Available Resources for Veteran-Owned Businesses

Veterans are ideal entrepreneurs, and they deserve our support. Their military service instilled discipline, teamwork and leadership skills, making them resilient and reliable business owners. What’s more, veterans show significantly more concern than non-veterans about business regulations, lack of connections, financing, and getting customers.

While representing 7.6% of the U.S. population, veterans make up 9.1% of U.S. business owners. In Florida alone, 187,000 veteran-owned businesses generate over $57 billion in annual revenue.

Veteran-owned businesses are on the rise despite significant and unique challenges. Veterans are 35.4% more likely to start a business as a way of supplementing their income. Of those surveyed, nearly 42% have a service-related disability, with many facing bias as a result.

Events for Veteran-Owned Businesses

In the next few weeks, several organizations will provide opportunities for local veterans and veteran-owned businesses to learn about available resources and hiring events.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) will host a series of events during its 10th annual National Veterans Small Business Week from Oct. 30 to Nov. 3. The SBA and its partners will highlight the achievements of veteran- and military-spouse owned businesses while sharing resource information and events to connect these businesses to potential growth opportunities.

The African American Entrepreneur Association (AAEA), a Volusia Business Resources affiliated partner, will partner with the SBA North Florida District Office to launch a kick-off webinar from noon to 1 p.m. Oct 31.

CareerSource Flagler Volusia host its 11th annual Paychecks for Patriots hiring event from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 1.

The SBA’s Office of Veterans Business Development will partner with the Florida Procurement Technical Assistance Center to host SBA Workshop: Resources for Veterans from 1 to 4 p.m. Nov. 8 to review programs and resources the SBA North Florida District has available for U.S. military veterans.

Get Your Business Certified

For many businesses, access to resources including technical assistance, training, and networking opportunities is vital to achieving success. Many government agencies are seeking to source veteran-owned businesses for procurement opportunities, and it’s important for these businesses to have the resources and capacity necessary to obtain and perform on contracts.

Veteran-owned businesses that have not applied for certification are encouraged to do so with the Department of Management Services’ Office of Supplier Diversity. The benefits include access to great networking activities and special events and earning first-tier referrals to government procurement opportunities.

For more information on becoming a Florida Veteran Certified Business Enterprise, visit https://floridavets.org/benefits-services/veteran-certified-businesses/ or call 850-487-0915.

For other business assistance needs, contact Volusia County Division of Economic Development at 386-248-8048 or vced@volusia.org.