By Debbie Gregory.

Many veterans exhibit advanced team building skills, high levels of resiliency and strong organizational commitment, traits that contribute to making them successful entrepreneurs. There are numerous resources that assist veteran business owners thrive, including the following:

VAMBOA, the Veteran and Military Business Owners Association, is a non-profit trade association that promotes and assists Veteran Business Owners, Service Disabled Veteran Owned Businesses (SDVOB) and Military Business Owners by providing networking, collaboration, mentoring, education, certification and advocacy. Membership is free.

American Corporate Partners is engaged in national corporate career counseling for returning military. The non-profit connects veterans to business leaders for mentorship and career advice.

BusinessUSA provides users with an interactive questionnaire that guides them to the most relevant federal, state, and local services, tools, trainings, and opportunities, assisting in starting or expanding a veteran owned small business.

DVBE, the Disabled Veteran Business Alliance, empowers, provides resources to, and works side-by-side with disabled veterans to promote and support them in establishing, maintaining and growing viable business enterprises.

EBV Foundation’s Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities offers training in entrepreneurship and business management to post-9/11 veterans with service related disabilities.

Federal Business Opportunities is a portal for all businesses, not just vet owned, looking for active federal contracting opportunities.

Honor Courage Commitment, Inc. provides resources such as grants, scholarships and a fellowship program to veteran entrepreneurs, designed to build leadership qualities.

Institute for Veteran and Military Families provides a wide variety of resources geared towards military veterans re-entering the workforce or looking to start their own businesses.

National Veteran Business Development Council (NVBDC)  is the nation’s leading third party authority for certification of veteran owned businesses of all sizes.

National Veteran Small Business Coalition supports veteran owned small businesses by promoting policies that encourage participation of veteran owned businesses in federal contracting opportunities.

Patriot Boot Camp  focuses on helping active duty military, veterans and their spouses build technology companies. The three day event provides participants with free education, training and mentorship.

Small Business Administration (SBA) provides a multitude of assistance to veterans in their local communities, including Veteran Business Outreach Centers, Boots to Business,

SDVOSBC , the National Center for Veterans Institute for Procurement, Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC), and Leveraging Information and Networks to Access Capital (LINC) .

Streetshares brings together business owners in search of funding and investors looking for both financial and social returns.

21 Gun Salute Initiative supports service-disabled veteran owned businesses with the goal of reserving 3% of contracts for service-disabled veteran owned small businesses.

VetBiz is a VA website that provides information about the Center for Verification and Evaluation’s verification process for veteran owned businesses looking to gain eligibility for the VA’s Veterans First Contracting Program.

VetBizCentral is a veteran run site that assists veteran and active duty military entrepreneurs through training and counseling, networking opportunities, mentoring and advocacy.

Veteran Entrepreneur Portal provides access to a number of business tools and services, from business education to financing opportunities.

Veteran Fast Launch Initiative provides mentoring and training, along with free software and other services, to military veteran entrepreneurs.

Veteran Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship  provides resources, courses and mentorship to female veterans who have started businesses or are looking to do so.

Vetrepreneur Mentoring provides mentoring services to help veteran entrepreneurs with everything from contractor registration to website creation.

Victory Spark is an accelerator program focused on startups led by U.S. military veterans. The program includes a 12-week mentor-driven Lean LaunchPad Program, along with grant funding for entrepreneurs who complete the program.

By Debbie Gregory.

We still have hope that the Veterans Entrepreneurial Transition Act, originally proposed in 2015, will be passed. The legislation would allow the SBA to conduct a 3-year pilot program for up to 250 budding veteran entrepreneurs to use their GI Bill benefits to start a business. While it had widespread support from veterans’ groups, it didn’t receive a full Congressional vote before the end of the year. Perhaps the new Congress will see the merits of this legislation, and get it passed. Until then, here are some resources that veteran business owners should be taking advantage of:

Entrepreneurship for Transitioning Warriors is a program offered by non-profit VetToCEO. The free 7-week online program is comprised of  seven two-hour modules that give you  the basics of starting your own business. With rolling enrollment, veterans can join the program at any time.

Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV) is a free training program for post-9/11 veterans with a service-connected disability. This program is offered through a consortium of universities including Cornell, Syracuse, Florida State, UCLA, Texas A&M, Purdue, UConn, LSU, Saint Joseph’s, and the University of Missouri. EBV consists of an online, instructor-led 30-day curriculum, followed by a 9-day in-residence session at the university. EBV programs run from March through November each year on a first-come, first-served basis.

Patriot Boot Camp is geared towards technology entrepreneurs.  Attendance at PBC is encouraged if you’re considering a tech startup. PBC is free to veterans, active-duty members, and spouses.

Bunker Labs offers the Bunker in a Box program,  an online mini-course in veterans entrepreneurship. Lessons feature a short video from the Bunker team, as well as articles, interviews, podcasts and presentations from prominent entrepreneurs and experts.

StreetShares Foundation is the non-profit arm of the military social lending platform, StreetShares. The foundation staff selects 5-10 finalists each month, based on: business idea, product-market fit, team and company history, use of award funds and potential impact, and influence of the business on the military and veterans community. First, second, and third-place awards of $5,000, $3,000, and $2,000 are awarded.

The Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC) is a good resource for training, counseling and mentoring, and resource referrals. VBOCs also provide transition assistance programs via Boots to Business part of the military’s formal Transition Assistance Program, offered on military installations around the world. Boots to Business assists service members, military spouses and veterans identify business opportunities, draft their business plans, and launch their enterprises. Other programs supported by OVBD are geared specifically for women veterans, service-disabled veterans, and veterans interested in federal procurement.

By Debbie Gregory

StreetShares, Inc., one of VAMBOA’s strategic partners, is a lending and investing community for veterans and their supporters. StreetShares’ principals have announced the formation of the StreetShares Foundation.

The goal of the StreetShares Foundation is to inspire, educate, and support veteran small business owners. The foundation is partnering with JPMorgan Chase & Co. to provide up to $10,000 each month in Veteran Small Business Awards.

Both StreetShares Foundation and StreetShares, Inc. are veteran-operated..

Iraq War veteran Mark L. Rockefeller, CEO/Co-Founder of StreetShares, said, “Veteran business ownership has been the backbone of the United States economy since World War II. The goal of the StreetShares Foundation is to provide a new generation of veteran and military-spouse small business owners the support they need to thrive.”

The Foundation plans to give three Veteran Small Business Awards each month. Small businesses owned by military veterans, current reserve or active duty members, and qualified military spouses are eligible to apply. The awards are $2,000 for third place, $3,000 for second place, and $5,000 for the first place winner.

Award applications and educational material can be found on the foundation’s website at StreetShares.com/Foundation.

StreetShares had previously conducted a small award program. Last year’s winners collectively reported increasing revenues by over $1 million, hiring 24 new employees, and scoring a “Shark Tank” TV show appearance. With sponsorship from JPMorgan Chase and others, the StreetShares Foundation has plans to substantially expand the award program.

The Veteran Small Business Award program encourages everyone who supports veterans and entrepreneurship to participate in voting for their favorite veteran business at StreetShares.com/Foundation. Finalists will be presented for public vote each month.

We at VAMBOA are proud to partner with StreetShares and further the opportunities they present to military owned and veteran owned businesses.

Each year, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) helps more than 200,000 veterans, service-disabled veterans, and National Guard and Reserve service members, and military spouses start and grow their small businesses.?  The SBA will be adding six Veterans Business Outreach Centers (VBOC) to the existing 13, bringing the nationwide total to19.

Each VBOC will provide entrepreneurial training, comprehensive business assessment, and mentoring to active duty service members, veterans and service-disabled veterans, National Guard and Reservists, and military spouses interested in starting a small business.

