New Business Info a A Big Relief

By Carolyn Dunn
For the Economic Development Corporation of Manitowoc County

Randy Detjen had already been in business four plus years before he joined a group of rookie entrepreneurs to learn more about what he calls “the business side of things.”

A self-taught artist who creates 3D murals using a plaster relief technique, Detjen runs What a Relief—the name of his business and the name of his style of artwork -- relief.

“What A Relief was created in early 2004 and grew out of my many years of woodcarving and love for nature,” says Detjen. “Textures and the effects of lighting on them are reflected in the detailed carvings—or wall sculptures—I’m known for.”

Although Detjen had gotten his business off the ground back in 2004, he was looking to formalize and expand when he heard about the EDCMC’s Entrepreneurs’ Course.

“I heard about E-Seed from a friend of a friend who’d gone through it,” he says. “I took the class for the business information and resources it offered.”

Detjen joined the class of 17 entrepreneurs representing 12 businesses who spent ten weeks learning from business experts and each other.

“The teachers are the ones who have the business experience,” he says, “but the other new business owners had a lot to offer too. I made a number of contacts with professional resources including my classmates.”
While he has completed a few murals for commercial clients, Detjen says most of his work appears in homes around northeast Wisconsin.

From nature scenes to simple accents over doors, What a Relief works with clients to create completely personalized designs that reflect individual tastes, decor, or interests. Detjen starts with a sketch and collaborates with his clients to finalize the design before spending anywhere from three to five days creating a one-of-a-kind wall sculpture.

Now that he’s been an E-Seed graduate for the past six months, Detjen says he has incorporated what he learned in class into his business. He says he continues to stay in touch with the EDCMC through monthly meetings with a SCORE counselor and the EDCMC.

“The SCORE counselor and the EDCMC answer questions I have, or put me in touch with someone who can,” Detjen says. “The E-Seed class and the follow up with the EDCMC and the SCORE counselor have all been invaluable resources. I’ve gotten some great information and would recommend the EDCMC to anyone starting a business.”

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