(NEW ORLEANS) – It’s National Veterans Small Business Week and the Small Business Administration is encouraging veteran business owners to share their stories and to encourage community members to highlight local veteran-owned businesses in their communities. The SBA created the hashtag #MyVetBiz for the public to show their gratitude and support.
The SBA reports the military trains soldiers with the skills, discipline and leadership necessary to kick-start and operate successful businesses. After serving in the military, many veterans return home and choose to run a business. As small business owners, veteran entrepreneurs are able to pursue their passion to serve the country by creating jobs and spurring economic growth.
With more than 21 million veterans in America and more than 250,000 service members transitioning from the military annually, the SBA is focused on ensuring they have access to the capital, counseling and contracting needed to start and grow successful businesses.
SBA data shows veteran business owners are responsible for nearly one out of every ten small businesses in America, they employ nearly six million workers, generate more than $1.5 trillion dollars in receipts each year and are 45 percent more likely to be self-employed than non-veterans.
In New Orleans, Lake Charles and Fort Polk, Louisiana, the SBA will host special “Entrepreneurship Training” events.
For more information go to: www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/NVSBW_events_2014.pdf
Other SBA resources and programs available for veteran entrepreneurs include a SBA Office of Veteran Business Development, a “Business Resources for Veterans” video, “Boots to Business,” “Veteran Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship” and “Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities.”
President Barack Obama wrote a memo about National Veterans Small Business Week. In it he said, “Since our Nation's founding, brave men and women have put themselves in harm's way to protect the land we love and the freedoms we cherish. With profound selflessness, these patriots serve on behalf of us all and enable our country to thrive. Even after our service members hang up their uniforms, they keep shaping our country, applying their innovative and unique skills to form small businesses that define our communities and drive economic progress. During Veterans Small Business Week, we celebrate the entrepreneurial spirit that is crucial to developing the products, services, and ideas that fuel our economy, and we pay tribute to the veterans behind them.”
Click here to read the President’s complete memo
