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Enid Buzz recently spoke at the marketing portion of the Entrepreneurs Boot Camp. This was our third year speaking and we have always enjoyed sharing our story with those looking to go it on their own. We've not only spoken to future entrepreneurs but we've now worked with several that have graduated from the program and even went on to win the Business Model Competition like Travis and Presley and Privation Printing.
ENID, Okla. – Autry Technology Center’s Grow Enid Inc enables individuals to explore business ownership by increasing knowledge, sharpening business skills, providing opportunity, and increasing the desire for business ownership, startup, and growth.
According to Enid entrepreneurs Lew Ward and Paul Allen, small businesses are the backbone of our economy. This is especially true in Enid. Our largest employers started with a dream and a small shop. They are now anchors of the local economy. Before becoming an anchor, one must be willing to get in the trenches but you don’t have to go at it alone.
Ward and Allen are passing on the entrepreneurial spirit that is alive and well in Enid through their sponsorship and involvement in the OSU Boot Camp for Entrepreneurs.
Autry Technology Center partnered with the Oklahoma State University Riata Center, several local businesses and entrepreneurs to bring the OSU Boot Camp for Entrepreneurs to Enid. The Boot Camp started September 11th with forty people participating.
The Boot Camp classes are on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6:00 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. at Autry Technology Center through the end of October. The Boot Camp is the first step in the Grow Enid Inc program, a concerted effort of public and private institutions in the Enid region to foster the start up and growth of small businesses.
“Dr. Michael Morris has a way of breaking down the true meaning of being an entrepreneur and described the mindset that one must have to be successful in running a business,” said Over the Fence Farms owners Jerry and Linda Beguin.
Grow Enid Inc enables individuals to explore business ownership by increasing knowledge, sharpening business skills, providing opportunity, and increasing the desire for business ownership, startup, and growth.
The Grow Enid Inc program concludes next spring with the Cherokee Strip Business Model Competition. The competition is designed to bring together education, planning, business presentation, and capital investment. Participants could receive incentives in start-up money and incubation space at the James W. Strate Center for Business Development.
Participants will work with a business coach to refine their business plan, convert the plan to a business model, and present to local investors, competition judges and successful local entrepreneurs. The competition will take place next spring at Autry Technology Center.
Linda Isaak, Sandra Reese-Keck, and Heather Braley are attending the course for Aspire Oklahoma, LLC. Linda is attending the course for the second time after devising a plan to open a counseling business that specializes in working with autistic children. Sandra and Linda joined forces to open Aspire Oklahoma as their dream became a reality this fall when they opened their office in Enid.
“Taking the course gave me the skills and courage to pursue my dream. The OSU Boot Camp for Entrepreneurs is a great way to learn in an enjoyable environment with expert instructors that provide a learning experience that can be applied to real adversities faced in business,” said Isaak.
“Networking with other entrepreneurs and hopeful entrepreneurs is a big part of our boot camp,” said Brian Gaddy, Director of The James W. Strate Center for Business Development at Autry Technology Center. “These events are highly interactive all through the seminar, but we’ve built in some extra networking time for our attendees and presenters with a reception toward the end of the boot camp.”
Thanks to the support of the community full scholarships are available for students of any educational institution, men and women of the armed service on active duty, veterans and their spouses. Reduced rate scholarships are available to anyone that needs them.
It’s not too late to join the small business army today, call Brian Gaddy at (580) 242-2750.
The Center for Business Development is dedicated to empowering entrepreneurs through networking, education, consulting and business incubation services. Assistance is available in various areas such as marketing, product planning, international business and writing business plans.
Autry Technology Center has been a part of the Enid community since 1967 and is one of 29 CareerTech schools across Oklahoma. The center has more than 25 career programs and offers a wide variety of evening and weekend short-term courses and certifications for many diverse career fields. Autry also offers services to businesses in need of training and development. Each year approximately 11,000 students come to Autry from all areas of business and industry. Autry is located at 1201 W. Willow in Enid.
