California Governor Jerry Brown has signed another veterans bill!  VAMBOA was proud to lend our support to AB 413-Chavez. The bill will allow the child or spouse of a disabled Veteran to enter into new Disabled Veterans Business Enterprise (DVBE) contracts after the death or disability of the Veteran, if the contract can be completed within the current three-year DVBE certification period. Doing so would provide the families time to continue the business after the death of a Veteran without an immediate end to the business.

“Veterans and their families make great sacrifices to protect our nation. Allowing these families to continue to run and operate a business after a death of not only a Veteran to them, but a parent or spouse is important. The cost of war is not only paid in sending our military to the battlefield, but it is also caring for them when they return. I am grateful the Governor recognizes this principle and supported this bill” said Rocky Chávez, the bill’s sponsor.

Chávez is a retired Marine Corps Colonel, former City Councilman and former Acting Secretary of the California Department of Veterans Affairs. He represents California’s 76th Assembly District, which includes Camp Pendleton, Carlsbad, Encinitas, Oceanside and Vista.

By Debbie Gregory.

The Veterans Entrepreneurship Act of 2015 was passed by the Senate on July 23, 2015. The amendment is added to the Small Business Act. It prohibits the Small Business Administration (SBA) from collecting a guarantee fee in connection with a loan made under the SBA Express Program to a veteran or the spouse of a veteran on or after October 1, 2015. There is a provision to exempt the act during any upcoming fiscal year for which the President’s budget, submitted to Congress, includes a cost for the program that is above zero.

The amendment also requires the SBA to assess for Congress the level of outreach to and consultation with female veterans regarding access to capital by women’s business centers and Veterans Business Outreach Centers.

Additionally, starting October 1, 2015, the act prohibits the SBA from guaranteeing a loan if:

the lender determines that the borrower is unable to obtain credit elsewhere solely because the lender’s liquidity depends upon the guaranteed portion of the loan being sold on the secondary market, or

the sole purpose for requesting the guarantee is to allow the lender to exceed its legal lending limit.

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: Loan Advantage for Veterans Passes: By Debbie Gregory

By Debbie Gregory.

It seems that you can’t watch an hour-long news program without the mention of at least one of many hardships Veterans are facing. Along with VA scandals, there are struggles with PTSD, unemployment, homelessness, and underemployment. These societal ills have scourged all generations of Veterans, and are taking an extreme toll on the Post-9/11 generation. But from pain and discomfort, the strong usually seek ways to improve their situation. It is for these reasons that Veterans are 45% more likely to seek self-employment through entrepreneurial ventures that their non-Veteran peers.

But Veterans aren’t just shucking off their uniforms and conforming to life in business suits. They are taking their military experience with them into entrepreneurship, and getting positive results. Many in the business world are now looking to Veteran business owners as examples of the ideal business owner. Here are a few examples of why:

• Efficiency– It is commonly joked about that the most effective military leaders are the ones who are free to goof around on their computer all day. While we know that this isn’t true, the culture of military leadership is to prioritize tasks and delegate work as needed. Veteran business owners are more likely to heighten efficiency by delegating tasks, freeing them up for more critical tasks.
• Leadership– Everyone in the military answers to somebody else, and at some point in their career, most enlisted personnel have others below them. Taking and giving orders is a skill, just like anything else, and Veterans have had some of the best training around. Those with military leadership experience have the conditioning to make important decisions and assign tasks in a manner that can instill confidence from their employees.
• Team Building– Veterans know that the key to accomplishing any mission is to have all members of their team working together, as one unit. It doesn’t matter if that mission is securing a building, cleaning the workspace, or meeting a sales quota, the principles are all the same, and Veterans have been conditioned with the mentality to apply that principle to any task.
• Selling Commitment– Most living things instinctivelydo whatever they can to preserve their lives. Service members rush towards danger. That’s not by accident, that’s by mental conditioning and by being sold on a commitment to your comrades, to your unit, and to your country. There are no better cheerleaders and brand sellers than military personnel and Veterans.
• Gathering Intel– This is an attribute that is often overlooked. But because of the thought process involved with immersing one’s self into battle, Veterans have been conditioned to study the field, know the rules of engagement, and keep a constant tally on their assets. This type of thinking is second-nature to those who have served, and comes in handy when developing and carrying out a business plan.

Veteran business owners apply these same skills to their businesses. There are numerous other skills and attributes that Veterans picked up through their military experience that contribute to their success as business owners. With the right resources and the right mindset, Veterans know that they can accomplish anything.

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: Five Examples Why Veteran Are Successful Business Owners: By Debbie Gregory

By Debbie Gregory.

The Veteran Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship (V-WISE) program was recognized as one of 2015’s “Bright Ideas” by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.

V-WISE is offered through a partnership between the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Institute for Veteran and Military Families at Syracuse University. The program provides comprehensive entrepreneurial training to women Veterans, active duty and female family members.

As part of a three-phase program, V-WISE is being offered to 200 participants per session. The program includes a growth track for participants already in business, and start-up training for new entrepreneurs.

“V-WISE is an important and timely resource for women, and we’re proud of the successful entrepreneurs who have used this program to start and grow their companies,” said SBA Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet. “Being recognized by Harvard University is a confirmation of a successful partnership making strides to support the small business ownership dreams of so many women Veterans.”

For consideration as one of the Ash Center’s Bright Ideas, a program must currently be in operation or in the process of launching, have sufficient operational resources, and be administered by one or more governmental entities.  Nonprofit, private sector, and union initiatives are eligible only if they are operating in partnership with a governmental entity. Bright Ideas are showcased on the Ash Center’s Government Innovators Network, an online platform for practitioners and policymakers to share innovative public policy solutions.

The V-WISE program was singled out by the Ash Center as a creative government initiative that deserves to be recognized and replicated. The Government Innovators Network was launched by the Ash Center in 2003 to highlight original ideas generated by government leaders and their public sector partners. This is the fourth cohort recognized through the Bright Ideas program, an initiative of the broader Innovations in American Government Awards program.

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: Joint Program for Female Veterans Honored by Harvard: By Debbie Gregory

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) views military Veterans as a valuable resource, one that needs to be cultivated and utilized. Proving that the department isn’t just offering lip service, the DOT’s Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) has been teaming with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and other partners to administer the Boots to Business: Reboot program to Veterans and Veteran entrepreneurs.

Through the summer of 2014, Boots to Business: Reboot has presented instructional events with discussions on topics such as developing a business plan, molding business concepts, and overall business fundamentals. Veterans were also connected to a network of resources through the OSDBU and its Small Business Transportation Resource Centers.

The OSDBU’s centers work closely with the transportation contracting community to assist transportation-related businesses in their respective regions. The resource centers also serve to provide business counseling to Veteran-owned businesses.

Veteran entrepreneurs participating in the Boots To Business: Reboot were also connected with resources conducive to locating access start-up capital and additional technical assistance. These resources include: Veteran Business Outreach Center, Women’s Business Centers, Small Business Development Centers, and SCORE Counselors.

The DOT sees Veterans as natural entrepreneurs who can make a real impact on the transportation industry. Veterans are disciplined and mission-oriented. Veterans are also decisive and are used to being held accountable.

Unemployment among Post-9/11 Veterans has been consistently higher than the national average. With an increasing number of locally and federally sponsored business ownership programs available to current and former Military personnel, it only makes sense for Veterans to pursue entrepreneurship.

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: Training for Veteran Entrepreneurs: By Debbie Gregory