Military Veteran Business Owners Receive Training at Jim Moran Institute’s Entrepreneurship Bootcamp

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida State University and the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship hosted 16 military veterans last week as part of its 2023 Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans - Accelerate (EBV-Accelerate) program.

The EBV-Accelerate program is designed to take advantage of the skills, resources and infrastructure of higher education to offer cutting-edge, experiential training in entrepreneurship and small business management.

Participants traveled from Alabama, California, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Maryland, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and Washington, D.C.

Danny Portee, president and CEO of Indianapolis-based employment agency, Professional Management Enterprises Inc., said the training helped align his business goals with the best strategies to achieve them. "The EBV-Accelerate program was both comprehensive and interactive,” Portee said. “We experienced exceptional practical application of new concepts through expert executive coaching and peer-to-peer strategy sessions."

EBV-Accelerate is a three-phase program that gives military veterans entrepreneurs tools and coaching to propel their business toward sustainable growth. Workshop topics included growth strategy, human resource management, sales and customer acquisition, determining a sustainable growth rate, managing cash flow and more.

Attendees completed a three-week online program focused on business analysis before traveling to Tallahassee for a weeklong residency. The cohort spent an action-packed three days in workshops and heard from industry experts about strategies to grow and scale their company. The week ended with each participant creating a personalized action plan to implement for their business.

“We were thrilled to host another fantastic cohort of veteran business owners,” said Melissa Roberts, director of national programs at the Jim Moran Institute. “This impactful and informative program provides successful entrepreneurs with the leadership skills, strategic development and educational resources needed to propel their businesses to the next level.”

The EBV-Accelerate program was launched in 2018 through a long-standing partnership between the Jim Moran Institute and the D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) at Syracuse University.

Thanks to the generosity of Mrs. Jan Moran and The Jim Moran Foundation, lodging and meals are provided for the EBV-Accelerate program at no cost to participants. Additional support for the program was provided by the FSU Student Veterans Center, and meals for the week were sponsored by Black Fig, Dave’s Pizza Garage, Maria Maria Homemade Mexican Cuisine, Metro Deli and Mission BBQ.

For more information, visit EBV-Accelerate.

About the Jim Moran Institute

The Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship cultivates, trains and inspires entrepreneurial leaders through world-class executive education, applied training, public recognition and leading-edge research. Jim Moran started his business career in Chicago selling soda pop at sandlot baseball games at the age of seven and went on to become one of America’s most successful business owners.

A 1995 contribution from Jim and Jan Moran and JM Family Enterprises established the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship at the Florida State University College of Business to help others become successful entrepreneurs. Since 2011, further enhancements to the Jim Moran Institute and its outreach have been made possible by Jan Moran and The Jim Moran Foundation.

For more information, visit www.jimmoraninstitute.fsu.edu.

About the D'Aniello Institute for Veterans & Military Families

The IVMF at Syracuse University is higher education’s first interdisciplinary academic institute, singularly focused on advancing the post-service lives of the nation’s military veterans and their families to serve those who have served.

For more information, visit www.ivmf.syracuse.edu.