By Debbie Gregory.

Looking for a business grant? Are you a Veteran Owned Small Business? There are quite a few grants out there that are offered by a variety of institutions.   Grants are time sensitive and are open for a specific period and then they are no longer available.  It does not make sense to list grants in this article because by the time you read this article, they may no longer be available.  However, you certainly can find them!

This is a three part series on Business Grants for Veterans and Part 1 will detail a few good places to find grants and other financial assistance for your Veteran Owned Small Business. Please keep in mind that just because you don’t see a specific grant or site listed within this article, there are many other grants that you can locate by performing a comprehensive search with specific criteria that applies to you.  It may take some energy, research and time to locate the right grants and financing options but consider it a treasure hunt that will always be worth it to your Veteran Owned Business.

The best place to begin your search for grants is the Federal Government’s database for small business grants at.Grants.gov. You should check the site often as grant opportunities begin and end frequently. Once you have found a grant (or two) that will work for your needs, you need to determine your next steps.  Grants.gov provides a very clear and specific process for applying for grants.   Below are some specific areas that will assist you on their website:

1. Learn about grants: Their learning page includes a brief instructional video to help guide you.
2. Check eligibility: This page will help you determine whether or not your business is eligible to apply for a federal grant.
3. Search grants: You can search for grants by keyword, opportunity number, as well as other criteria.
4. Register: If you find a grant you would like to apply for you will need to register for an account.
5. Apply for a grant: The apply page includes helpful videos on how to use the system to properly apply for your chosen grant.
6. Track your application: This page gives you the ability to keep an eye on how your application is progressing.

If you are looking specifically for Research and Development (R&D) grants from the Federal Government, there are two other programs that you may wish to consider:

• Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR): This program is focused mainly on technical innovation that specifically has the potential for commercialization.
• Small Business Technology Transfer Program (STTR): This program is very similar to SBIR but to qualify you need to collaborate with a research institution.

Even though Grants.gov is an outstanding resource to locate grants, the Federal Government is not the only place to look for grants for your Veteran Owned Small Business. Our next article in this series will cover specific state offered business grants that you should explore as well.   Stay tuned!

By Debbie Gregory.

VAMBOA, the Veterans and Military Business Owners Association and our staff want to take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday filled with joy.

We have the highest regard for those who serve, past and present.  The men and women who have worn our nation’s uniform and their loved ones have made many sacrifices so that the rest of us can live well and prosper.   They have written a blank check up to and including their lives for our country and are courageous patriots.

Those who have served are uniquely suited to be entrepreneurs.   Veteran and Military Business Owners have a keen understanding of how to execute a plan to achieve their goals.   Veteran and Military Business Owners have the know- how to build and manage teams.     They are disciplined and understand that success might come after numerous challenges and even a few failures.

We salute you and the families that support you.   We hope that all of you will take time out during the holidays with all the extra demands upon you to experience the joy of these special days with your friends and family.

VAMBOA wishes everyone the best of the holidays in December including Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice, Las Posadas, Diwali and Chinese New Year.   Each one has special joys including meanings, traditions and foods to experience.  Our holiday wish for you is to please give yourself some much-deserved time to take it all in and enjoy the moments with those people who mean the most to you.

Many holidays are commercialized and often we are focused on gifts and all that we must do instead of people.   Let’s think of the true meaning and magic of these special times.    The time and experiences with those people who mean the most to each of us are the real gifts and are irreplaceable.

We all can be kind and perform random acts of kindness.  The holidays and the beginning of a new year are a wonderful time for kind acts and continuing them into 2020.    There is much more that unites us as Americans than divides us.

Joy to America and to the World!

Sincerely,

Debbie Gregory

CEO, VAMBOA

By Debbie Gregory.

New business owners will discover themselves under a lot of pressure trying to avoid slipups. To help you avoid the common mistakes made by many entrepreneurs, here are a few easy tips to follow.

Make a business plan, and most importantly, stick to it. This will be your roadmap, and if you wing-it too much you will get lost. A lot of entrepreneurs wrongly think that they can deal with problems as they come up (being responsive instead of pre-emptive).

Unless you are selling retail products, don’t worry about ‘location, location, location’ just yet. Most customers and clients don’t care about where you work. All they care about is the quality of your product or work, so save your money and don’t open an old-school brick-and-mortar location in the very beginning if you have other options.

Do your market research. Create products and services that customers actually want to use, not just what you think they want. Be original, and make sure there is or will be demand for what you’re offering. With the internet, you have a world of resources at your fingertips, so take advantage of it. Check out your competition, average startup costs, and when you can expect to become profitable.

