A training program designed for Metro Augusta’s large veterans’ community is underway at the Accelerate Augusta microenterprise center on Broad Street.
ABD first wrote about Mission: Accelerate Lab in the Jan. 5 edition. It is a partnership with Accelerate Augusta, Mission United, and the United Way of the CSRA. It was created to help veteran-owned businesses succeed and develop a pipeline to hire veterans and military spouses.
“If you’re brand new, or if you’ve been in business for a few years, the goal of the program is to help vets learn the things that they don’t know about, how to get their business from zero to 100,” Hugh Granville, Mission United program coordinator, explained for ABD. “We’ve got instructors from around the CSRA that have volunteered their time. They’re going to come in and teach about finances, strategies, planning, everything from A to Z that you can help a business get to where they need to be.”
The volunteer instructors are from a diverse field of organizations that represent the knowledge base that can help small businesses succeed, including SCORE, The University of Georgia Small Business Development Center (SBDC), and CSRA Business Lending.
Shaun Andrews, Executive Director at Accelerate Augusta, told members of the first class that the program is the result of fact-finding that was conducted leading up to the creation of the center.
“When we went into this, we wanted to see what kind of population is here, and veterans were a huge population,” he said. “So, we met with you, and this is how this came about. Our goal is not only create impact for entrepreneurs but also to create a community. We want to make a place that’s kind of like a one-stop shop for entrepreneurs.”
The news release announcing the program said it is structured into modules that focus on the core pillars that lead to a successful business:
- Business Validation: Testing and refining the core business concept.
- Financial Readiness: Navigating capital, budgeting, and fiscal health.
- Leadership Transition: Translating military leadership into effective business management.
- Growth Strategy: Building a roadmap for long-term scalability.
Classes are held on one Wednesday each month from 8:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. The six-month program runs through June 2026. Granville said it is not too late to sign up.
“We want to cap it at 20. We’re over 20 right now, but I don’t want people to shy away from signing up,” he urged. “If you want to sign up, and we can either get you slotted in, or if we can get you on other programs and make sure we get you into the next cohort, please sign up, and then we’ll take you, and we’ll figure it out how to do that.”
Granville and Andrews said this program is about more than just educating veterans on how to start a business or build an existing business; it is also a neighborhood, giving participants the opportunity to network with fellow veteran business owners, growing a support community that continues after the program is completed.
More information and to sign up for classes, visit www.accelerateaugusta.org or contact bbarnwell@uwcsra.org
