Entrepreneur boot camp hosted in downtown Greer

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More than 70% of all global startups had to terminate full-time employee contracts since March of 2020, according to data from the World Economic Forum.

But, as demonstrated by Airbnb, Slack, Venmo and Square — brainchildren of the past recession — challenges breed innovation.

So when the Greer Development Corp. launched its inaugural entrepreneurship boot camp, The Platform, in early 2020, economic developers say the program came just in time for small businesses facing shifting paradigms brought by the pandemic, according to a news release.

Throughout the two-day immersive program, local entrepreneurs met in downtown Greer with coaches and business development experts to navigate the grinding COVID-19 market. This March 11 and 12, The Platform will focus on decision making for Greer entrepreneurs seeking to launch their ideas into a new business strategy or expand an existing enterprise by narrowing their focus.

“Greer is a great place to start and grow a business,” Reno Deaton, executive director of the Greer Development Corp., said in the release. “The Entrepreneurship Boot Camp is a unique opportunity to get hands-on help from experts and experience the support that participating in a program like The Platform can bring.”

The application deadline for The Platform is Feb. 24

“It's so helpful to get honest feedback from people who don't have any other agenda than to help,” Jon Connolly, a recent graduate of the program, said in the release.  “I've been entrepreneurial my whole life and many times it can feel like you’re alone with your ideas. The Platform created a safe place to share my ideas and get really good insight from a wide range of talented people who have an abundance mindset and a desire to see innovation succeed.”