Operation Boots to Business and our Veterans

When I was at the Association of Small Business Development Centers (ASBDC) annual conference last month, I attended a session about Operation Boots to Business in order to learn more about existing programs that help veterans open their own businesses. It is our desire at the Business Resource Innovation Center (BRIC) to provide any assistance possible to help veterans be successful with their goals of business ownership and moving on to the next chapter in their lives.

When our servicemen and women are getting ready to be discharged from the military, they are given information on the options for their transition to civilian life. This program's choices are college, job search and entrepreneurship. If they are interested in starting their own business, there are selected military bases that are offering the Operation Boots to Business program.     

This program builds on the SBA's role as a national leader in entrepreneurship training. Leveraging the ongoing collaboration with Syracuse University's Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF), the SBA delivers Boots to Business with the support of its field offices and Resource Partners, such as the Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs), Women's Business Centers (WBCs), SCORE, and Veterans Business Outreach Centers (VBOCs). SBA's expert Resource Partner network already provides entrepreneurship training to more than 100,000 veterans every year, many of whom are service members transitioning out of the military.

If you want more information about this program, we suggest checking the Boots to Business website and the SBA website. While this program is not formally offered by the BRIC, we will do everything we can to support veterans in their transition to prospective business ownership. As a resource partner with through our relationship with the NevadaSBDC, the BRIC has access to a variety of resources including all the organizations listed above. 

If you have any questions about business assistance for veterans, please do not hesitate to send me an email.