Community LogoA recent weekend training program drew more than 100 current and aspiring small business owners to the Cardiac Center at the Governor Juan F. Luis Hospital on St. Croix, where participants received instruction and advice from a charismatic and renowned lecturer. Small Business Camp Weekend is held regularly on the island and directed by Andrew Morrison, President of Small Business Camp and formerly the head of a direct marketing firm that worked with Fortune 500 companies.

 As a free program, Small Business Camp Weekend is able to attract attendees from various industries and socioeconomic spheres, ranging from executives and entrepreneurs to nonprofit leaders and individuals who simply have ideas for businesses they are interested in pursuing. There are also members of the general public who have an interest in small business formation.

 The focus of the event is on developing the resources and materials integral to starting a new business, with Morrison zeroing in on five steps in particular that he suggests will allow a business to grow in just 16 weeks. These steps include taking inventory, listening to opportunities, developing a business model, building a team and identifying and reaching a specific milestone within that timeframe. Participants are then encouraged to put these steps and ideas into practice as part of a 16-week challenge.

Morrison also focuses on ways in which a new business owner can promote a business, both during the initial stages and in the long term. Through strategic use of social media, the development of promotional videos, a quality website and the distribution of press releases, articles and other written materials, Morrison says a nascent business can create buzz and begin building a strong reputation.

 As president of Small Business Camp, Morrison says he finds “the U.S. Virgin Islands a particularly rich environment for growing small businesses, with its talented, educated and hard-working population.” Through its regular weekend training programs, the organization offers an opportunity for business owners and would-be entrepreneurs alike to engage with one another in a high-energy, but supportive environment.

 Morrison has an extensive background in marketing and entrepreneurial training, and has appeared on TV and been the subject of feature articles in a number of major publications. Although the next Small Business Camp Weekend has not yet been scheduled, based on this most recent event, it promises to attract a sizable crowd from the U.S. Virgin Islands business community.

 BoltNagi is a well-established and widely respected business and corporate law firm serving clients throughout the U.S. Virgin Islands.