Military veterans and their spouses looking to start small businesses can get a jump start on their business plan with the upcoming Boots to Business Reboot, a two-part program hosted by the Petal Area Chamber of Commerce.
The program is designed to provide an overview of business as a career vocation, an outline of knowledge on the components of a business plan, a practical exercise in opportunity recognition and an introduction to available public and private sector resources.
“It’s particularly for (veterans) who are thinking they have their own business they want to start,” said Valerie Wilson, executive director of the Petal Area Chamber of Commerce. “This will help them make connections and find out what they need to do.”
Boots to Business Reboot starts with a one-day event from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 pm Aug. 3 at the Petal Center for Seniors & Veterans, 425 East Central Ave. in Petal. The day will serve as an Introduction to Entrepreneurship course eligible to veterans all of eras, with all service members – including veterans of the National Guard and Reserves – and their spouses invited to attend.
The course instruction is provided by officials from the Small Business Administration, along with a collection of partners, to create a catalog of skilled business investors.
Part two of the course is a six-week online “Revenue Readiness, Business Model to Business Plan” course.
“They will take you through everything from developing a business plan to helping you with financing,” Wilson said. “So it’s a pretty in-depth way for our veterans to learn about starting their own business.
“And you don’t have to have veteran status. Even if you’re still currently active, but you’re thinking about this and thinking ahead to when you might be a veteran, then you’re welcome also.”
Although Boots to Business Reboot is free of charge, registration is required at https://sbavets.force.com/s/. Participants must complete the one-day course on Aug. 3 to be eligible for the six-week program.
“This is our second time to do this – we hosted the same event about three years ago, and it was very well attended and the veterans were very appreciative of it,” Wilson said. “It’s presented with the Small Business Association and the Mississippi State University small business (program), so it’s very intense and it’s very well put together.
“So we’re just happy to be able to offer this to our area veterans. We recognize that they absolutely have all the qualifications and talents necessary to be entrepreneurs, so this is just a way to lend them a helping hand.”
