On August 14, 2014 the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) celebrated the 50^th anniversary of SCORE.

SCORE, a coalition of experienced and successful businessmen, was officially launched in 1964 as the Service Corps of Retired Executives by then SBA administrator Eugene Foley. From the start, the group was dedicated to the education of entrepreneurs and the formation, growth and success of small business nationwide. SCORE mentors have achieved this goal by providing resources and expertise to maximize the success of existing and emerging small businesses.

Today, SCORE consists of more than 11,000 mentors, serving every state in the country. These men and women share invaluable small business wisdom with today’s small business owners. They help with writing business plans, preparing for obtaining business loans and help small business owners manage their revenue, handle their cash flow and market themselves to build their customer base and hopefully go from small businesses to big businesses.

In its half century existence, the coalition became a non-profit organization and dropped the acronym, but SCORE volunteers are still carrying out the original mission of passing their knowledge on to future generations of American entrepreneurs and innovators. Over the five decades, the volunteers have given back because they’ve accumulated a lifetime’s worth of expertise and have chosen to share what they’ve learned with the people of their communities. Their dedication has helped an estimated 10.5 million entrepreneurs get their businesses off the ground.

See how the mentors at SCORE can help you and your small business at www.score.org

The Veteran and Military Business Owners Association (VAMBOA) is a non-profit business trade association that promotes and assists Veteran Business Owners, Service Disabled Veteran Owned Businesses (SDVOB) and Military Business Owners. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and responsible for job generation. That is why VAMBOA provides its members with Business Coaching, Contracting Opportunities, a Blog that provides information, Networking contacts and other resources. Membership is FREE to Veterans. Join Now!

VAMBOA: 50 Years of SCORE: By Debbie Gregory

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced on Friday, August 1, this 2014 that the U.S. government achieved its small business federal contracting goal. The federal government awarded more than 23% of its federal contracts to small businesses, totaling more than $83 billion. This was the first time in eight years that the federal government has reached its contracting goal.

The announcement was made at a press conference that was held at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center by SBA Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet. She was joined by NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and Senator Ben Cardin.

“When we hit our small business procurement target, it’s a win.  Small businesses get the revenue they need to grow and create jobs, and the federal government gets the chance to work with some of the most responsive, innovative and nimble companies in the U.S. while the economy grows,” Contreras-Sweet said.  “Thanks to the president’s leadership and a team effort among all federal agencies, we were able to meet this goal.”

While contract expenditures have gone down in all categories as a result of overall reduced federal spending, small businesses managed to secure a greater percentage of the contracts. This is due inpart to the SBA working with other federal agencies to help small businesses win federal contracts.

The SBA also facilitated the requirement for larger companies with substantial federal contracts to sub-contract with Veteran-owned small businesses.

Along with the announcement, the SBA released the FY 2013 Small Business Procurement Scorecard. These annual scorecard provides an assessment of each federal agency’s yearly small business contracting achievement against its goal, with 20 agencies receiving an A or A+.  Overall, the federal government received an “A” on the government-wide Scorecard.

The Veteran and Military Business Owners Association (VAMBOA) is a non-profit business trade association that promotes and assists Veteran Business Owners, Service Disabled Veteran Owned Businesses (SDVOB) and Military Business Owners. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and responsible for job generation. That is why VAMBOA provides its members with Business Coaching, Contracting Opportunities, a Blog that provides information, Networking contacts and other resources. Membership is FREE to Veterans. Join Now!

VAMBOA: Government Achieves Small Business Contracting Goal

Veterans wishing to start a military business have many different points of support, including organizations like VAMBOA (Veteran and Military Business Owners Association) and the Small Business Administration. A military small business can be difficult to get off the ground without obtaining military loans from a military lending network or company. Military small business loans are available for all veterans who meet the necessary requirements to qualify, including Service Disabled Veteran Owned Businesses (SDVOB). The Small Business Administration has the necessary materials you need to complete in order to be considered for one of their military loans or military small business loans.

VAMBOA is a great organization to become a part of because it offers many networking opportunities for your military small business that you may not have access to otherwise. Some of the networking benefits VAMBOA offers to its veterans include connecting with other SDVOB and military business owners, obtaining corporate and government contracts to reduce the amount of military lending necessary to run your military small business and gaining access to conferences and seminars you might otherwise not be able to attend. Networking is crucial to the success of your military business, so take advantage of VAMBOA, using its connections to SDVOB and military lending opportunities. Registration for VAMBOA is absolutely free, which is the best kind of networking any military small business just starting out could want.

The Small Business Administration is a key resource to have at your disposal when beginning or extending your military small business. The Small Business Administration has access to many military small business loans and other military loans that you can use to purchase vital equipment, space or machinery. Currently, the Small Business Administration is piloting a new program called the Patriot Express Loan Program, which provides military lending to new and expanding companies in different amounts of military loans. This program is available only to military business owners, SDVOB and veterans looking to start a military business. The program will only be accepting applications for military small business loans through the end of December 2010, so make sure to apply early if you are looking to obtain one of these military loans.

Business loans for military and business loans for veterans are some of the only way military business owners, veteran business owners and service disabled veteran business owners can start and build a business. Luckily, there are options for veterans and military members looking to find small business loans. The Small Business Administration is a great help when it comes to finding business loans for military and business loans for veterans.

Since the economy took a downturn, many service disabled veteran business owners, veteran business owners and military business owners have found it difficult to get the small business loans they need to help their businesses succeed. In response to the troubles many veterans and military business owners are facing, the Small Business Administration has developed a new program called the Patriot Express Loan Program. Under the Patriot Express program, veterans and military members looking to start a business or expand their business can apply for small business loans created specifically for military and veterans. The Small Business Administration is offering this program until the end of December, 2010, so it is imperative for military business owners, veteran business owners and service disabled veteran business owners looking for business loans for military and business loans for veterans to submit their applications as soon as possible to be considered for these small business loans.

The Small Business Administration also offers other business loans for veterans and business loans for military that don’t fall under the time restraint of the Patriot Express program. These loans are not necessarily created or held specifically for military business owners or veteran business owners, but they are still extraordinary help when building or expanding a business. There are some small business loans specifically for service disabled veteran business owners; however, these can be few and far between.

The Veteran and Military Business Owners Association (VAMBOA) provides many networking and membership benefits for military business owners and veteran business owners. Military small business owners can utilize VAMBOA to connect with other veterans who have good advice on the best business loans for military small business owners. The Veteran and Military Business Owners Association acts as a pivotal networking point for veteran small business and military small business owners.  When veterans and military business owners establish their membership with VAMBOA, they gain access to the multitude of networking and business-building tools unavailable in abundance elsewhere.

Many military small business owners, military business owners and veteran business owners need help finding or obtaining business loans for military businesses or a veteran small business. There are many business loans for military and veteran business owners available through the Small Business Administration (SBA). About 5% of the small businesses located in the United States are run by military business owners. That makes up for about 4 million of the 80 million small businesses. Because of the impressive amount of veteran owned small businesses, the SBA offers many business loans for military small business owners and veteran business owners. Sometimes, the paperwork and filing procedures can be a bit confusing for veterans, which is why it is nice to have a membership with the Veteran and Military Business Owners Association. Veterans who own a small business and military small business owners alike have networking abilities for situations like this only with VAMBOA. With their membership, they not only gain thousands of connections to other veteran and military business owners like themselves, but they also tap into a dense well of experience, wisdom and information.

Military business owners have generally been extremely successful, and a large reason why is because of their networking and communications skills. This is why the Veteran and Military Business Owners Association is a great reference to have at your fingertips when military business owners embark on new ventures or want to continue their success.