Bootcamp for Entrepreneurs

The Baton Rouge Community Entrepreneurship and Adversity Initiative seeks to help members of the Baton Rouge community, particularly those facing economic or other hardships, start and grow a business. This joint initiative of the Stephenson Entrepreneurship Institute and the City of Baton Rouge consists of a six-week training program called the Bootcamp for Entrepreneurs and follow-up consulting projects open to all adult entrepreneurs—visionaries with ideas, early-stage ventures, and growing businesses. 

The Bootcamp for Entrepreneurs occurs on six consecutive Saturday mornings in the summer. The program offers intense, hands-on exposure to the fundamentals of launching and growing a successful venture taught by LSU E. J. Ourso College of Business faculty, subject matter experts, and successful local entrepreneurs.

Topics covered in the Bootcamp for Entrepreneurs address all facets of a successful venture. They range from developing a viable business concept and understanding target markets to designing a profit model, setting up operations properly, marketing your venture, and understanding fundamental financial analysis. The underlying focus is thinking and acting in entrepreneurial ways, including doing more with less and growing a business with minimal resources. The approach is interactive, and entrepreneurs are encouraged to bring business ideas and challenges into the class discussions.

event details

Dates:

The Bootcamp for Entrepreneurs will return in summer 2024. The program is held on six consecutive Saturdays, typically from early July through mid-August. To be added to the interest list for the 2024 Bootcamp for Entrepreneurs, email Fahimeh Abbasi

SAMPLE agenda

 

WEEKLY SESSION TITLE INSTRUCTOR
Session 1: The Entrepreneurial Dream  Sohrab Soleimanof
Session 2: What You Need to Know About the Numbers  Michael Morris
Session 3: Planning, Thinking Strategically, and Managing Your Risk  Steven Perret
Session 4: Getting Resources (including money)When You Do Not Have Any  Steven Perret
Session 5: Customers Drive the Business (Marketing)  Thomas Karam
Session 6: Operations and Other Fundamentals that Matter  Michael Morris

 

 

2023 Program Partners

  • City of Baton Rouge
  • Project 70805
  • Southern University Law Center
  • Baton Rouge Area Chamber
  • Nexus Louisiana
  • Louisiana MBDA Business Center
  • Louisiana Economic Development
  • LSBDC

 

Create & Innovate with LSU Bootcamp for Entrepreneurs

Bootcamp particpants 2022

Group of people behind a table with LSU table cloth

 Vendors sell products at outdoor market.
Bootcamp group smile with their certificates

Vendor selling womens clothing in outdoor market

 

Contact Us

Fahimeh Abbasi

Director, Stephenson Entrepreneurship Institute
2230 Business Education Complex South
fahimabbasi@lsu.edu