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Boots to Business Class returns to Redstone Arsenal this month to provide veterans and military spouses with basic information about entrepreneurship and help them decide if starting a business is right for them .
Mark Scott, director of the Veterans Business Outreach Center at Mississippi State University, said the class is an entrepreneurial training program offered by the Small Business Administration at military installations around the world as part of the Department of Defense Transition Assistance Program training course.
“The company, also known as B2B, focuses on providing an overview of the entrepreneurial process, what it means to be an entrepreneur, the opportunities and challenges, and the military skills and traits that carry over into entrepreneurship.” said Scott. “This course also highlights additional training opportunities and SBA resources to assist[veterans and military spouses]in their entrepreneurial journey.”
The course will be held on January 17th and 18th at One Stop, Building 3494 Honest John Road. For more information or to register, call Redstone Retirement Services Officer Betty Anderson at 256-842-2719 or Transition Assistance Program Coordinator Jazmine Norwood at 256-876-3295.
Scott’s wife, Deborah “Debbie” Scott, Director of the B2B Revenue Readiness Program, teaches several B2B modules and facilitates the Revenue Readiness course. Follow-on courses are available for participants who complete B2B.
VBOC members of the MSU team, Mark Scott and Mike Pornovetts, will be the lead B2B instructors and business counselors. Pornovetts manages his VBOC from his MSU Gulf Coast office, which primarily serves Louisiana and southern Mississippi. He is a Navy veteran who, after leaving active duty, opened Everything Kayak and Bicycles in Gulfport, Mississippi, and later expanded into an embroidery shop, scrub shop, and rental properties.
B2B classes are delivered through eight interconnected modules that cover small business topics such as market research, small business economics, legal considerations, financing and access to capital, business planning and available resources, and more. Provides an overview of areas to consider when becoming a business owner. Ongoing support.
“On average, Boots to Business classes are conducted once a quarter at Redstone Arsenal, and participants are eligible to take a subsequent Boots to Business revenue preparation course,” Scott said. Other live online training opportunities for veteran entrepreneurs and their spouses are also available through His VBOC of Mississippi. This includes “Overview of Government Contracts,” “Until You’re Ready to Finance,” “7 Things to Include in Your Social Media Plan,” and more.
Last year, the SBA added the “Business Military Spouse Pathway” training focused on military spouses who want to start a small business. This course is conducted virtually or in-person at a Department of Defense facility. For veterans and spouses who cannot attend his B2B classes on facilities, VBOC offers Boots to Business Reboot, which is streamed live online or at locations other than military bases.
“The opportunity to provide mentorship to veterans and military spouses who are embarking on an entrepreneurial journey is extremely rewarding,” Scott said. “Teaching the Boots to Business course is especially rewarding. This initial process helps veterans and military spouses decide whether running a small business is the right path for them. And because if they choose this path, we will be letting them know that the VBOC and SBA are with them all through the process.
“We emphasize, ‘You are not alone,'” Scott said.
Mississippi State VBOC was founded in June 2015 and has been teaching B2B since then, with more than 50 in-person classes held at Redstone, according to Mark Scott. “Even during COVID-19, the VBOC and Redstone TAP office coordinated and taught classes live online via Teams,” he said.
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