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GREENSBORO, N.C. — People across the Triad are out of work and don’t know where to turn.

What if that new career lies in an old idea?

Launch Greensboro is giving people who’ve lost their jobs or are temporarily unemployed because of COVID-19 an opportunity to see if there could be more to that hobby or business concept they’ve never explored.

“If we could help people take that idea off the shelf, if they’ve always been thinking about building a business, but have always been focused on a career, or always had some time constraints with career and family, now maybe they have some downtime,” Launch Greensboro Assistant Director Jennifer Hensel said.

Launch Greensboro, the entrepreneurship arm of the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce, is starting a program called Furloughed to Entrepreneur.

“These folks are going to be with people that are in the same situation they’re in right now, and so we build the opportunity to collectively come together,” said Lou Anne Flanders-Stec, executive vice president of entrepreneurship for Launch Greensboro.

Furloughed to Entrepreneur is a free virtual bootcamp plus an optional five-week series starting July 27.

“The first part will be about critical thinking, problem solving, creativity,” Hensel said.

“The second part will really be about thinking through if you have an idea who is your customer, where are they found, what problem are you solving and how are you talking to them about that problem.”

You can apply to participate in the program through the Furlough to Entrepreneur webpage.