Why join the Fellowship?
Silver Tsunami threatens business, jobs, and growth.
More than 200,000 small businesses throughout New England and New York State have owners who are looking to retire or transition within the next few years. Only 17% of those owners have a succession plan. A wave of aging baby boomer business owners are looking to transition but don’t understand the process or their options and don’t know where to turn for help, posing a great threat to business, job preservation, and growth in our communities.
Organizations that work with businesses are often ill equipped to assist with exit planning.
Organizations that provide services to business owners have great expertise in growing businesses but are not always equipped to answer questions or provide assistance for those looking for ways to exit a business.
Employee ownership preserves businesses and jobs, and increases profitability.
Employee ownership is a proven strategy to preserve critical businesses and jobs and provide wealth building opportunities for employees who are often left behind. Research has shown that employee-owned businesses are more productive and profitable, create more jobs in the good times, and lay off fewer workers in a downturn.
Who should join the Fellowship?
We are looking for organizations that provide services to existing businesses with employees that want to expand their knowledge about employee ownership as an exit planning strategy. The Fellowship will train and network you with fellow service providers in your region. Post fellowship, you will work with this network to build and serve the pipeline of business owners seeking exit planning guidance and make referrals of business owners interested in employee ownership to qualified technical assistance providers. You will also engage in data sharing activities to help track the need and demand for exit planning and employee ownership conversion services in your region.
Successful participants might come from organizations such as:
- Small business development centers
- Economic and workforce development groups
- Community development finance institutions (CDFI).
The deadline for applications is Friday, November 7, 2025
What can Fellows expect from the program?
Participants will have different levels of interest in different elements of exit planning and employee ownership transitions, but at a minimum, the fellowship will cover:
- The basics of the exit planning process and options and the ability to map and network your local ecosystem of service providers that can assist business owners.
- Learn how to develop, organize, and deliver an “Introduction to Exit Planning” workshop tailored to your community.
- Learn how to conduct surveys and research to understand business owner demographics and exit planning intentions. Create a report to educate your community about emerging needs and to guide your organization’s future work.
- Map the universe of employee-owned companies in your region and make connections with them for networking and learning.
- Learn the basics of employee ownership models and the steps and process to transition existing companies.
- For lenders and other capital providers, understand the unique considerations in underwriting and assessing risk in financing employee ownership transactions, and shadow experienced capital providers as they structure financing for actual transactions.
- Tailor business development, employee and management training, and financing programs to the unique needs of employee-owned businesses.
- Develop tailored metrics to track and communicate your impact and meet your priorities.
What is the time commitment?
Length: 9 months beginning February 2026
Time commitment: 2-day expenses-paid kick-off retreat, followed by monthly 2-hour zoom workshops. Plus 3 hours/month for homework and other projects. In between workshops, participants will have technical assistance and coaching and the opportunity for peer check-ins.
What is the financial commitment?
There is no cost to participate in this Fellowship. Participants’ employer/host organizations will receive a stipend of $3,000. Expenses for our initial 2-day, in-person retreat are covered by the program. Larger organizations with professional development budgets and more access to resources should consider contributing to expenses to attend the retreat, but at a minimum food and lodging will be covered.
The deadline for applications is Friday, November 7, 2025
Hear from recent graduates of the NETI Fellowship:
“Exit planning is critical when it comes to building wealth as a small business owner and maintaining community wealth in the form of vibrant local businesses. I’m excited to be part of the Northeast Transition Initiative Fellowship because NETI has brought together a fantastic team of local and regional business-serving organizations that can see how the risk of unplanned business exits has hurt our communities and we’re motivated to help small business owners recognize that exit planning and employee ownership are excellent wealth management options to consider for themselves and for their family and community.”
“I am grateful to have the opportunity to represent Central New York and the New York Small Business Development Centers in this inaugural cohort of the NETI Fellowship. Small business owners across our region are nearing a time when education and the support ecosystem of NETI Fellowship partners will be critical for navigating the natural process of exit planning and ownership transition. Now is that pivotal moment where we can begin to change the tide of pointless business closures in an effort to preserve valuable jobs and our small business economic fabric.”
Here’s what the fellows had to say during a recent NETI Fellowship kickoff retreat:
The Northeast Transition Initiative (NETI) is made possible by our partnership:
The Northeast Transition Initiative (NETI) is funded by:
