Legislation:   End U.S. Presence In Afghanistan & Give GWOT Vets $2,500 Bonus

Sens. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, and Tom Udall, D-New Mexico, introduced the bipartisan American Forces Going Home After Noble (AFGHAN) Service Act to “honor the volunteers who bravely serve our nation by providing bonuses to those who have deployed in support of the Global War on Terrorism, and redirect the savings from ending nation-building in Afghanistan to America’s needs at home,” according to an announcement.

If passed, the AFGHAN Service Act would also permanently end America’s involvement in Afghanistan and overturn the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force, said the lawmakers, who serve on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

I believe that in addition to any bonus there should be resources to expedite the benefits those who have served have earned instead of waiting for them to be approved that can often be a long process too.

The question to everyone and please let us know what you think is:  Do you think we can end our military presence and involvement in Afghanistan? 

E-commerce Tips

By Debbie Gregory.

Many veteran business owners and VAMBOA members began their entrepreneurial journey by launching E-commerce websites. E-commerce, short for electronic commerce, is also known as internet commerce and refers to the buying and selling of goods or services via the internet, as well as the transfer of money and data to execute these transactions.

With global retail E-commerce sales are projected to reach $27 trillion by 2020 so you can see why this is such an attractive way to begin a business. But before entrepreneurs jump into the water, here are a few tips to aid in the success of an E-commerce business:

It begins with reaching your audience. If you’re looking to do business online, that’s where you are going to find the majority of your customers. So purchase your domain name, design your web site and set up your social media accounts. Blog, blog, blog. Add a podcast. Optimize your store for mobile.

If you aren’t great with technology, outsource the things you need help with. For example, when your customer adds a product to their cart, does your web site immediately let them know what others products previous purchasers have added-on as a suggested bundle? If a customer is about to abandon their cart, does your website know how to entice them back? If you don’t know how to build in these options, outsource them to someone who does.

Because you are at a disadvantage when it comes to your customers being able to see and touch (and smell) your product in-person, offer incentives such as free shipping or a money back guarantee if it makes financial sense to do so. Encourage your existing customers to leave reviews of your products by offering a percentage discount on their purchase to thank them for their time.

Start building a sales funnel. Think “Do you want fries with that order?” If your customer comes in for one thing, you’re going to ask if they’d like anything else before they cash out.

The more value you add — through freebies, up sells, and add-ons — the more trust you’ll build with your customers, and customers who trust you will spend more.

Building a good relationship with your customers will increase the chances that they will refer others to you, boosting your business even further.

Veteran and Military Business Owners Association, VAMBOA,

Intrapreneurs And Are They Good for Veteran Owned Businesses?  

By Debbie Gregory.

They think and behave like business owners, but they’re not. They are invaluable to the health of a company. They demonstrate an entrepreneurial spirit within an existing organization.  They are the person(s) within an organization who are provided the freedom and resources to initiate projects, business ventures, etc. In a sense they are your employees who are internal entrepreneurs.

They’re called intrapreneurs.

For companies eager to welcome and embrace people who are creative, proactive, and flexible, the rewards of employing intrapreneurs can be tremendous.

How do you identify an intrapreneur?

Intrapreneurs are usually not primarily money motivated but are more success motivated. They understand that if they do their work in a way that shows the organization they are someone it can’t afford to lose, the money and advancement finds them.

Intrapreneurs treat their job as if it were their own business. They are driven to find resourceful ways to approach challenging situations.

Intrapreneurs are resilient and not afraid to change course. They don’t fear failure, but rather view failure as an opportunity for growth.

Intrapreneurs behave authentically and with integrity, while exhibiting the traits of confidence and humility.

Intrapreneurs are masters of building relationships, assisting others where and when they can, and not being shy about asking for help when they need it.

Intrapreneurs are in demand simply because they make companies better. Employees stay in their roles long-term because they’re challenged and fulfilled by the work they’re doing, and companies thrive because they retain the best people and best ideas and allow them the flexibility to run with their balls.

So now that you know how to spot an intrapreneur, how do you hire them?

People tend to associate with those who share the same beliefs or behaviors. So it stands to reason that a company founded with an entrepreneurial/intrapreneurial emphasis will become a magnet for more of the same. Employees recommend the company to others who share their values. A company needs to conduct itself with integrity if it expects to find those traits upheld in its ranks.

Hiring intrapreneurs is to a company’s advantage, especially a veteran owned small business. Having employees who take ownership of their work will be reflected in the company’s products and services.

When intrapreneurs work at solving problems, they foster the growth of other talented intrapreneurs and integrate more new ideas for the good of the entire company.   They also inspire others to do more and think outside the box.

