Calling all Forestry Entrepreneurs!
Get ready to dive into all aspects of launching or expanding your business.
Join Sierra Business Council and Sierra Commons in beautiful Nevada City, California for a tuition-free two-day bootcamp designed to create sustainable forest-based jobs and wood products businesses.
With increasing pressure on our forests from climate change and wildfires, the demand for forest-based businesses is growing every year in rural communities throughout the Sierra Nevada.
Have you ever dreamed of being a business owner? Or maybe you have a business and want to take it to the next level. This course is for you!
This two-day course is geared toward businesses in forest thinning and management, defensible space, prescribed fire application, small mass timber product manufacturing, small diameter timber utilization, biofuel, bioenergy, home hardening, plant restoration, other non-timer-related businesses, and forestry logistics.
About the Bootcamp
Robert Trent, founder of Sierra Commons, and Ruby Beauchamp, a seasoned climber and cone collector, will lead the course. Throughout the weekend, guest presenters will provide valuable information and resources.
Students will learn the basic foundations of good business, from finance, pricing, and cash flow to research, marketing, and sales and the complex world of government contracts and permits. With a weekly accountability group and one-to-one advising, students will expand their knowledge and gain access to resources.
Each participant is eligible for personalized technical assistance at no cost through the SBDC program.
The curriculum is designed to provide:
Technical assistance to launch small businesses
Entrepreneurial development focused on a broad range of forest and wood-based businesses
Training and guidance for transforming businesses
Opportunities to showcase emerging business opportunities
Guidance on the benefits of wildfire reduction and economic development; at the nexus of wood product development and outdoor recreation in rural forested communities
Funding for this program was provided by a Good Jobs Challenge EDA-funded grant through the Foundation for California Community Colleges to conduct forestry and fire-mitigation training programs in the Sierra Nevada region of northeastern California.