 with DAV, and I'm joined today by two special guests in celebration of National Veteran Small Business Week, which runs from October 31st to November 4th. We'll be talking about resources for entrepreneurs in the military-connected community and why supporting veteran entrepreneurs benefits everyone. Our first guest is a familiar face here on DAV's channels. Please welcome Chief Communications and Outreach Officer Dan Clair, a Marine veteran. Dan has helped spearhead the organization's new entrepreneurship program, DAV Patriot Boot Camp. He's also a member of the Small Business Administration's Advisory Committee on Veterans Business Affairs. Speaking of SBA, we're also thrilled to be joined by Stan Kurtz. Stan is the director of programs for the SBA's Office of Veterans Business Development. His office has a number of programs and services to assist aspiring and existing veteran entrepreneurs. In his role, Stan oversees the Boots to Business program and the Veteran Entrepreneur Training programs. He is also a US Navy veteran retiring in 2003 after a 23-year career. Thank you both so much for joining us. Thanks Elizabeth. Dan, great to be here. Thank you. Stan, can you start by telling us what National Veterans Small Business Week is all about? Yeah, absolutely. So each year, annually, in the SBA and Office of Veterans Business Development, we have a local event, actually a nationwide event which really connects and empowers, inspires current service members, National Guardsmen Reserve, veterans, military spouses, entrepreneurs during National Veterans Small Business Week. So this week, this year, it fell under Halloween. So it started yesterday, it's going to go to November 4th and it's really an extensive partner network celebration and we put on events nationwide. So at last count, we had 143 events scheduled. So what does that mean? It could be training sessions, it could be panel discussions, visits with the veteran entrepreneurs. So it's a big celebration. Like I said, we do it annually and just to celebrate the entrepreneurs that are National Guardsmen, Reserve, veterans, you know, military spouses. So it's just a great event. Yeah. And can you give us an overview of what the Office of Veterans Business Development does and its relationship with SBA? Sure. So the Office of Veterans Business Development really empowers transitioning service members, veterans, National Guard, Reserve, military spouses, and we provide them with tools to start, grow, expand, or recover their small business. And that includes disasters as well. So OVPD, which is Office of Veterans Business Development, provides counseling, training, access to capital, contracting opportunities, disaster assistance at every stage of that small business ownership. Our two main programs are the Veteran Business Outreach Centers, which has 22 of those across the country, but they serve all states and all territories. And so they really, they provide counseling, they coordinate all the Boots to Business classes, and I'm going to talk about that in a minute. So they set up all those classes, they provide counseling, they provide training, and really they serve as a navigator to all the resources in their areas of responsibilities. The second program is the Boots to Business program, which really falls under the Department of Defense Transition Assistance Program. So it was established, it's one of the two-day tracts during Transition Assistance. It's the entrepreneurship track and it's called Boots to Business. It's really our flagship entrepreneurship and education training program. It's offered not only nationwide, but also overseas. And so we also offer, and those are held on military installations. So for people who have gotten out of the military, went through Transition Assistance, but can no longer get on military installations, we also offer Boots to Business reboot, same curriculum, same course, but it's held off the military installations. So that's called the Boots to Business reboot. And then from there, so let's say you go through Boots to Business or Boots to Business reboot, you attend those classes and you graduate from those classes, you're then eligible to take the Boots to Business revenue readiness course, which is a little bit more intense and it really focuses on getting your business plan together, provides additional counseling, mentorship. And it's a six-week course, it's interactive, it's virtual. And again, if you go through the Boots to Business or the reboot class, then you're eligible for Boots to Business of Revenue Readiness course, which is put on by Mississippi State University. So those are our two main programs. And so kind of on the note of entrepreneurship training, Dan, can you tell us about DAV's new Entrepreneurship Program, DAV, Patriot Boot Camp, what it's all about and who it serves? Sure, this is kind of a new space for DAV. We acquired Patriot Boot Camp, it was a separate charity, its people are still involved and active with the program. We acquired it January 1st and we've had two events this year, they've been fantastic. It's really a community of people, it's about 5,000 strong who help each other provide resources, networking, and assistance. So it's, we have in-person events, we have digital events, and it's all about connecting folks with resources, connecting them with SBA for instance, and doing other things that just empower them to become benefits creators and job makers. So you mentioned DAV has hosted two events so far, we had an alumni event and the one for founders new to the program. Can you talk a little bit more about what those events were like, particularly the most recent one that was for new to the program founders, and maybe what we have to look forward to? Sure, well, I mean the event, and this has just been, we're barely two weeks out from