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Veterans Florida Entrepreneurship Program

The Veterans Florida Entrepreneurship Program is a live series of courses that also includes ten workshops and five networking events, in a virtual (online) setting, designed for new and aspiring entrepreneurs.

Registration Closed

Registration for the second cohort of the Veterans' Entrepreneurship program is closed. Please see the tab labeled 'Entrepreneurship Courses Available' to see other options available now.

Veterans Florida: Your Pursuit, Our Power logo.

Course Description

This course walks those new to entrepreneurship through the greatest problem areas. These areas include marketing, finance, idea discovery, legal and human resources, veteran’s benefits, financing for veterans, transitioning to civilian life, and culminate in business plan development.

The course is free of charge for qualifying veterans/active duty members within one year of discharge (as of April 7, 2021). The program accepts veterans/active duty members who were honorably discharged veterans, currently serving in the guard/reserve, or Active Duty within one year of End Term of Service (ETS).

Applicants must submit their DD214 Member 4 copy or Department of Veteran Affairs letter verifying honorable discharge. For guard/reserve or active duty participants, service members must submit a letter confirming guard/reserve or active duty status.

Course Format

All events run from April 7 to June 21, 2021. Each week consists of one to two live virtual meetings (either instructional courses, workshops, or networking events). Only 10 to 15 students are allowed in each cohort so participants will receive a lot of one on one attention from the professor.

Course Topics

Introduction/Overview

  1. Basics covered in each section
  2. Explain all the parts will be combined at the end to create the business plan (baby steps)
  3. Explain goal is to provide people with the information they need to get started and have experts answer their specific questions
  4. Business plan step 1

Transitioning to the Civilian Business Environment

  1. Lifestyle changes
  2. Planning
  3. Scheduling
  4. Institutionalization

Idea Development and Customer Discovery

  1. Idea brainstorming
  2. Feasibility analysis
  3. Defining your customers
  4. Reaching customers

Benefits Available to Veteran Entrepreneurs

  1. VA
  2. Loans
  3. Networking
  4. Other resources

Legal and HR

  1. Explain available structures (partnership, LLC, s-corp, c-corp, sole proprietorship)
  2. How to form LLC
  3. Basic HR forms need to get started with withholdings
  4. Contracts
  5. Dos and don’ts of questions in interviews
  6. Background checks (employees and customers)

Financial Literacy Part 1

  1. What is an income statement?
  2. What is a balance sheet?
  3. What is a statement of cash flows?

Marketing

  1. Traditional marketing
  2. Social media
  3. AdWords/analytics

Financial Literacy Part 2

  1. Budgeting
  2. Proforma income statement and balance sheet
  3. How to get a loan? What you will need when you go to a bank
  4. Where to get a loan
  5. What the bank will want from you

Financing and Networking for Veteran Entrepreneurs

  1. How financing is different for veterans
  2. Special resource allocations for veterans
  3. Contract bidding for veterans
  4. Veteran network resources

Business Plan

  1. Each of the previous steps will have students develop some portion of a business plan.
  2. This part will tie those together and have them fill in the gaps to have a full business plan they can give to potential investors, financial institution, customers, etc.
Dr. Gerald “Jerry” Burch
Dr. Gerald “Jerry” Burch

The Instructor: Dr. Gerald “Jerry” Burch

Dr. Gerald (Jerry) Burch has bridged the gap between academics and application.  Jerry completed his PhD in Organizational Behavior and has started three different companies. He is also a retired Navy combat veteran. He brings both the theory and knowledge of creating new ventures with the practical experience of starting and running businesses.  This unique blend of entrepreneurship and theoretical knowledge is the key to the helping others start, and run, their own businesses.  Over the past six months, Jerry has used this knowledge to help over 70 companies prepare for life during, and after the Pandemic.  

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