SBA’s Boots to Business – An Entrepreneurial Opportunity for Veterans

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is hosting an entrepreneurship training session for veterans, National Guard members, Reservists and their spouses on Tuesday, June 28, 2016 from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. at the Council Bluffs Area Chamber of Commerce, 149 West Broadway, Council Bluffs, IA 51502.

Boots to Business: Reboot –  a free session that introduces veterans to the fundamentals of business ownership and leads participants through the key steps for evaluating business concepts and developing a business plan. Hosted by SBA and the Council Bluffs Area Chamber of Commerce, it introduces participants to Iowa’s key small business resource network – SBA, SCORE, the Women’s Business Center, America’s SBDC Iowa (the Small Business Development Centers), the Veteran’s Business Outreach Centers, and the Iowa Center for Industrial Research and Service (CIRAS).

Boots to Business: Reboot is a two-part training program. Part one, the one-day Introduction to Entrepreneurship course in Council Bluffs, is open to veterans of all eras, service members, (including members of the National Guard and Reserves) and their spouses. The training program is free. Lunch is not provided, but a lunch break is scheduled.

Part two is an eight-week, online course, “Foundations of Entrepreneurship,” led by instructors from the Institute for Veteran and Military Families at Syracuse University. This course offers in-depth instruction on the elements of a business plan and techniques and tips for starting a business. Applicants must complete the one-day course to be eligible for the eight-week course.

After completing Boots to Business: Reboot participants will have the tools and knowledge they need to identify a business opportunity, draft a business plan, connect with local resources and launch their small business.

To register for Boots to Business: Reboot, contact Vicky Corbin at the Council Bluffs Area Chamber of Commerce at (712) 325-1000 or [email protected].

Each year SBA helps more than 200,000 veterans, service-disabled veterans and reservists start and grow their small businesses.   To learn more about veterans business opportunities through the SBA, visit www.sba.gov/vets.