The new VBOCs will be located as follows:

• Center for Women & Enterprise (CWE), Providence, RI
• University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI
• Georgia Southern University Research & Services Foundation, Statesboro, GA
• Cochise County Community College District, Sierra Vista, AZ
• University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX
• MiraCosta College, Oceanside, CA

Existing VBOCs are located as follows:

• Veterans Business Outreach Center at Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS
• Big Sky Economic Development Authority, Billings, MT
• WBDC Chicago, Chicago, IL
• Community Business Partnership, Springfield, VA
• Hampton Roads Veterans Business Outreach Center, Norfolk, VA
• Veterans Business Outreach Center at Gulf Coast State College, Panama City, FL
• Veterans Business Outreach Center at Fayetteville State Univ., Fayetteville, NC
• VetBiz Central, Inc., Flint, MI
• University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg, TX
• New Mexico Veterans Business Outreach Center, Albuquerque, NM
• Veterans Business Resource Center, St. Louis, MO
• Business Impact NW, Seattle, WA
• Veterans Business Outreach Center – Region IX, Sacramento, CA

VBOC locations were selected based on “Boots to Business” program demand, military installation, and transitioning population data.

VBOCs support transitioning service members as they begin self-employment or entrepreneurship. Part of the VBOC funding is used to cover costs involved in doing outreach to increase participation in the Boots to Business entrepreneurship training program on military installations in the U.S. and its territories.

Veterans business development is available in each state at SBA District Offices and at VBOCs located throughout the U.S.  To learn more about additional opportunities for veterans available through the SBA, visit www.sba.gov/vets.

The Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC) Program is designed to provide entrepreneurial development services such as business training, counseling and mentoring, and referrals for eligible veterans owning or considering starting a small business. The SBA has 15 organizations participating in this cooperative agreement and serving as Veterans Business Outreach Centers (VBOC).

Services Provided by the Centers

Pre-Business Plan Workshops

VBOCs conduct entrepreneurial development workshops dealing specifically with the major issues of self-employment. An important segment of these workshops entails the usage of the Internet as a tool for developing and expanding businesses. Each client is afforded the opportunity to work directly with a business counselor.

Concept Assessments

VBOCs assist clients in assessing their entrepreneurial needs and requirements.

Business Plan Preparations

VBOCs assist clients in developing and maintaining a five-year business plan. The business plan includes such elements as the legal form if the business, equipment requirements and cost, organizational structure, a strategic plan, market analysis, and a financial plan. Financial plans include financial projections, budget projections, and funding requirements.

Comprehensive Feasibility Analysis

VBOCs provide assistance in identifying and analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of the business plan to increase the probability of success. The results of the analysis are utilized to revise the strategic planning portion of the business plan.

Entrepreneurial Training and Counseling

VBOCs, working with other SBA resource partners, target entrepreneurial training projects and counseling sessions tailored specifically to address the needs and concerns of the service-disabled veteran entrepreneur.

Mentorship

VBOCs conduct, as appropriate, on-site visits with clients to ensure adherence to their business plans. Additionally, VBOCs review monthly financial statements to determine whether a revision of the business plan is warranted or that desired results are being attained.

Other Business Developmental Related Services

VBOCs also provide assistance and training in such areas as international trade, franchising, Internet marketing, accounting, etc.

Center Locations and Areas of Coverage

Region I

• Syracuse University – Falcone Center for Entrepreneurship
  • States Covered: Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut
  • Address: 721 University Avenue, Syracuse, NY 13244
  • Website: http://whitman.syr.edu/programs-and-academics/centers-and-institutes/falcone/
  • Telephone Number: 315-443-0286
  • Email Address: tlbrow04@syr.edu

Region II

• The Research Foundation for the State University of New York at Albany
  • States Covered: New York, New Jersey
  • Address: 6 Executive Park Drive, Entrance B, Albany, NY 12203
  • Website: http://www.nyvetbiz.com/
  • Telephone Number: 518-380-5069
  • Email Address: aamoroso@albany.edu

Region III

• Hampton Roads Veterans Business Outreach Center at Old Dominion University
  • States Covered: Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, West Virginia
  • Address: 4111 Monarch Way, Suite 103, Norfolk, VA 23508
  • Website: www.hrvboc.org
  • Telephone Number: 757-683-4793
  • Email Address: csagaste@odu.edu
• Community Business Partnership
  • States/Territories Covered: District of Columbia, Maryland, Northern Virginia, Puerto Rico & Virgin Islands
  • Address: 7001 Loisdale Road Suite C, Springfield, VA 22150
  • Website: http://www.cbponline.org/
  • Telephone Number: 703-768-1440
  • Email Address: charles@cbponline.org

