Veterans, Small Businesses & NJSBDC: Natural Allies

The American labor pool grows by more than 200,000 highly trained, seasoned and vetted men and women each year. Small business owners would do well for themselves if they focused on that figure.
That’s the number of officers, non-commissioned officers and enlisted servicemen and women who are annually discharged from the American armed forces and join civilian life.
For many if not all of them, the transition from a regimented lifestyle to one that is unregulated can be filled with confusion if not downright difficulties.
The new civilians are eagerly looking to start or resume their lives and professions or find employment in fields of endeavor that many not have existed when they enlisted. Other veterans may be interested in launching their own businesses amid a spider web of laws, rules and regulations. While employers are not sure how to select from so many potential new employees.
What’s the business community supposed to do?
In order to help veterans and employers cope with this puzzling but potentially mutually beneficial circumstance, the New Jersey Small Business Development Centers (NJSBDC) and the SBDC at Kean University in Union, NJ, yesterday organized a remarkable daylong workshop for former servicemen and women ahead of Veterans Day next Sunday. Speakers and panelists offered a wide range of guidance and ideas on how veterans can prepare themselves for securing education and gainful employment or launching their own enterprises.

The event, called Mission: Veterans Entrepreneurs, coincided with Veterans Small Business Week November 5-9.

According to David Margulies, regional director of NJSBDC at Kean University, the first consideration in convening this program was to let all the veterans know that the Small Business Development Center is here to help them get into business.

On the other side of the coin, Margulies continued, “When talking about hiring veterans, small businesses should understand that they are hiring dedicated people. People who know how to give orders and people who know how to take orders. They are really hard workers. They can advance corporations as well.”

Margulies also pointed out that veterans have been taught how to respond to and overcome the unexpected.

“As entrepreneurs, veterans bring to the table their background and training that has taught them to deal with all types of circumstances and in business a lot of things come at you from left field and they know how to handle things like that,” he said.

Keynoter Harris Jay Kline, US Air Force brigadier general-retired and CEO of HJK Consulting, echoed Margulies’ thoughts about the session’s essential mission.

Kline believes it was meant to “really awaken employers and businesses to the value of hiring veterans.”

He said men and women who served in the American armed forces received a high degree of training that can benefit any type of small business.

“This program also served the purpose of helping veterans transition to the civilian world because the skills that they honed in the military are useful but they are not necessarily educated in how to translate those skills,” Kline said.

Elaborating on the skillsets that veterans bring to small businesses, Kline listed “a sense of responsibility, a sense of duty, a sense of being on time, a degree of character and by that I mean integrity and honesty that is very rare in today’s world. Veterans know how to get the job done. If you can’t do it from A to B, sometimes to need to go from A to W to Q to get it done but they’ll get it done. And that’s what they can bring to the small business – success.”

Noting a shortcoming, Kline expressed his regret that veterans lack of awareness about the strengths and skills that they bring to small businesses.

“We’re trying to help veterans understand that their skills are marketable and could help businesses. Organizations like this are working to enlighten veterans about that and employers about the veterans’ success characteristics,” he said.

Kimberly Walker, owner of Germ Blasters Management Solutions in Sicklerville, NJ, and a US Army veteran, said the greatest insight of the session that she came upon was the leadership dividend.

“The importance of being a leader, which is part of the military training that I received,” Walker observed.

She praised the great speakers, great panels, and great amount of information and resources that she can now tap into.

“Today, I found out how to get information from an angel investor, find a manufacturer for my inventions. And this all took place in three hours,” she said.

She repeated the lament heard from other attendees that veterans are not fully aware of the support and assistance that is available to them.

“I don’t think that veterans are aware of these trends that are available especially in New Jersey. I found out about this session by chance, searching on the Internet. There should be a broader awareness of these programs among veterans so that they can take advantage of all the benefits that are offered.” Walter pointed out.

John Menture, an Army veteran from Haslet, NJ, was also impressed by the large amount of practical information that he received about services for disabled veterans businesses.

“We are now going to proceed with the people that we met and learn how we can open a much needed veterans home and halfway house,” he pointed out.

Army veteran Donald Colley, who operates the Arborland Veterans Foundation, expressed personal relief that the session showed him that he isn’t alone and support can be attained.

“I learned that I am not a lone and that there is support if I only stick out my hand. I wasn’t specifically looking for support. I was invited to be here and since I’ve been here I received new directions for my life and business,” Colley said.

He said he learned about available financing for small businesses and disabled veterans businesses, and that anytime he really needs help, all he has to do is reach out and ask.

“There is a goldmine of information for veterans if only they would look for it. And that’s what I want to do with my foundation. If you don’t have the knowledge about the resources, then you’re lost,” Colley vigorously said.

One obvious takeaway from this workshop is that veterans have personal and work qualities that small businesses need.

Another one for veterans and small businesses is that they have a natural interdependent relationship and can help each other achieve their goals. NJSBDC consultants across the state are available to them at no cost for advice on a range of business and financing issues.

As Margulies said, “I hope veterans know that they can visit us one on one, for free, and that’s what we do. They are welcome to take advantage of our service.”

Small business that reach out to veterans should notify local and state officials, the New Jersey State Veterans Chamber of Commerce, the NJSBDC, veterans groups and the news media of their plans. By promoting this sound business strategy, they can inspire other small businesses to follow suit.

Send me your successful experiences with hiring veterans and I’ll share your achievements with others in cyberspace.

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Scroll through my blog to read about more ways to promote yourselves and boost your outreach.