Veteran and Military Business Owners Association, VAMBOA,

By Debbie Gregory

When we think about people with out-of-control consumer debt, we picture wild shopping sprees and luxurious lifestyles. But the main reason a large number of Americans wind up in financial trouble has nothing to do with self-indulgence. Rather, it’s a matter of medical debt. And having health insurance in no way guarantees that you won’t fall victim to medical debt.

RIP Medical Debt began erasing some $65 million worth of medical debt for veterans, their family members, National Guardsmen and Reservists in 2016.

Just like in Willy Wonka, recipients receive notification, via a letter in a golden envelope, that part or all of their medical debt has been satisfied. And the action is automatic, so anyone who receives one of the “golden tickets” and mistakes the envelope for junk mail and tosses it, still benefits.

Since beginning its mission in 2014, this 501(c)(3) charity has been responsible for wiping out a $435 million mountain of medical debt for civilians with significant bills who are living at less than twice the poverty level, are insolvent or have more than 5 percent of their gross income going to health care debt.

According to RIP Medical Debt’s website:

• 1 in 5 people living in the U.S. are grappling with medical debt;
• Nearly 50% of all credit card debt in the US is from medical debt;
• Medical debt contributes to 60% of all bankruptcies in America; and
• More than 40% of Americans wouldn’t be able to cover an emergency expense of $400.

The non-profit is the brainchild of collections industry executives Craig Antico and Jerry Ashton, have more than 70 years of experience in the credit and collection industry between them.

Antico and Ashton knew that once medical debt was sent to collection agencies from medical providers such as hospitals, doctors and ambulance companies, they could purchase the debt for a cents on the dollar, or even less. This would yield a tremendous result, as a $50,000 tax-deductible donation could potentially wipe out $5 million of medical debt.

Ashton, a Navy veteran, was surprised at the number of active-duty military and veterans who had substantial medical debt.

“Like many Americans, I believed that America takes care of the medical needs of the men and women who have served our country,” he said.

Instead, he found that veterans may face mounting medical bills while waiting to get into the Department of Veterans Affairs system or they aren’t eligible for care at the VA.

“You can imagine that these veterans are getting hounded for financial debt, and they already have anxiety or depression or post-traumatic stress disorder or a traumatic brain injury. This is a big relief,” he said.

Many of RIP’s donations come from individual donors and corporations that raise money specifically for the charity. Because the forgiven debt is considered a gift, there is not any tax liability for the recipient, and the debt is removed from the three major credit reporting agencies.

Please tell me what you think about this incredible service.  Let’s start a conversation.

Veteran and Military Business Owners Association, VAMBOA,

The 21 Gun Salute Initiative Benefiting SDVOSBs

By Debbie Gregory.

The Department of Defense (DoD) has made efforts to improve the prime and subcontracting opportunities available to small businesses owned and operated by service-disabled veterans.

As a Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), you can access many opportunities in the federal market. The 21 Gun Salute initiative was created with gratitude for the injured soldier turned businessperson. The Salute is an action plan to meet and exceed the 3% contracting goal with the nation’s service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses  

The program, which has been in existence for more than a decade, contains seven main topics, or “guns”, complete with major sub-goals.

• Gun #1 – The first gun is Awareness, and is designed to increase public awareness, internal awareness and identify SDVOSBs to provide high demand products and services.
• Gun #2 – The second gun is Advocacy, which creates a Veterans Advisory Subcommittee to advocate for SDVOSB opportunities, with a special emphasis on Veteran set-asides. It also works to create a pool of advocates among buyers within GSA.
• Gun #3 – The third gun is Innovation, which capitalizes on best practices for SDVOSB outreach, targets SDVOSBs for selected schedule buys, and finds innovations in financial accreditation of small business
• Gun #4 – The fourth gun is Training and involves assisting SDVOSBs in finding markets and providing SDVOSB training to contracting officers government wide.
• Gun #5 – The fifth gun is Recognition. This is a shout-out to SDVOSB supporters, and an acknowledgement of the successes among internal GSA family, enhancing the SDVOSB brand.
• Gun #6 – The sixth gun is Accountability. This gun holds senior leaders accountable, measures and enforces SDVOSB goals to ensure achievement, and integrates procurement forecasts.
• Gun #7- The seventh and final gun is Partnerships, which supports business-to-business partnerships among SDVOSBs, as well as interagency partnerships, such as with the SBA and the VA, and partnerships with veterans organizations.

If you are interested in learning more about the 21 Gun Salute initiative, visit the General Services Administration website at https://bit.ly/2T3zWUe.

Veteran and Military Business Owners Association, VAMBOA,