Fall ’12 BOOSTcamp Report

LaunchMemphis proudly declares the Fall 2012 BOOSTcamp a success! A couple dozen local entrepreneurs attended and by the end of the day, everyone agreed it had been well worth their time.

BOOSTcamp Group
Andre Fowlkes instructing a group of entrepreneurs on business development.

For those unfamiliar with the program, BOOSTcamp is a one-day class designed to help early-stage entrepreneurs develop strong business models. Attendees sat down in group sessions to discuss business development, then received 1-on-1 consulting from local experts in Entrepreneurship, Marketing,  Law, or Accounting. BOOSTcamp’ers also spent the day working on a 2-minute “Elevator Pitch” and delivered it to the whole group before heading home.

It’s difficult to pin down the typical BOOSTcamp attendee. Varying greatly in how far along they are, you also never know what sort of idea you’ll hear about next. While other LaunchYourCity initiatives like Seed Hatchery and Zero-to-510 focus on entrepreneurs in technology or medicine, LaunchMemphis programming tends to draw an eclectic group with a wide range of business ideas.

Darlene Willis is one example. She has a new nail care product with high growth potential, but was unsure how to proceed with developing a business around it. Darlene came to BOOSTcamp not knowing what to expect, but left with a long list of specific things she needed to accomplish over the next few months. Her thoughts:

It was very informative. I got a chance to listen but ask a lot of questions too that had been in the back of my head. I gained so much insight about sound business principles, the legalities, the marketing… and if you should even be doing what you’re doing!

While the entrepreneurs certainly got a lot out it, the (volunteer) experts were similarly satisfied. Emily Brackstone, attorney at Baker Donelson, says she always feels inspired by the fresh new ideas encountered at these events.

If you’re an early-stage entrepreneur and missed out on this Fall’s BOOSTcamp, the next one will be held in Spring 2013. Can’t wait until then? Come to the LaunchPad during our Office Hours or attend any of our Fall Programming events and we’ll connect you to the resources you need!

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