Veteran Owned Businesses
When a veteran comes home – either after serving in a war or during peacetime – often one of his or her goals is to establish a career of some sort. For many vets, owning their own business is a dream, but finding the tools to get started, including the money needed to launch a business, can be a real chore. Sometimes, keeping the business afloat can be tough as well.
Vets in Business
A veteran-owned business is any business that is at least 51 percent-owned by any qualified veteran or group of veterans. Management/daily operations should also be controlled by one or more veterans. Veterans are usually excellent business owners, bringing with them the discipline and strong work ethics they learned in the military in order to form a successful enterprise.
Owners of veteran-owned businesses must register their businesses as such in order to qualify for federal government business opportunities. To do this, they must be in possession of a DD Form 214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty). The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Utilization Office is available to help business owners through the registration and contracting processes.Getting Started
There are also a number of resources available to help veterans get their businesses on the right path. The Small Business Association’s (SBA) Office of Veterans Business Development (www.sba.gov) for example, helps veterans, service-disabled veterans, reserve component members, and their dependents or survivors find business programs that can assist them in getting their enterprise up and running. The Veterans Corporation (www.veteranscorp.org) also fosters entrepreneurship for veterans and service-disabled veterans and provides tools that assist in forming successful veteran-owned businesses.
The SBA also offers the Patriot Express Pilot Loan Initiative for veterans and other military community members wanting to establish a small business or expand an existing one. Currently, loans are available up to $500,000 and offer the lowest rates available through the SBA. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) also sponsors a Veterans Enterprise Web Portal, www.vetbiz.gov, which allows businesses to register as a veteran-owned business, thus allowing the owners to receive special consideration for federal contracting opportunities from prime contractors and federal government agencies, notices of contracting opportunities, and regular information and news pertinent to veteran-owned businesses. Some locales (cities or states) also make available special assistance to veterans building and a new business or maintaining an existing one. For example, in summer 2010, Dallas-Fort Worth announced the forming of a Veterans Business Assistance Program. The State of Illinois – through its Employ Illinois program – offers loans to active duty reservists whose business suffers due to their absence. Many similar programs are available nationwide. Veterans should contact their local VA office for more information.Sources
Department of Veteran Affairs
Mesothelioma.com is pleased to partner with veteran organizations and businesses in any way possible. Few people know that mesothelioma cancer is among the most common occupational malignancies diagnosed among veterans. Veterans were exposed to asbestos in a number of capacities on naval ships, shipyards, and throughout military infrastructure jobsites. To learn more about mesothelioma among veterans, please complete the brief form on this page to receive a complimentary mesothelioma and asbestos exposure information packet.
