First Mile
First Mile: the hardest stretch of the journey. You don’t run it alone.
A sponsored program for Rochester owner-operators — real strategy, delivered in a small cohort with the organizations already building this community. We cover most of the cost. You bring the work.
A straight answer, a plan, and people in your corner
Not every business needs a fractional executive. Earlier-stage owners need a straight answer, a plan, and people in their corner. First Mile is a small-cohort program that gives you all three: working sessions, hands-on clinics, and a one-on-one look at your business — the same thinking we bring to our advisory clients, sized for where you are.
Owners doing the work themselves
A shared bet on your next stretch of growth
First Mile runs on sponsorship. Most of each member’s cost is covered by BCG and our partners; you pay a small contribution that keeps everyone invested. It’s not a handout and it’s not full price — it’s a shared bet on your next stretch of growth.
Cohorts run ten weeks and are capped at ten members — small enough that every business gets real attention.
Four steps to a sponsored seat
Rochester-area, 3+ years in business, at least one employee, and you’re the owner.
A short application: the basics of your business, what’s holding it back, and what would change if you solved it. Prefer to talk it through? Send a two-minute video instead.
One endorsement from someone who knows your work: a partner organization, a mentor, a peer, or a past client.
Selected members commit to showing up, doing the between-session work, and a small contribution.
The organizations building Rochester’s entrepreneurial base
First Mile is delivered alongside the regional partners already doing this work in our community.
A beginning, not a ceiling.
First Mile is a beginning, not a ceiling. As your business grows into it, the door to our full advisory work is open — and members who complete the program walk through it warm.