On November 7, as part of the first National Veterans Small Business Week, First Lady Michelle Obama will appear on an episode of ABC’s Emmy Award-winning “Shark Tank,” featuring veteran entrepreneurs and their business ideas. National Veterans Small Business Week honors those veteran entrepreneurs who continue to serve our country by creating jobs and fueling economic growth.
This week, the Administration will be hosting events all across the country that celebrate and support current and future veteran business owners. From Boots to Business entrepreneurship training at U.S. European Command headquarters in Stuggart, Germany, to a seminar on veterans’ access to capital held at Microsoft Corporation in Washington, D.C., National Veterans Small Business Week is connecting veteran entrepreneurs with workshops, resources, and training programs to launch and grow their businesses.
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) district offices, in conjunction with its resource partners, will hold more than 100 events nationwide. These events include veteran training seminars, contract roundtables, and job fairs. For more information, please visit http://www.sba.gov/VetBizWeek.
Small businesses are critical to our nation’s economy. There are more than 28 million small businesses in the United States, accounting for 99.7 percent of all U.S. employer firms and over half of the country’s private-sector workforce. With the drive and leadership skills necessary to start and grow a business, it is not surprising that veterans are an integral part of America’s small business landscape. Nearly one out of every 10 U.S. small businesses are owned and operated by veterans, generating more than $1.1 trillion in receipts each year and employing nearly 6 million workers in the process.
As more than 1 million active service men and women transition back into civilian life in the coming months and years, veteran business owners will continue to serve our nation by playing a critical role in creating and sustaining economic opportunities for the entire nation.
Robert McFarlin is a White House Fellow at the National Economic Council. This blog was originally posted at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/11/03/national-veterans-small-business-week
Topics in this story
More Stories
The Social Security Administration is hoping to make applying for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) a whole lot easier, announcing it will start offering online, streamlined applications for some applicants.
Yusuf Henriques, an Army Veteran and former combat medic, is the founder and CEO of IndyGeneUS AI, a genomics company on a mission to improve health equity by increasing representation of women and racial minorities in clinical trials.
Online shopping scams are the riskiest scam for Veterans, with 77.3% of reports confirmed losing money when targeted by this scam.
Thanks for ones marvelous posting! I actually enjoyed reading it, you are a great author.I will make certain to bookmark your blog and may come back very soon. I want to encourage you continue your great job, have a nice weekend!
You have that right, you were luck to get a little pay when you got out! I did manage to go to college on the GI bill but had to work along with it to make ends meet. You also had a Reserve obligation of 4 years after discharge when I got out that mean’t you could be called back to duty at any time, which happened to a lot of my friends. Serving my country was a privilege then but it sure isn’t now!
TO THE YOUNG VETERANS RETURNING TO CIVILIAN LIFE. .I am NOT a political fan of Mr Obama, however he and his wife seem to be taking an interest in you. A lot of the comments on these blogs are from we old guys. I strongly urge you to check into and take advantage of any and all programs this government will offer you. We older veterans were not offered many of the benefits being offered today and we have had to depend on our own instincts to survive. You have so many more opportunities available to you today, I cannot urge you strongly enough, please take advantage of every opportunity and program available to you through the government.BUT, at the same time, do not be fooled by the government,they are out for themselves, those that can be reelected will promise anything to get reelected, and those that can not be reelected don’t really give a darn about any of us!