a five-year growth plan for each scholar’s business.

“The program gave me an opportunity to focus on the future and how we want to strategically grow,” Moon said. “Sometimes business owners get too busy working in the business instead of on the business, and this allowed me to develop a five-year plan that includes introducing new services, offering additional employment opportunities, and expanding to new geographic areas.”

He said the program provided processes and practices to create a vision for the company and will help AgWest Land Brokers be a better business and employer in the future.

“The coursework and development of a growth plan were top-notch, and I find myself looking back at it on a regular basis,” he said. “I think going through this 12-week journey with other businesses owners was pretty special. There were a lot of friendships made, and the Goldman Sachs 10K alumni community allows us to stay connected and provides resources to continue to improve and grow our businesses.”

To be eligible, potential participants must be a small business owner or co-owner of a business that has been in operation for at least two years, has earned business revenues of more than $75,000 in the most recent fiscal year, and has a minimum of at least two employees (including the owner).

Visit https://www.10ksbapply.com/ to start the application process.