Seven-day Entrepreneurial Boot Camp 2018

What is it?

Our seven-day intensive business boot camp is designed to help transitioning Canadian Forces members and veterans rapidly advance their entrepreneurial and business skills and knowledge. Each boot camp class is comprised of 20 burgeoning entrepreneurs from across Canada who arrive with a business idea and a passion to learn. There is no cost to participate due to the generous support from program funders and sponsors.

Boot camps are held on campus at four Canadian universities: Université Laval, Dalhousie University, Memorial University, and the University of Regina between May and August each year.

Are you interested?

In just one week you will:
• learn best practices in marketing, social media, finance, business planning, and accounting from business school faculty. Professors have condensed years of experience into lectures and practical workshops delivered over seven days
• be paired with a student who focuses on your unique areas of need such as accounting, Excel spreadsheets, market research or navigating the unfamiliar world of social media
• participate in mentoring forums with local entrepreneurs
• practice and polish pitching your business idea
• and work on a plan to take your business to the next level.

Who is it for?

Our seven-day boot camp is designed for transitioning Canadian Armed Forces and Reserve members of any age who:

Are within twelve months of an honorable release.
Have been honorably released from the military within the last two years
Have been or will be medically released (no time restrictions)

If you’ve already done your research, seriously considered the benefits and challenges of working for yourself, and moved beyond the “idea” stage of your own business, our boot camp might be right for you. Get ready to roll up your sleeves and make it happen!

Think you’re ready to apply for boot camp? If you’re still in the idea stage and want to find out more about what it takes to launch and run your own business, consider our free one-day entrepreneurship workshop, or one hour POE Connects call.

Full Eligibility Requirements

Support of your Commanding Officer is required.

All applicants should consult a Personnel Selection Officer (PSO Transition counseling) and/or SISIP Vocational Rehabilitation Program (VRP) Counselor, if you’re a SISIP VRP client, and inform your Commanding Officer of your application to the program.

You are eligible for the program if you are:

A Canadian Armed Forces member who has been or will be medically released, including:
(1) Regular Force members who have successfully completed developmental period one (DP1);
(2) Primary Reservists who are occupation qualified and have completed 21 months out of 24 months of consecutive full-time Class “B” service at the time they sustained the injury or illness; and (3) Primary Reservists who sustained an injury or illness on Class “C” services for which they will be medically released.
SISIP VRP Clients as referred by SISIP VRP.
A Regular Force CAF member who has been or will be honorably released, other than medical release, under QR&O Article 15.01. Eligibility requires that you have successfully completed developmental period 1 (DP1).
A Primary Reserve Force CAF member who has been or will be honorably released under QR&O 15.01 other than for medical reasons. You must be occupation qualified and have completed two years of consecutive full-time Class “B” service, or have served no less than eight years of Class “A” service, or have served a minimum six-month deployment in international operations.

What to expect?

In order to pack it all into just seven days, you'll be staying in residence and spending most of your time on campus. During the day you attend lectures, workshops and panel discussion on topics such as marketing, social media, finance, human resources and presentation skills. In the evenings, there are networking events and time to work one-on-one with student mentors focusing on your specific business needs.

Confidence Sells!
One of the toughest earned and most valuable take-aways is the 30 second business pitch. You may start the week searching for words struggling to explain your business. By Saturday you’ll have honed your idea, narrowed your target market and be able to professionally pitch to anyone in 30 seconds or less including bankers, future customers or future suppliers.

After boot camp:
• you’ll continue your progress by working one-on-one with our Entrepreneur-in-Residence for coaching and support
• you’ll receive a catalogue of free entrepreneurial resources available in your community. Most regions have at least one organization selected by POE as the best first point of contact for a face-to-face meeting or a telephone call.
• you become a POE alumni joining 370 other graduates who regularly connect online or over coffee for networking and support.

What to bring:
• A laptop if you have one
• Work you’ve done already (business information, research)
• The dress code is business-casual for most days and business wear for networking events including the graduation ceremony on Saturday evening.
• Comfortable walking shoes or athletic clothing. The week is long and intense. We recommend adding exercise to your daily routine for mental and physical health.

Sample seven-day boot camp schedule

2017 boot camp impact on skills and confidence

What past participants have said:

“The program is invaluable. The diversity of education offered guarantees you come away with many more tools than you had prior. All 20 of us benefited from this program. Not all had the same needs or the same level of need, however, the structure of the program ensured that each of us would benefit greatly from the experience”. 2015 Graduate.”

“It was one of the most memorable and valuable experiences of my life. I came out of that week a completely different person after so much growth and education. It's a life changing opportunity that nobody should pass up.“ 2015 Graduate”

“It helped me better recognize and evaluate the skills I acquired during my career. This in turn increased my confidence in my business model.” 2015 Graduate.”

