If you are on VAMBOA’s blog, chances are that you already know that veterans are twice as likely as their civilian counterparts to jump into entrepreneurship. And according to the Small Business Administration (SBA), one in ten small businesses boasts a veteran at the helm.

Why do so many veterans become entrepreneurs post-military? For many, it’s a way to leverage the unique skills they acquired through their service into long term success. It is also a way to contribute to the country’s economy.

There are a number of resources available to aid veteran entrepreneurs to start and grow their businesses. Of course, joining a trade association like VAMBOA is a great step. VAMBOA has numerous resources, including contract opportunities, events, mentorship and more. Membership is free.

The SBA’s Boots to Business training program provides free entrepreneurial training for U.S. veterans. The program is available to service members transitioning or retiring from the U.S. military, as well as to their dependents.

Designed specifically for post-9/11 veterans with service-connected disabilities, the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans National Program leverages the skills, resources and infrastructure of higher education to offer cutting-edge, experiential training in entrepreneurship and small business management. The aim of the program is to open the door to economic opportunity for our veterans and their families by developing their competencies in creating and sustaining an entrepreneurial venture.

The Microsoft Software & Systems Academy (MSSA) helps active duty U.S. service members develop the career skills necessary to meet the IT industry’s high demand for cloud developers, cloud administrators, and database and business intelligence administrators. Upon successful completion of the program, participants gain an interview for a full-time job at Microsoft or one of their participating partners.

In order to take advantage of these resources, it is important to sure you have the certification you need to verify that your business is veteran-owned. Certification is available through the National Veteran Business Development Council. The turn-around time for certification averages 60 days from the initial application, but can also be fast-tracked if your company has previously been authorized by

• Center for Verification and Evaluation (CVE)
• National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC)
• The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC)
• National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC)

The cost to submit an application is based on revenues.

By Debbie Gregory.

Every small business owner wants to optimize their use of U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) resources and offerings. But some of the SBA’s programs can be difficult to understand, making them harder to utilize. One of the most used and hardest to understand SBA offerings is the Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUBZones) program. Because of this, the SBA has introduced an additional online training module to help small business owners to better understand the HUBZone program and status protests.

The program, fashioned in response to the HUBZone Empowerment Act, was generated by Congress in 1998. HUBZones assist small companies in underserved communities gain access to federal contract opportunities. This is accomplished through promoting job growth, capital investment and economic development in economically depressed areas, in rural and urban communities and on Indian reservations.

The new training module “Understanding HUBZone Protests” explains what a HUBZone status protest is. It  clarifies how they are initiated, who can file a protest, how the SBA responds to status protests and how a HUBZone status protest determination can be appealed. This training module is the third in a series of mini-primers, intended to help business owners better understand the program through short, focused learning exercises.

The new HUBZone training module can be accessed through the SBA’s Government Contracting Classroom and the agency’s Online Learning Center, where many other courses are offered. This course, along with other training modules offered by the SBA, includes a downloadable workbook that supports the users grasp on content of the course.

The training and information options offered by the SBA are offered to help small businesses gain access to and benefit from the more than $400 billion in federal contracts that are awarded each year.

Small businesses bring competition and innovation to federal contract markets.  The SBA helps firms benefit from those markets.  Frequent the www.VAMBOA.org and www.sba.gov websites for smarter and more accessible ways to access SBA programs.

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!

Cyber–attacks against private businesses and the government,  including hacks, seem to be on the rise. The recent hacks of Home Depot, Target, Sony Entertainment and the U.S. military’s Central Command have heightened our need to safeguard our cyber presence against potential threats. Our online information, records and documents, in both the government and private business sectors, are at constant risk.

Small businesses are increasingly becoming more of a target for criminals looking to access sensitive data because attackers know that small businesses tend to have limited resources dedicated to their cyber security.

The protection of sensitive data, such as business invoices, client and employee data, payroll records, and other proprietary information is essential to the security, and ultimate success, of a small business. Much like installing locks and other physical security measures, it is imperative that business owners learn how to identify vulnerabilities in their cyber security that could potentially put their firms at risk.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has taken steps to strengthen its public and private sector partnerships on cyber security. The aim of the SBA is to help small businesses learn how to guard against cyber–attacks, secure their business information, and identify security threats.

Providing the protective tools and techniques needed to maintain and guard business information and systems, the SBA has developed a free online course called Cybersecurity for Small Businesses to help educate business owners as to how to secure their online information. The information also assists in the evaluation and usage of security tools and techniques.

The SBA has previously conducted cybersecurity workshops for small business owners across the country in partnership with the FBI and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The program was renewed in December 2014, and the SBA is in the process of coordinating the 2015 calendar of workshops.

The SBA’s cyber security programs are in line with President Obama’s newly announced legislative proposal, a program that will facilitate seamless sharing of information about cyber security vulnerabilities, and potential hacks between government and private business websites.

In a recent statement, President Obama said, “Our first order of business is making sure that we do everything to harden sites and prevent those kinds of attacks from taking place.”

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, aBlog that provides information, Networking contacts and other resources. Membership is FREE to Veterans.Join Now!

VAMBOA: SBA Offers Cyber Security Resources to Business Owners: By Debbie Gregory