Region IV

• Veterans Business Outreach Center at Gulf Coast State College
  • States Covered: Florida, Georgia, South Carolina
  • Address: 5230 West Highway 98, Panama City, FL 32401
  • Website: http://vboc.org/
  • Telephone Number: 1-800-542-7232 or 805-769-1551, ext. 3327
  • Email Address: bpeacock@vboc.org
• The Veterans Business Outreach Center at Fayetteville State University
  • States Covered: North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky
  • Address: School of Business & Economics, 1200 Murchison Road, Newbold Station, Fayetteville, NC 28301
  • Website: http://www.fsuvboc.com/
  • Telephone Number: 910-672-2683
  • Email Address: rrehder@uncfusu.edu
• The Veterans Business Outreach Center at Mississippi State University
  • States Covered: Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Louisiana
  • Address: 60 Technology Blvd, Suite 105 D Starkville, MS 39759
  • Website: http://vboc.msstate.edu/~vboc/index.php
  • Telephone Number: 662-325-4990
  • Email Address: mscott@business.msstate.edu

Region V

• VetBiz Central, Inc
  • States Covered: Michigan, Ohio, Indiana
  • Address: 501 South Averill Avenue, Flint, MI 48508
  • Website: http://vetbizcentral.org/
  • Telephone Number: 810-767-8387
  • Email Address: matt@vetbizcentral.org
• Veterans Business Outreach Center at Women’s Business Development Center
  • States/Territories Covered: Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Hawaii & Guam
  • Address: 8 S. Michigan Avenue, 4th Floor, Chicago, IL 60603
  • Website: http://www.vbocwbdc.org/
  • Telephone Number: 312-853-3477 ext.670
  • Email Address: hbeck@wbdc.org

Region VI

• Veterans Business Outreach Center – University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
  • States Covered: Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas
  • Address: CESS Building, 1407 East Freddy Gonzalez Drive, Edinburg, TX 78539
  • Website: http://portal.utpa.edu/utpa_main/ce_home/bdi_home/vboc_2012_home
  • Telephone Number: 956-665-8931
  • Email Address: david.elizondo@utrgv.edu
• New Mexico Veterans Business Outreach Center
  • States Covered: New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma
  • Address: 5201 Eagle Rock Avenue, NE, Suite 2A, Albuquerque, NM 87113
  • Website: http://nmvboc.org/
  • Telephone Number: 505-383-2403
  • Email Address: joseph.long@state.nm.us

Region VII

• Veterans Advocacy Foundation, Inc.
  • States Covered: Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa
  • Address: 315 Lamay Ferry Road, #114, St Louis, MO 63125
  • Website: http://www.vetbiz.com/
  • Telephone Number: 314-531-8387 or 8386
  • Email: Info@vetbiz.com

Region VIII

• Big Sky Economic Development Authority
  • States Covered: Montana, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Utah
  • Address: 222 North 32nd Street Suite 200, Billings, MT 59101
  • Website: http://www.bigskyeconomicdevelopment.org/
  • Telephone Number: 406-254-6871
  • Email Address: hudson@bigskyeda.org

Region IX

• Veterans Business Outreach Center IX
  • States Covered: California, Nevada, Arizona
  • Address: 4608 Duckhorn, Drive, Sacramento, CA 95834
  • Website: http://www.vbocix.org/
  • Telephone Number: 916-527-8400
  • Email address: admin@vbocix.org
• VBOC IX Sub-Center
  • Address: 300 Booth Street, Suite 3065, Reno, NV 89509
  • Website: http://www.vbocix.org/
  • Email: admin@vbocix.org

Region X

• Seattle Business Assistance Center
  • States Covered: Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska
  • Address: 1437 South Jackson Street, Seattle, WA 98144
  • Website: http://seattleccd.com/
  • Telephone Number: 206-324-4330
  • Email Address: juliannad@seattleccd.com