Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC) program

The Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC) program offers resources to veterans, service members, and military spouses who are interested in starting or growing a small business.

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What is the Veterans Business Outreach Center Program?

The Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC) program is designed to provide entrepreneurial development services such as business training, counseling, and resource partner referrals to service members, veterans, National Guard and Reserve members, military spouses, and family members interested in starting or growing a small business. SBA has 28 organizations participating in this cooperative agreement and serving as VBOCs.

How can the VBOC program help my small business?

SBA's VBOCs offer workshops, training, counseling, and mentorship opportunities in your area. VBOCs can also help you navigate SBA’s extensive resource partner network and refer you to a community partner, lender, or SBA program.

Transition Assistance Programs

VBOCs work closely with SBA district offices and Transition Service Managers at military installations to conduct Boots to Business classes for service members and military spouses. VBOCs also help conduct B2B Reboot classes off installations for veterans of all eras, National Guard and Reserve members, and military spouses.

Pre-Business Plan Workshops

VBOCs conduct entrepreneurial development workshops dealing specifically with the major issues of self-employment. An important segment of these workshops covers 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 Preparation

VBOCs assist clients in developing and maintaining a five-year business plan. The business plan includes such elements as the legal form of 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 used 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 veteran entrepreneur community, including service-disabled veterans, women veterans, and veterans interested in procurement.

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, and more.

To learn more about SBA's resources for veterans, visit sba.gov/veterans.

Find your nearest VBOC

Enter a valid 5-digit ZIP Code.

Find your local Veterans Business Outreach Center

Enter your ZIP Code above to find a VBOC in your area, or look up your state by region below.

New England Region

  • Veterans Business Outreach Center of New England
    • Coverage: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont
    • Address: 69 Milk St. Suite 217, Westborough, MA 01581
    • Website: www.VBOCNewEngland.org
    • Telephone: 844-404-2172
    • Email: info.VBOC@cweonline.org 

Atlantic Region

  • McNulty Veteran Business Center
  • VBOC for Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands
    • Coverage: Puerto Rico & U.S. Virgin Islands
    • Address: 171 Carlos Chardon Ave., Suite 407, San Juan PR 00918
    • Telephone: 787-756-5080
    • Email: rmarin@cofecc.net

Mid-Atlantic Region

  • Old Dominion University Veterans Business Outreach Center
    • Coverage: Virginia, West Virginia
    • Address: 112 Bank St., Norfolk, VA, 23510
    • Website: www.odu.edu/vboc
    • Telephone: 757-683-5505
    • Email: vboc@odu.edu
  • University of Maryland Veterans Business Outreach Center
  • VBOC at Pennsylvania State University
    • Coverage: Pennsylvania
    • Address: 200 Innovation Blvd., Suite 113, University Park, PA 16802
    • Telephone: 814-863-4293

Southeast Region

  • Veterans Business Outreach Center at Gulf Coast State College
    • Coverage: Florida
    • Address: 5230 US Hwy. 98, Asbell Building, Room 206, Panama City, FL 32401  
    • Website: www.vboc.org
    • Telephone: 800-542-7232 | 850-769-1551, ext. 3327
    • Email: bpeacock@gulfcoast.edu
  • Veterans Business Outreach Center at Fayetteville State University
  • Veterans Business Outreach Center at Pathway Lending
  •  Veterans Business Outreach Center at Mississippi State University
  • VECTR Center (Veterans Education Career Transition Resource Center – CGTC)
  • South Carolina Veterans Business Outreach Center

Great Lakes Region

  • ECDI's Veterans Business Outreach Center of Ohio
    • Coverage: Ohio
    • Address: Allyn Hall 131, 3640 Colonel Glenn Hwy., Dayton, OH 45435
    • Telephone:  1-888-210-3039
    • Email: vboc@ecdi.org
  • VetBiz Central, Inc.
  • Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation (WWBIC)

South Central Region

  • Veterans Business Outreach Center at University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
  • Veterans Business Outreach Center at University of Texas Arlington College of Business
    • Coverage: Arkansas, Northern Texas, Oklahoma
    • Address: 701 S West St., Ste 635, Arlington, TX 76019
    • Website: www.uta.edu/vboc
    • Telephone: 817-272-6789
    • Email: utavboc@uta.edu
  • New Mexico Veterans Business Outreach Center

Great Plains Region

  • VetBiz
    • Coverage: Kansas, Missouri
    • Addresses: 
      • 611 N 10th St., Ste 350, St. Louis, MO 63101
      • 1000 Walnut St., 5th Floor, Kansas City, MO 64101
    • Website: www.vetbiz.com
    • Telephone: 314-531-8387
    • Email: Info@vetbiz.com
  • Nebraska Veterans Business Outreach Center

Rocky Mountain Region

Pacific Region

  • NorCal Veterans Business Outreach Center
    • Coverage: Northern California (all counties north of Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, and San Bernardino)
    • Addresses:
      • 1792 Tribute Rd., Suite 400, Sacramento, CA 95815
      • 808 4th St., Clovis, CA 93612
    • Website: https://norcalvboc.org
    • Telephone: 916-527-8400
    • Email: info@norcalvboc.org
  • SoCal Veterans Business Outreach Center
  • Arizona Veterans Business Outreach Center - A New Leaf, Inc. AWEEc
  • Veterans Business Outreach Center of the Pacific
  • Los Angeles Regional Veterans Business Outreach Center
    • Coverage: Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties
    • Address: 4900 E. Conant St., Bldg. O2, Long Beach, CA 90808
    • Website: https://lavboc.org
    • Telephone: 844-595-8262
    • Email: info@lavboc.org
  • Nevada Veterans Business Outreach Center 
    • Coverage: Nevada
    • Addresses:
      • 8400 W. Sunset Rd., Suite 300, Las Vegas, NV 89113
      • 1664 N. Virginia St., Reno, NV 89557
    • Website: www.nvvboc.org
    • Telephone: 833-880-7800
    • Email: Andrew.pierson@uta.edu

Pacific Northwest Region

Short URL: sba.gov/vboc
Last updated October 25, 2024