Need help growing your business? Send it to bootcamp.

Interise, honored last summer as the Nonprofit Organization of the Year at the American Business Awards, helps business owners grow with its tax-deductible “Business Bootcamp.” Participants work on customizing a three-year growth program for their business and discover ways to meet their goals.

Interise operates sites nationwide. Locally, the South Coast branch of the organization has helped businesses such as DG Service Company and Boutique Fitness, both in Mattapoisett.

Lara Harrington, co-owner of Boutique Fitness, said that the course she did with Interise gave her a push in the right direction by teaching her what was worth spending the most energy on in order to grow her business.

“The three-year growth plan turned into a one-year growth spurt for Boutique Fitness,” she said in a testimonial. “The program was not easy because I worked to make the most of it. Now, because I made the most of it, my business is so much better off.”

The bootcamp curriculum focuses on a handful of areas, such as business development strategies, finance and financial management, marketing and sales, strategic planning and human resources.

There are usually only about 12 to 15 businesses going through the program at once. The group meets about twice a month for seven months, and has 13 sessions in total. After completing the sessions, participants receive a certificate for professional development.

Businesses "have to be established for at least three years and be poised for growth" in order to participate, said Elizabeth Howe, Interise South Coast Program Manager. “But we do make exceptions for really enthusiastic candidates with good, dynamic companies.”

​Ultimately, the bootcamp program is a way for business owners to obtain the skills they need to meet their objectives.

"Interise offers a program that helps check off your business bucket list by offering the tools to empower the business owner to fulfill their goals,” Howe said.

For more information about Interise and its programs, visit interise.org or email Elizabeth Howe at ehowe@interise.org.