Vicksburg Warren Chamber of Commerce Unveils The “Vicksburg Entrepreneur Bootcamp” Program

The Vicksburg Entrepreneur Bootcamp is a six week program to train entrepreneurs and small business owners on the skills needed to start and grow a successful business

The Vicksburg Warren Chamber of Commerce announced today the launch of a new program to support entrepreneurs in Vicksburg and Warren County. The program, named the Vicksburg Entrepreneur Bootcamp, is a six-week program geared towards individuals interested in starting or growing their small business. The program will cover everything from legal, finance, accounting, marketing, and all other essential components associated with starting and running a successful small business. The program is sponsored by the Vicksburg Chamber of Commerce, the City of Vicksburg, Hinds Community College, and area banks including Bancorpsouth, Mutual Credit Union, Home Bank, River Hills Bank, Regions, Guaranty Bank, and Trustmark. At the end of the program, entrepreneurs will be encouraged to finalize their business plan and submit it to a committee for review and ranking. The entrepreneur that develops the best and most feasible business plan will be declared the recipient of a “Seed Grant” in the amount of $1,000.00 to help him or her with the cost of opening up or improving their small business.

Sheila McKinnis, Chairwoman of the Vicksburg Warren Chamber of Commerce stated, “The program is aimed at generating more small business openings in the area. “ This program will take new or soon to-be entrepreneurs through a process that will allow them to be better prepared to decide, before they make an investment, if their business idea is like to succeed in the marketplace. We sure want more small businesses to open, but the most important thing we want to help them accomplish, is to be able to keep that business open for a long time while making a good profit year over year.”

Mayor George Flaggs added, “Small businesses are the foundation of our City and they provide thousands of jobs four our residents. The City is one hundred percent behind this program because we want to encourage our own residents to start their small businesses. We have plenty of opportunities for businesses to be successful in Vicksburg, either in Downtown, in any of the retail corridors, or even from their own homes. I believe Vicksburgers have what it takes and, if you are out there thinking about it and are not yet a hundred percent sure, this is the program that will help you make an informed decision and move forward. I appreciate the banking community’s support for helping the program get started and I hope to soon be cutting many more ribbons in the City of Vicksburg because of it.”

Dr. Jeff Holland, President of the Warren County Board of Supervisors added, “This program is an essential part of economic development for our community. It represents a wonderful jumpstart toward the types of things we are planning to highlight as part of our efforts at the Thad Cochran Mississippi Center for Innovation and Technology (MCITy) starting in the fall of 2021.”

Participants will also benefit from working with a business coach and listening to keynote speakers during sessions which will include successful entrepreneurs, bankers, accountants, and lawyers among others.

The program is set to begin on Tuesday, October 6th. Each class will be taught on Tuesday nights from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the new Hinds Community College Workforce Training center. The deadline to register for this class is Friday, October 2nd. You can register online by going to www.vicksburgusa.com/entrepreneur or by contacting the Vicksburg Warren County Chamber of Commerce at 601-636-1012, or by email at info@vicksburgusa.com