MILWAUKEE, WI – The award-winning Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of Commerce today announced the launch of its LGBTQ+ Entrepreneur Bootcamp, powered by Harley-Davidson. This new program is an eight-week training aimed to help LGBTQ+ and allied individuals launch and accelerate their own businesses.
“Empowering Wisconsin’s LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs to launch their own business is a crucial step forward in building a welcoming and inclusive business community,” said Jason Rae, President & CEO of the Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of Commerce. “Through this new program, we’ll be able to support and empower entrepreneurs to actively participate in business creation, as well as increase the number of certified LGBT Business Enterprises in Wisconsin.”
This inaugural Entrepreneur Bootcamp was developed with the support of Harley-Davidson’s supplier diversity program. Harley-Davidson is the founding Keystone Sponsor for the first year of the program.
“We are so thankful for Harley-Davidson’s forward-thinking leadership and commitment to LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs in Wisconsin,” Rae said. “With their support of this important program, we’ll have a tremendous impact on launching new diverse-owned businesses that will grow and thrive here in Wisconsin.”
The inaugural class of the Entrepreneur Bootcamp will meet every Wednesday from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. beginning on April 27, with the final session culminating in Pride Month on June 15. The first and final session are planned to be hosted in-person at Harley-Davidson’s headquarters, with the other six sessions taking place virtually on Zoom.
Topics that will be addressed during the eight-week program include:
- Getting to your Why
- Starting with the Right Legal Structure
- Ideation & Planning
- Market and Customer Research
- Marketing & Branding
- Business Financials & Human Capital
- Raising Start Up Money & Launching
- Supplier Diversity
Interested individuals are encouraged to apply for the program today. Applications are available online at https://www.wislgbtchamber.com/bootcamp and are due by Monday, April 11. They will be reviewed on a rolling basis. The cost for each participant in the program is $100, which will also include an individual membership in the LGBT Chamber for a year.
More information on the new Entrepreneur Bootcamp can be found online at https://www.wislgbtchamber.com/bootcamp.
The Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of Commerce is an organization of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and LGBT-allied businesses, corporations and professionals throughout the state of Wisconsin. It offers networking opportunities, business development efforts within the LGBT community, and educational programming to its members. The organization has more than 650 members from around the state. In 2015, the Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of Commerce received the National Chamber of the Year Award from the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC). More information can be found online at: www.wislgbtchamber.com.
