SBA begins National Veterans Small Business Week

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is celebrating the accomplishments of veteran, service member and military spouse small business owners nationwide during National Veterans Small Business Week, designated nationally this year as Nov. 4-8.

The SBA will highlight the tools and resources used to help veterans on their journey to small business success as part of its “Mission: #VetBiz Success” theme. Whether an entrepreneur is conceptualizing or just starting a business, or even expanding into new locations, the SBA is here to support them throughout the process.

“National Veterans Small Business Week is a great opportunity to expand the ranks of veteran entrepreneurship. We are proud of the men and women who continue to play such a critical role in the economic growth of our nation,” SBA Buffalo District Director Franklin J. Sciortino said.

According to a recent federal report, veterans own more than 2.5 million businesses – or 9% of all U.S. companies. Veteran-owned firms employed more than 5 million people being paid $195 billion in annual payroll and generating more than $1.1 trillion in receipts for the economy.

The SBA’s Office of Veterans Business Development and the 22 Veterans Business Outreach Centers across the country offer specialized guidance and support for veteran entrepreneurs, current service members and their spouses, including programs for service-disabled veterans, women veterans and members of the Reserve and National Guard.

Locally, SBA Buffalo District office will participate and host programs to further assist veterans throughout the week and next:

•The Business Advantage to Hiring Veterans: Many employers are looking for the right talent in a tight job market. Veterans, guard members and reservists are a talent pool that will bring a competitive advantage to a business. This interactive seminar will guide employers on strategies to engage this vital talent pool.

•Veteran-Owned Contracting Programs Webinar: Learn about federal and state programs focused on assisting veteran-owned businesses in selling products and services to the government.

•Operation Entrepreneurship: This full-day course will provide participants with the basics of entrepreneurship. Twelve separate modules will bring people from business ownership introduction to crafting a business plan.

“Veterans possess the exact qualities that make successful entrepreneurs: discipline, determination, resourcefulness and dedication to team success. With the start of National Veterans Small Business Week quickly approaching, the SBA celebrates the countless contributions of veteran-owned small businesses to our economy and strives to connect them, their spouses and active service members with no- and low-cost resources to help them succeed,” said SBA Atlantic Regional Administrator Steve Bulger who oversees the federal agency’s operations throughout New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The SBA also continues its commitment to veteran and service disabled veteran entrepreneurs throughout the year through myriad federal contracting opportunities that compete for the set-aside acquisitions in exclusive competition among veteran-owned small businesses via the federal-governmentwide Service-disabled veteran-owned small business program in which entrepreneurs are certified by the SBA. Federal agencies have a congressional mandate to award at least 3% of all contracting dollars to service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses each year. In fact, every federal government purchase between $10,000 and $250,000 is automatically set aside for small businesses, as long as there are at least two companies that can provide the product or service at a fair and reasonable price.