Military family and caregivers get small business training at entrepreneurship bootcamp

Participants in this year's EBV-F came from Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia.
Participants in this year's EBV-F came from Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia.

Florida State University and the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship hosted 20 caregivers and family members of military veterans last week as part of its 2023 Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans’ Families (EBV-F) program.  

The EBV-F program is designed to tap into the resources and infrastructure of higher education to offer cutting-edge, experiential training in entrepreneurship and small business management.   

EBV-F integrates training with caregiver and family issues, helping participants launch and grow a small business in ways that complement or enhance other family responsibilities.   

“We’re so honored to host this fantastic cohort of veteran family members and caregivers,” said Melissa Roberts, Managing Director of the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship. “This impactful program provides entrepreneurs with action planning, management skills, and the educational resources to propel their businesses to the next level.”  

Attendees completed a three-week online portion of the program before traveling to Tallahassee for the weeklong residency. The cohort spent a busy week in workshops and heard from industry professionals about how to make their businesses a success.  

Participants traveled from Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia.  

Founded in 2012 in partnership with Syracuse University’s D’Aniello Institute for Veteran and Military Families, the EBV-F program at FSU leverages the flexibility inherent in small business ownership to provide a vocational path forward for military family members.  

The program is centered around the Business Model Canvas, which helps startup businesses invest time into building products and services that address the needs of early customers. Other topics offered include digital marketing, leadership, human resources, financial readiness, access to capital, government contracting, entrepreneurial strategy and presentations by guest entrepreneurs from the Tallahassee community. 

Thanks to the generosity of Mrs. Jan Moran and the Jim Moran Foundation, the EBV-F program is offered at no cost to participants. Meals for the week were sponsored by Black Fig and Dave’s Pizza Garage. 

For more information, visit EBV-F 

About the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans’ Families
The Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans’ Families (EBV-F) is an education and self-employment training program founded in 2010 and expanded to Florida State University in 2012. The EBV-F 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. The program leverages the flexibility inherent in small business ownership to provide a vocational path forward for military family members. EBV-F integrates training in entrepreneurship with caregiver and family issues, positioning participants to launch and grow a small business in a way that is complementary or enhancing to other family responsibilities.    

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.