The Vicksburg Warren Chamber of Commerce announced Thursday the opening of enrollment for the Spring 2021 Vicksburg Entrepreneur Bootcamp program.

The six-week program is geared toward individuals interested in starting or growing a small business. It covers everything from legal, finance, accounting, marketing and all other essential components associated with starting and running a successful small business.

The Spring 2021 sessions are sponsored by the BancorpSouth Foundation through a grant it made to the Vicksburg Warren Economic Development Foundation.

At the end of the program, entrepreneurs will be encouraged to finalize their business plans and submit them to a committee for review and ranking.

The entrepreneur who develops the best and most feasible business plan will be declared the winner of a “Seed Grant” in the amount of $1,000 to help him or her with the cost of opening up or improving their business.

The Vicksburg Entrepreneur Bootcamp Business Plan Competition is sponsored by the Vicksburg Chamber of Commerce, the City of Vicksburg, Mutual Credit Union, Home Bank, RiverHills Bank, Regions, Guaranty Bank and Trustmark.

“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 likely to succeed in the marketplace,” said Carl Hearn, chairman of the Vicksburg Warren Chamber of Commerce. “We not only want more small businesses, we want small businesses that can thrive and operate for a long period of time in our community.”

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

“Small businesses are the foundation of our city and they provide thousands of jobs for our residents. The city is 100 percent behind small businesses and this program helps our own residents in starting their small businesses. We have plenty of opportunities for businesses to be successful in Vicksburg and I believe Vicksburgers have what it takes,” Mayor George Flaggs Jr. said. “So, if you are out there thinking about it and are not yet 100 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 the program and I hope to soon be cutting many more ribbons in the City of Vicksburg because of it.”

The program is set to begin on March 9. Each class will be taught on Tuesday from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the new Hinds Community College Workforce Training Center. The deadline to register for this class is March 5.

“This program is an essential part of economic development for our community,” Dr. Jeff Holland, president of the Warren County Board of Supervisors, said. “It represents a wonderful jump start 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 the fall of 2021.”

Those interested can register online at www.vicksburgusa.com/entrepreneur, by calling 601-636-1012, or emailing info@vicksburgusa.com.