that event, it was fantastic. We have 46 folks come, we serve veterans, military folks, and spouses. So it's kind of the veteran and military connected community. We get people in, they apply for the program once they apply and they're accepted, all their expenses are covered. We have one of the things that's extremely valuable is we're able to connect with these people who are extremely successful entrepreneurs, not necessarily people who have served, but people who have been very successful, and they're able to talk to participants kind of about the lessons they wish they would have learned at that stage in their journey. And the veterans who are participating, almost all of them have purpose driven ventures that they're trying to put out into the world. So it's a thrilling program really, it's really exciting and it's something new for DAV and it's just an exciting new direction for the charity. I want to pose a question to both of you. Why do you think entrepreneurship can be such a good fit for service members, veterans and spouses? And how in particular do you think entrepreneurs in the military connected community impacts the places where they work and live? Stan, you want to take that one? Yeah, so entrepreneurship has really become popular. And you know, interesting enough, we thought during the pandemic that people would back off from entrepreneurship, you know, mainly veterans backing off. But what we found was that there was more and more veterans that were getting into the entrepreneurship space. So it's a great program, it's something to think about. And it's more, especially with the internet and the way things are with social media, it's really become easier to get into that space, especially for military spouses. And we've come a long way with military spouses from the time that, you know, each move that you had to make, you know, that military spouse had to look for a new job. Well, now entrepreneurship is a great opportunity to start that business and take that business wherever they go whenever there's a transfer. One of the other things we also noticed is how well veteran entrepreneurs really, really pivoted their businesses during COVID. And so, and I think it's attributed to, you know, veterans being able to make split decisions, always being able to think about, you know, what's plan B? What's plan C? What's plan D? Always thinking ahead, you know, what if this happens? What if that happens? So I think, and we actually did a lot of learning or listening sessions with veteran entrepreneurs during COVID to find out how they were pivoting their business and if they were surviving. And so, you know, the results we got were very interesting in some of the pivoting that some of those veteran entrepreneurs did. So I think entrepreneurship is a great opportunity for veterans, military spouses, National Guard Reserve, because they have that mission-oriented mindset and always looking for what if and how can I recover. I hope that answers the question. Yeah, absolutely. You know, just to tag on that, Stan, great points. I see, you know, of our participants at our last event, more than 75% were disabled veterans and spouses who get uprooted and moved around. So I think you see a resilience from people who've gone through some difficult things in their lives, who've faced the challenges of the military and they're able to come up with some very creative solutions. Like you said, they're able to pivot, able to make some decisions on the fly and the ideas that we're seeing from people and just the sense too that it's not just about an idea where you're going to make a ton of money, but most of these businesses, they really want to provide a service. So the contributions to the community are definitely there. Thank you both. Dan, can you talk about DAV's relationship with Stan's office and SBA and how that relationship helps veterans? SBA is growing in terms of their footprint in the veteran community, even though they've been around helping veterans for many, many, many years. And SBA really opens its arms to the veteran community and welcomes us in, they welcome our feedback, and they welcome us to be part of the solution process, you know, developing solutions for the challenges that people face. We're going to see more from SBA. It's a very ambitious what they're laying out for the short-term future here even, but SBA is doing more in terms of certifications and they're inviting us to be stakeholders. So we're really grateful for that and grateful for the incredible services and resources they connect people with. And Stan, from your perspective, what does this relationship with DAV mean for the work that you do and for veterans? Well, it's a great relationship. And so our office really strives to just really open up the aperture and bring in additional partners, stakeholders and anybody that we can network with because, you know, entrepreneurship is a team sport. That's what we always say, it's a team sport. And because it's a team sport, we have to have the knowledge of what other programs are happening out there. One of the things I wanted to point out, you know, I've talked about the VBOX and district offices, our resource partners such as SCORE, women business centers we work with, we work with SVDC, small business development centers. So all of those are resource partners that we work with, they teach the Boots business classes, but I will tell you this, it's not over once you go through a Boots business class or you go through a counseling session. And normally they'll stay with you. I mean, there's mentorship that goes with that. I know our veterans business outreach centers, I could call any one of them right now and say, I'm looking for a veteran business in, you know, Tulsa, Oklahoma. And off top of their head, they'll know who that business owner is, a