An internet sales and promotion plan is a must for every business. Your online existence can help you draw new clients, post advertising material, and get in touch with prospective associates. The best way to gain the most exposure for your small business is via social media marketing, which offers the additional benefit of being free.

Be willing to take risks, but avoid making rushed decisions. It is a good idea to sort out a list of pros and cons for every uncertain new idea you want to test and weigh your odds. Ask for advice from your partners and friends and acquire knowledge from their mistakes.

An online services company that connects businesses with local professionals surveyed 7,500 small business owners nationwide to determine where the best places to start, operate and grow a business for entrepreneurs are. The survey included all industries from A to Z. Ninety four percent of these small businesses had five employees or less.

The business owners’ major priorities to focus on in determining the best places for their businesses included:

•Greater support and focus on small business over large corporations. It is small businesses that are the engine that drive the nation’s economy. Seventy percent of small business entrepreneurs feel that local governments are more interested in attracting and supporting new, large corporations than making the support of small businesses a priority.
•Access to affordable healthcare. This is a policy issue that impacts their ability to be viable and stay in business.
•Rising housing and transportation costs. These costs make it more difficult than ever for small businesses to work where they live and travel to customers. This will impact training for new technologies.

In the survey, participants addressed eight key factors, including the level of support of local governments provide small businesses and the difficulties in beginning a new business for entrepreneurs in various locations. All fifty states were given a grade from A+ to a failing F.

The five states that scored an A+ were:

• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Alaska
• Michigan
• Utah

California, which is the home of more Veteran Small Businesses than any other state earned a “D” rating, along with Wyoming, Kentucky and New Mexico. The only two states that failed and earned an “F” were Hawaii and Illinois.

Below are some of the ratings from this survey of 7,500 small business entrepreneurs:

State Rating:
South Dakota: A+
Tennessee: A+
Alaska: A+
Michigan: A+
Utah: A+
Georgia: A
Texas: A
South Carolina: A
North Dakota: A-
Maine: A-
Arizona: A-
Alabama: A-
North Carolina: A-
Minnesota: A-
Massachusetts: A-
Arkansas: A-
Idaho: A-
Montana: A-
Indiana: A-
Maryland: B+
Nebraska: B+
Ohio: B
New Hampshire: B
Mississippi: B
Virginia: B
Louisiana: B
Delaware: B-
Iowa: C+
Florida: C+
Colorado: C+
Washington: C+
Kansas: C
Oklahoma: C
Oregon: C
Wisconsin: C
Pennsylvania: C
Nevada: C
Connecticut: C-
Vermont: C-
Missouri: C-
West Virginia: C-
New York: D+
New Jersey: D+
California: D
Wyoming: D
Kentucky: D
New Mexico: D
Rhode Island: D
Hawaii: F
Illinois: F

The Cities that received an A ranking include the following:
Fort Worth, Texas: A+
San Antonio, Texas: A+
Columbus, Ohio: A+
Colorado Springs, Colorado: A+
Jacksonville, Florida: A+
Nashville, Tennessee: A+
Charleston, South Carolina: A
Manchester, New Hampshire: A
Raleigh, North Carolina: A
Charlotte, North Carolina: A-
Salt Lake City, Utah: A-
Minneapolis, Minnesota: A-
Boston, Massachusetts: A-
Atlanta, Georgia: A-
New Orleans, Louisiana: A-

By Debbie Gregory.

For many years, military veterans have become entrepreneurs at a much higher rate than non-veterans. There are a number of military strategies that serve entrepreneurs well, contributing to their successful transition.

First and foremost, military training has taught servicemembers to lead with a clear vision and plan. Strong leaders have the right assets and tools in place to build trust and confidence in any situation. A leader should be a visionary and have more foresight than an employee. A leader should have higher grit and tenacity, and be able to endure what the employees can’t.  And finally, a leader should have higher endurance and ability to accept and embrace failure.

Next comes your team. Your team is the lifeline of your business, so it would serve you well to make sure you have the right talent in the right place, and empower them to use their strengths to help your company succeed. The sense of camaraderie will help you through difficult times that are sure to pop up along the way.

Know your mission and break that mission down into smaller tactical goals. Keep mission focus at all times, but allow your people to innovate.

Chart your financial future. Have a detailed start-up business plan and overhead costs for two years to serve as a cushion.

Take advantage of resources available to you such as the SBA’s Boots to Business program for current military personnel, as well as their ReBoot program for veterans who later decide to pursue entrepreneurship.

It’s no easy feat navigating the road to entrepreneurship. But if you’re a veteran considering this path, you already embody the courage and commitment it takes to begin this journey. It may not happen overnight and certainly not without a little grit, but the end reward will be well worth it.