Bloomington · South Central Indiana

Build the business behind the work.

We work together to solve real business issues and help local businesses become stronger, better businesses.

An Issue Session is a free evening where local business people work through real business issues together.

Local business people gathered to learn together at a TradeWins session
Bring a business issue or idea. Leave with a clear next step.
75community members
13sessions held
7supporting businesses
7companies spotlighted
Not just another group

Connect. Learn. Solve.

01

Connect

Meet local business owners and leaders, and the local professionals who want to help them succeed. It starts with getting to know each other, so you know who is around and who to turn to when something comes up, whether it is a quick question or a bigger challenge.

02

Learn

Local experts and business people share what they know about the business side most owners were never taught, from numbers and meetings to people and processes. You leave with practical things you can start using right away, in your own business and on your own team.

03

Solve

Then put it to work. Bring a real business issue or idea and the room works through it together, owners and professionals alike. You leave with a next step you can take yourself, a better question, or the right person to talk to, and help is there if you want more.

Local business owners working through roles and responsibilities together at a whiteboard
Good introductions are a start. Working on the business together is the point.
See our community
Make time for the business

Next event and calendar

Free Issue Sessions, plus workshops with event-specific pricing for local business people.

All events
See the next event

Events calendar

October 2026
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EventsWorkshopsCohorts: coming with The Hub
Jay Nelson, founder of TradeWinsJay Nelson
Founder
Why the business side matters

Knowing the work is only part of running a business.

I built RCV Roofing, Siding & Gutters from the back of my car, and for years every question came back to me. In 2017 a business coach showed me how to build the company around the work. It changed my business and my life, and I later sold a company I was proud of. Helping other local owners get that same shift is now the work I care about most.

Jay Nelson, founder

Built and sold RCV Roofing, Siding & Gutters. Business coach to local owners. Long-time managing co-owner of AJ Nelson Properties (land and rentals) and Starview Homes (residential home builder). US Army veteran.

Read Jay's story

A business that can run without its owner is easier to operate and better prepared for a future transition.

The stakes are real
80%

EPI cites an estimate that 80% of an owner’s net worth is tied to their business. Owner dependence puts retirement and family security at risk.

Exit Planning Institute, 2025
About these numbers
  • 80%: An advisor estimate cited in EPI's November 2025 article, which references its 2023 State of Owner Readiness report. This is not a measured finding that every owner, or most owners, has exactly this share of wealth in a business.
  • 70%+: 70%+ means at least 70%, the lower bound of a reported estimate for businesses put up for sale cited in a 2021 SCORE presentation. It is not the share of all businesses that fail or a prediction for an individual sale.
  • 50%: A reported share of owner exits cited in EPI's 2019 Nebraska State of Owner Readiness report. The five causes are death, disability, divorce, disagreement and distress; this is not a forecast for every owner.
  • 30%: MIT News reported 30% and 12% in February 2019, attributing them to the Family Business Institute. These are widely cited historical estimates, not a verified current universal survival rate. The original Institute publication was not located; a sale or ownership change does not necessarily mean a business failed.

Buyers do not want to buy a job.

Buyers want clear roles, useful numbers and repeatable processes. A trainable team makes the business easier to run, easier to sell and worth more.

This is fixable.

Owners who plan ahead have more choices.

How the work fits together

Concepts, tools and disciplines.

Know what to build, choose a tool, then make it a habit.

01
Concepts

Ideas a business runs on.

What it is

The building blocks behind the work: numbers, meetings, processes, values, roles and problem-solving.

At TradeWins
  • Free monthly Issue Sessions teach one topic with local experts.
  • Workshops go deeper; each event lists its price.
  • Bring an issue. Find its cause, weigh options and choose a next step.
TopicsNumbersMeetingsDocumentsProcessesValues and visionPeople and rolesSolving issuesExit and value
02
Tools

Make ideas visible and usable.

What it is

A tool makes an idea usable: a scorecard, checklist, process or plan. Use what helps; skip what does not.

At TradeWins
  • Register, do quick checkups on your business and plan the next 90 days in the free app.
  • Add issues to the shared list and find local people.
  • We can help set up the tools your business needs.
TradeWins app example showing Company Health Assessment and a 90-Day Priorities planning workspace
Example toolkits and planning
Example TradeWins Issue Pool with sample vote totals, not live numbers, showing business challenges shared by members
App areasConnectionsToolkits and assessmentsMy Priorities · 90-day planIssue Pool
03
Disciplines

Habits that make the work stick.

What it is

Repeat small actions: check the numbers, follow the process and own the next step. Set a regular time to review what is working, choose one clear action and follow through. At the next check-in, look at what changed, learn from it and adjust. Small, consistent steps turn ideas into progress.

At TradeWins
  • Monthly sessions keep learning and problem-solving moving.
  • Future Hub cohorts will add structure and accountability.
  • Get help in a session or one-on-one.
Habits01Show up02Work the issue03Follow through04Get help
See ways to get started
For small businesses

If you run or work in a small business.

Owners, managers and leaders, any industry, any stage. Bring a business issue or idea you want to explore or solve.

Get started
For the people who support them

If you support local business.

Accountants, bankers, HR professionals, insurance agents, marketers, attorneys, educators and business coaches like us. Teach a session, host, sponsor, or support local learning through our network of local experts.

Support local business
Local companies. Local support.

Local businesses, showing up.

The TradeWins Collective is our local community of small businesses and the people who support them.

Recent company spotlightSeptember 2026

Each month, we recognize a local company helping make this community stronger.

Breezy Electric

See past spotlights

Local businesses that help

TradeWins hosted an Issue Session with the Greater Bloomington Chamber on October 6.

A future home for this work

The Hub on Kirkwood

1431 W Kirkwood Ave., Bloomington, Indiana. Opening early 2027 as a permanent home for TradeWins and local small-business learning.

Roughly 50 parking spots. Phase 2 will follow once Phase 1 is established.Ask about the Hub
Phase 1 blueprint for The Hub on Kirkwood, showing the planned floor layout

You are welcome here.

Come check out the next session, or start with a conversation.

Start a conversation