Experienced faculty and students from the Business School will advise established entrepreneurs on how to deal with issues in the business world at the 2004 Entrepreneur Expo.

The Small Business Boot Camp is designed to advise entrepreneurs on how to deal with challenges as their businesses expand, said Louis Stripling, program director for the James A. Ryffel Center for Entrepreneurial Studies. It starts 9 a.m. Friday at the Fort Worth Convention Center.

“As businesses grow, they need more infrastructure and planning to support that growth,” Stripling said. “This program helps provide a roadmap on that critical path.”

Stripling said the Fort Worth Women’s Business Center approached the Business School last year to add a program to the Expo. The school is excited about being a part of the Expo this year, Stripling said.

“Participating with the sponsors of the Expo was a great opportunity to showcase outreach programs of the entrepreneurial center and provide a learning experience for local entrepreneurs,” Stripling said.

Stripling will be presenting the first two sessions of the boot camp. He will lead sessions on building a management team and on how to prepare an “entrepreneur’s financial tool-kit.”

Robert Akin, program coordinator for the Ryffel Center, will also lead a session on how to reinvent a slowing business.

“Some companies become mired in a mindset and become afraid to move away from their primary product,” Akin said. “That’s something I’m looking to move businesses away from.”

Students from the Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization will have a booth set up at the Expo to promote upcoming Neeley programs. A major event they will be promoting will be the Growing Your Business Seminar Series, a nine-week evening series designed to take businesses to the next level of growth and profitability, Stripling said.
Complimentary tickets have also been given to CEO members so that students may attend and participate in the Expo.

“I think its going to be a great experience for members of the CEO club,” said Jason Ruth, chief executive officer of the CEO club. “Every time that I’ve been to an Expo, I’ve always learned something that helped further something I was working on.”

The Expo also offers attending students a chance to learn from established entrepreneurs, and the event will be a great networking tool, Ruth said.

The cost of the boot camp is $100, which includes general registration admission to the Expo. More than 1,600 participants are expected to attend, Stripling said.