OSU’s Entrepreneurs Inspire Bootcamp available for aspiring business owners

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Participants in the 2013 Entrepreneurs Inspire Bootcamp will interact with guest entrepreneurs and industry experts as they receive hands-on experience during the four-week program.

Do you want to create your own future? Do you have a passion for a business idea? Are you a dreamer and a doer? Have you started a business but need help? Then the Entrepreneurs Inspire Bootcamp is exactly what’s needed.

Building from key elements of Oklahoma State University’s award-winning entrepreneurship curriculum, the 2013 Entrepreneurs Inspire Bootcamp (formerly known as the OSU Cowboy Bootcamp for Entrepreneurs) is a series of modules designed to assist entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs in growing businesses successfully and profitably.

The new four-week program features more interaction with guest entrepreneurs and workshop sessions with industry experts for an improved hands-on experience on how to apply the lessons learned to a new start-up.

The bootcamp, sponsored by the Riata Center for Entrepreneurship in OSU’s Spears School of Business in partnership with Oral Roberts University, meets on four consecutive Saturday mornings (Sept. 21, Sept. 28, Oct. 5 and Oct. 12) at OSU-Tulsa and ORU.

“The work of our Bootcamps is about doing – doing what it takes to get a loan or set up your operations or get your product to market,” said Craig Watters, interim director of the Riata Center. “In short, doing what each entrepreneur needs to do to get their business off the ground and keep them running. You will get inspiration, direction, instruction, and competency-building in every installment.”

The bootcamp classes are taught by nationally recognized OSU School of Entrepreneurship faculty members and successful entrepreneurs. Mentoring and coaching also will be provided to individual businesses by the Riata Center consulting staff and MBA students in partnership with Oral Roberts University.

Each of the four sessions will include learning modules that cover the basics of growing a successful business venture and feature prominent entrepreneurs as well as industry experts such as local attorneys and accountants.

Bootcamp instructors will include Ken Eastman, interim dean of the Spears School; Bill Elliott, professor of accounting at Oral Roberts University; Bud Lacy, past head of OSU’s School of Accounting, and Lee Manzer, professor of marketing at the Spears School.

The Riata Center is accepting applications now, but space is limited. Only a limited number of applicants will be accepted to the program. The fee for the four-week bootcamp is $450 and includes instruction, course materials and networking breakfasts. A limited number of $100 scholarships are available based on financial need.

The scholarship application and the Entrepreneurs Inspire Bootcamp registration forms are available online at http://entrepreneurship.okstate.edu/riata/bootcamp/register/. For more information, visit http://entrepreneurship.okstate.edu/riata/bootcamp/.