Inspiring Entrepreneurs Episode 10: Veterans Business Outreach Center

In a special episode of "Inspiring Entrepreneurs: The Live Show," we speak to our veterans and military-affiliated individuals who are starting or sustaining a business. We are joined by Jennie Murphy from the Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC) of New England who introduces valuable resources and organizations that can support veterans’ and military-affiliated business owners’ entrepreneurial journey.

VBOC of New England is one of 28 centers nationwide dedicated to assisting military-affiliated individuals with starting and growing successful small businesses. VBOC provides a range of services, including technical assistance, business counseling, and specialized programs like Boots to Business. This program covers the fundamentals needed to start a small business, such as opportunity recognition, financing, and marketing.

People affiliated with the military have transferable skills such as perseverance, integrity, teamwork, and critical thinking, which are essential for business ownership. We discuss the importance of leveraging these skills and the comprehensive support network available to veterans, including SBA-funded programs like VBOCs, Small Business Development Centers, SCORE, APEX Accelerators, and Women's Business Centers.

We talk about the pressing issues and top questions that Jennie fields at VBOC; this includes the challenges of access to capital, supply chain issues, and workforce retention. We talk about the importance of learning business fundamentals and available resources from the very early stages of thinking about starting a business in order to have a network of support as you embark on an entrepreneurial journey. Jennie also discusses reaching out for assistance early, rather than waiting until a crisis happens. She also underscores the importance of having a solid business plan, which VBOC can help you create.

Resources Mentioned

1. Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC) of New England: vbocnewengland.org 
2. Boots to Business Program -offers training on starting a small business. Boots to Business: https://sbavets.force.com/s/ 
3. SCORE - Offers mentoring and training for small business owners: score.org 
4. APEX Accelerators - Helps businesses with government contracting: apexaccelerators.us/#/
5. Women's Business Centers - Provides support specifically for women entrepreneurs: sba.gov/local-assistance/resource-partners/womens-business-centers 
6. Center for Women & Enterprise: cweonline.org/ 

To find more resources and additional Inspiring Entrepreneurs episodes, please visit the Vermont Small Business Development Center’s website: vtbdc.org.

This show is made possible by the Community Navigator Pilot Program funded in part through a grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the SBA.