Bootcamp for Entrepreneurs

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—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.

Join the Summer 2025 interest list 

SAMPLE SCHEDULE

 

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

 

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

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