Business Boot Camp

A 10-week seminar aimed at helping entrepreneurs and small businesses succeed will be offered this spring at Nicholls State University (113 Ayo Hall). Sessions will be held Mondays and Wednesdays from 6 to 8:30 p.m.

The seminar will focus on helping businesses create a business plan, including financing and marketing. The $700 cost of the series will be covered by Louisiana Economic Develop-ment’s Technical Assistance Network, the program established to assist businesses in areas affected by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

The workshop’s winter session is already underway with 20 entrepreneurs enrolled, but anyone interested can visit during the seminar, said Charles Gaiennie, spokesman for the South Louisiana Economic Council.

Up to 50 companies have completed the workshop, which uses learning materials provided by the Kansas City-based Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

“By the 10th week, (participants) have built a business plan,” Gaiennie said, “something that’s hard for young companies to do.”

“People assume they’re the only ones facing a situation,” he said. “This gives you hope you can do it.”

Gaiennie called the sessions “a gathering point for entrepreneurs.”

“It’s an opportunity for companies interested in entrepreneurship,” he said.

The seminar uses discussions, small peer groups and guest speakers to provide small business owners with strategic guidance, networking connections and business insights. The sessions are designed for new or expanding businesses.

Gaiennie defines an entrepreneur as someone who is dynamic and creates something. Small businesses, while critical to the economy, are not entrepreneurs, though the two terms are often interchangeable.

“It’s something to be in a room full of entrepreneurs,” he said.

Call Tori Priddy at (985) 448-4485 for dates and more information.