It’s no coincidence that many veterans are successful business owners. There is a lot of overlap between the traits that make a strong entrepreneur and the skills that veterans develop through their service. Veterans Matthew and Kara Rutter are prime examples. Before their service in the U.S. Army even ended, the Rutters already had their next calling in mind: to usher in the next generation of farmers by helping veterans like themselves get involved in agriculture. After enrolling in Boots to Business (B2B) through the Department of Defense’s Transition Assistance Program and consulting their local Veterans Business Outreach Center - the Rutters started Project Victory Gardens, a nonprofit program in Townville, South Carolina, that provides hands-on farming experience to service members transitioning to civilian life.
The Rutters represent just one of the 304,823 veteran-owned businesses across the nation. An important objective of the SBA’s mission is to build upon that number. The following resources were designed to help turn veterans into vetrepreneurs.
- VBOCs: Veterans like the Rutters find a number of services available at VBOCs, from business training and counseling to SBA resource partner referrals. Advisors at 28 organizations across the country stand ready to serve veterans, service members, National Guard and Reserve members, and even military spouses and family members interested in starting or growing a small business.
- B2B and B2B Reboot: Everyone has to start somewhere, and for service members and military spouses looking to try their hand at entrepreneurship, there’s no better place than B2B. On military installations worldwide, B2B teaches the basics of business ownership. And for those who don’t have access to a military installation, B2B Reboot brings the program directly into communities.
- SBA Training Programs: Not every veteran’s journey into small business ownership will be the same. That’s why the SBA’s entrepreneurship training courses are customized for different populations, including women veterans, service-disabled veterans, military families, and veterans interested in federal procurement. SBA training programs are available both in-person and online through the Office of Veterans Business Development .
- Contracting Assistance Programs: Several federal programs are in place to equip veteran-owned small businesses with the resources they need to access federal contract awards and surplus personal property. Veterans who want to better compete in the federal marketplace can receive training at the Veteran Institute for Procurement. There’s also the Veteran Small Business Certification program, which helps service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses win sole-source and set-aside contracts across the federal government.
The SBA salutes America’s veterans and is proud to be a resource for the next generation of vetrepreneurs! For more information, visit sba.gov/veterans.