‘Amazing’ Entrepreneur’s Bootcamp Helps
Jump Start Local Businesses

“The Syracuse Entrepreneur’s Bootcamp was an amazing experience that absolutely catapulted my start-up knowledge and my newly acquired business forward,” says Karen McMahon, President and Lead Coordinator of
ShopforMuseums.com, located in Liverpool, N.Y.

“ShopforMuseums.com is growing like crazy and we are receiving national recognition on a regular basis,” McMahon continues. “We are now the fastest growing museum fundraising program on the web and are filling a niche where financial solutions and innovation are desperately needed.”

McMahon is just one of many “Start-Up: Syracuse Entrepreneur’s Bootcamp” graduates who has made her dream of starting and growing her own business come true. “Start-Up” is an annual series of six intensive educational workshops designed to help entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs develop the skills necessary to take their idea or existing venture to the next level. The 2006 program begins Oct. 14 and is presented by the Michael J. Falcone Center for Entrepreneurship in the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University.

The prestigious program is led by a team of entrepreneurship faculty and successful entrepreneurs and is built on key elements of SU’s nationally ranked entrepreneurship curriculum. Participants will be trained on how to analyze and improve business concepts, develop a strategic business model, create winning business plans and make smart decisions on the critical financial, legal and marketing tactics for success in competitive markets. The program runs for six Saturday mornings from Oct. 14 to Nov.18.

Other past Bootcamp graduates also give the program rave reviews. Dave Daly, CEO of Daly Communications, based in Manlius, N.Y., says the Bootcamp program completely turned his business around. “In the eight months since the Bootcamp, my revenue has tripled and I’ve grown from one employee to five,” Daly says. “What really helped me the most were the handouts, with the wealth of perspectives and information they provided. I got ideas and tips from everyone associated with the course, and every guest entrepreneur who spoke was inspiring and increased my confidence.”

“Start-Up” will be held at the Whitman School building, located at the crossroads of the SU campus and the city of Syracuse. Tuition for the six-week program is $600, with a limited number of $200 scholarships available to qualified applicants. Sessions take place from 8:30 a.m.–noon. Registration and scholarship deadlines are Sept. 22, and space is limited. To register, visit http://whitman.syr.edu/eee/bootcamp/ or contact Lindsay Wickham, events coordinator, at (315) 443-3550 or lwickham@syr.edu.

“What I liked most about Bootcamp is it gave me the confidence to feel comfortable standing at the helm,” says McMahon. “I saw ShopforMuseums.com as a great opportunity and I had a good idea of how to guide its marketing and growth. Bootcamp helped fill in some of the other tasks I wasn’t as familiar with, like accounting and financial management, legal issues, strategic thinking, and more. I am very excited about the future of ShopforMuseums.com, and I so appreciate the Bootcamp folks for helping to lay the groundwork.”

“Start-Up: Syracuse Entrepreneur’s Bootcamp” is made possible by the support of Bond Schoeneck & King PLLC, the Onondaga County Industrial Development Agency and the Central New York Business Journal. Partners of the program include the Central New York Technology Development Organization and the Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce.