Pro Bono Business Expert — Success Circles | Small Businesses Need Us

Somewhere right now, a small business owner is working late. They're building something real. They're talented, they're driven — and they're doing it largely alone, without access to the strategic relationships and knowledge that most entrepreneurs with capital take for granted.

That gap is exactly what we exist to close. And we need you to help us close it.

Small Businesses Need Us is a program of the Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership (IFEL), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2002 and dedicated to fostering a more inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem. Our mission: empower champions, mobilize allies, and activate investors to use their relationships and resources to open more doors for more entrepreneurs.

We believe that access and opportunity are directly correlated to the strength of relationship connectivity. You — your knowledge, your experience, your expertise — are relationship capital. And for the entrepreneurs we serve, you may be the most valuable resource they've never had access to.

This isn't transactional volunteerism. It's transformative.

What is a Success Circle?

Success Circles are flexible, ongoing 1:1 engagements tailored to your schedule. You are intentionally matched with a small business owner based on your expertise, your availability, and their specific business challenge. After a one-hour kickoff meeting, you and your business owner set a mutually agreeable schedule — typically 1 to 3 sessions over 2 to 3 weeks — to work through a focused issue together.

This is not consulting. You are not taking over someone's business. You are equipping a business owner with clarity, structure, and strategic insight so they can make informed decisions and take ownership of their growth.

At the core of this work is our Success Circles methodology: a relationship-first approach that facilitates deep, hands-on support between volunteer experts and small business owners. These experiences create access to the kinds of knowledge and networks that are typically reserved for those with capital — opening new pathways to success for those without it.

When a business owner leaves your final session feeling more confident, more informed, and more equipped to move forward independently — that is impact. You made that happen and We made it possible.