Bootcamp for Entrepreneurs
Learn the ins and outs of starting or growing your business.
The Baton Rouge Community Entrepreneurship and Adversity Initiative helps 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 open to all adult entrepreneurs from visionaries with ideas to early-stage ventures and growing businesses.
The Bootcamp for Entrepreneurs consists of six consecutive sessions, held weekend mornings in the summer. The program offers intense, hands-on exposure to the fundamentals of launching and growing a successful venture, with instruction 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, ranging 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.
Cost & Registration
The cost to attend Bootcamp is $450. Scholarships are available; please indicate on the registration form that you would like to be considered for a scholarship.
REGISTER FOR THE 2025 BOOTCAMP NOW
2025 SCHEDULE
All Bootcamp sessions take place at the Business Education Complex on the LSU campus in Baton Rouge. Each session lasts from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Coffee and water will be provided.
| Session | Date |
|---|---|
| Session 1: The Entrepreneurial Dream | Saturday, August 2 |
| Session 2: What You Need to Know About the Numbers | Saturday, August 9 |
| Session 3: Planning, Thinking Strategically, and Managing Your Risk | Saturday, August 16 |
| Session 4: Getting Resources (including money) When You Do Not Have Any | Saturday, August 23 |
| Session 5: Customers Drive the Business (Marketing) | Saturday, August 30 |
| Session 6: Operations and Other Fundamentals that Matter | Monday, September 8 |
Program Benefits
- Results-oriented sessions led by business faculty
- Advice from successful small business owners
- Instructional materials, including a binder with session presentations and 80 Steps to Sustainable Success: The UPBI Handbook on Building a Business by Michael Morris
- Graduation ceremony and certificate of completion
- Program shirts
- Refreshments each Saturday during the program
Program Partners
- City of Baton Rouge
- Southern University Law Center
- Baton Rouge Area Chamber
- Nexus Louisiana
- Louisiana MBDA Business Center
- Louisiana Economic Development
- LSBDC
"This was a very educational six weeks. I highly recommend this bootcamp if you are considering starting a business or already have one. There’s always room for growth."
Valencia DeCuir Anderson, Co-owner, Crafted Nibbles
2023 Bootcamp for Entrepreneurship Graduate
Create & Innovate with LSU Bootcamp for Entrepreneurs
Contact Us
Fahimeh Abbasi
Director, Stephenson Entrepreneurship Institute
2230 Business Education Complex South
fahimabbasi@lsu.edu