2018 Boot Camps:

Université Laval: Quebec City, QC (en français) – 13-18 mai 2018
Dalhousie University: Halifax, NS – June 3-9 2018
Memorial University: St. John’s, NL– July 15-21 2018
University of Regina: Regina, SK – August 19-25 2018

Deadlines

Boot camp	Due date	Acceptance date
Université Laval (French)	April 12, 2018	April 18, 2018
Dalhousie University	May 5, 2018	May 9, 2018
Memorial University & University of Regina	May 25, 2018	May 30, 2018

If you apply before May 5th, you will be eligible for all three English boot camps. We encourage you to apply early.

2018 Boot Camp Application

There are three sections to this application: personal and CAF service information; questions about your business idea; then an opportunity to share your passion for entrepreneurship. It’s a competitive process. Complete and focused applications have a greater chance of success.

For those voluntarily releasing, our ideal candidate is within 1-2 years of transitioning out of the CAF or recently released within 1-2 years. There is no time limit associated with those CAF members medically releasing. Full eligibility information is available under Who is it for tab?

Applications are evaluated on the following criteria:
1. Proximity to release date
2. Personal readiness
3. Business or business idea readiness
4. Entrepreneurial spirit

Deadlines

Boot camp	Due date	Acceptance date
Dalhousie University	May 5, 2018	May 9, 2018
Memorial University & University of Regina	May 25, 2018	May 30, 2018

Those applying before April 12, 2018 are eligible for all boot camps so apply early.

Tips for applying:

1. The suggested range for long answers is 50-150 words. We recommend cutting and pasting responses from a Word document into the application form to prevent possible loss of work.
2. In the business section, add details illustrating your business idea is well thought out and focused. If you’re having difficulty, consider these questions: How did the idea came about? Was there a need? Can you do something better? Have you connected with anyone in the industry? What mental and physical leg work have you done?
3. Please include accomplishments and personal successes while in the military.
4. For the entrepreneurial spirit section, let your passion shine through. “Entrepreneurs are willing to work 80 hours a week to avoid working 40 hours a week.” – Lori Greiner. Are you that passionate? What’s driving you?
5. Think about what you hope to gain from the week. How you are uniquely positioned to utilize this opportunity going forward?

The application form below works with virtually all web browsers updated in the last two years (i.e. Apple Safari 5 or later, Firefox 30 or later, Chrome 18 or later, Internet Explorer 9 or later.) If your application won’t submit or you don’t receive a confirmation email, contact poe@princescharities.ca for a downloadable version. Note: The DND firewall or other factors may impact the web form’s functionality. Try applying from a different computer first.

On behalf of the program partners, sponsors and supporters thank you for applying and good luck!

* Apply with a non DND email address. Do not use @forces.gc.ca. This ensures links function properly in follow up communication. Once submitted, a confirmation email is automatically sent. If not received, apply again checking for email address typos.

We recommend cutting and pasting responses from a Word document into the application form to prevent possible loss of work.

* Required

Title

First Name *

Last Name *

Email Address *

Cell Phone Number

Home Phone Number

Home Address *

City/Town *

Province *

Postal Code *

Country *

Date of Birth *

Gender *
Male
Female

Education Level *

Last Institution Attended

Emergency Contact Name *

Emergency Contact's Relationship to You *

Emergency Contact's Phone Number *

Emergency Contact Email *

We strive to make the boot camp accessible for everyone. Do you have any medical concerns that you would like us to know about prior to the boot camp?

Service Number *

Years of Service *

Have you been referred by SISIP

If yes, who is your referring counsellor?

Are you in receipt of vocational rehabilitation through VAC? *
Yes
No

Who is your VAC counsellor?

Expected Release Date *

Type of Release *

Current or Most Recent Regiment

Current or Most Recent Rank *

Please list any notable achievements in the CAF you would like us to know about:

How did you find out about this program *

Have you attended one of our one-day workshops?

If yes, which location?

If not admitted in the first round, would you like to be added to the wait list? You may be contacted up to a week before boot camp.

LinkedIn Profile Link (if you have one)

Business Name

Describe your business

Business Website (if applicable)

Stage of Business

Describe any previous business or entrepreneurial experiences

Why have you chosen this kind of business?

Months in Operation (if applicable)

Number of Employees (if applicable)

Who is your target customer?

Who is your competition?

What is your advantage over the competition?

Do you have the entrepreneurial spirit?

What appeals to you most about starting and running your own business?

Describe a time that would help us understand you as a person and how you deal with new situations.

Why do you think that you will be successful?

What do you hope to gain from attending boot camp? *