veteran business owner or military spouse, business owner, because they stay in contact with them throughout their journey. So I think that's, you know, that's a great point, you know, as far as how we work together, not only with DAB, but with our resource partners and all the other people who are in this ecosystem. I'd just like to add to that. SBA, you know, we work with a lot of folks. And as a government agency, SBA is a very special organization. And what Stan's saying, I mean, I was just at an event in Kentucky and SBA was represented there in Lexington. In any state, you're going to find SBA and they're there to help and the services they offer and the resources they can connect people with, they're absolutely transformative. So when we're looking at a week like this, I just hats off to our partners at SBA for the hard work that they've done so far and everything that's exciting that lies ahead for veterans through the administration. So Stan, for those veterans who are interested in entrepreneurship or maybe they're early on in their journey, what are some of the first steps that they should be taking? Well, if you're transitioning out and you're thinking about starting a business, then Boots Business is a great start. And I'll just say that Boots Business is really just an overview. And so what we get out of that is in some cases we have veterans transitioning service members, military spouses who attend those classes who may have already started business, right? But then we have others who are kind of thinking about it. They've been watching Shark Tank, they think it's interesting. But when you start getting into what the finances are, you know, legal, all those type of things, then they start kind of thinking about a little bit more. So it's a great opportunity. So the great place to start is with the Boots to business. Now, let's say for instance, if they've been out for a while, in my experience and working with veterans employment services for a number of years, sometimes it takes a few years until people figure out right now, financially stable, I can start a business, but I missed out on Boots to business, which is held on military installations, then reboot is a good option. And right now, even during the COVID, we started doing some virtual online classes. So you should be able to see people listening, we'll get the links to this. So if you're thinking about Boots to business or reboot classes, you can look in your area, there's a calendar of events, you can also take it virtually, in some cases, where it's being offered, but that's a good start. The second start is if you've started a business, or you're not interested in taking the Boots to business class, but you need help in starting your journey, then the VBOX are a good place to start, or the SBA district offices, or the score chapters, women business centers that don't just see women, they see all entrepreneurs, and as small business development centers. So I guess the first step would be just to reach out to SBA in any one of those forms, and we're going to help you along the way. And like I said earlier, normally stay with you throughout that journey. And I think both of you have alluded to access to capital. Obviously, that's key in starting and in growing a business, and I imagine can be intimidating to those who are starting out. What resources stand as your office offer to specifically help with access to funding? Access to funding is pretty key. SBA does a lot of work in that area as well. I think one of the things we do is we talk in our, in Patriot Bootcamp events, we have some pretty intensive discussions about different funding options. We have as many mentors, as many volunteer mentors typically in a cohort, as we have participants, and they come with a variety of backgrounds. And some of them are in venture capital and some of them want to directly work with veterans. They're kind of there with the dual purpose to help a charity and to also just connect with some companies that are going to do great things. So there's a lot going on there. And it's important to keep in mind that veterans come with a lot of great skills, standpoint out a lot of really great skills that they come with, but they don't always have the building block things that an entrepreneur who's just starting kind of might have, who's the young go getter right out of business school. Veterans are a different kind of group where we're grown up people, we're people who are mature and who have, who are really more, I think, relentless in pursuing the goals that we have for a venture. But we don't necessarily have the legal background. We don't necessarily know where funding is going to come from. And programs like Reboot, like Patriot Bootcamp, they're going to connect people with others who've been down that road, who've been there and done that, whether they're veterans or on the venture capital or traditional funding side. And so that's important to note, it's not just venture capital, it's traditional funding and other resources as well for Patriot Bootcamp. Yeah, as far as SBA, there's several options, right? And so one of the things we really stress in your right band that access to capital is always a challenge. But I think the first step is really being becoming, as we say, lender ready. So I think the training sessions, the counseling with the VBOX or any of the resource partners to help you get ready to be lender ready so that you're ready to go to that source that provides capital, whether it be SBA, whether it be a credit union, a local bank, just how do you get prepared? What documents do you need? How do you prepare yourself as far as your presentation? How do you prepare all the documents, the information, your business plan? How do you become lender ready? So I think it's frustrating in some cases where, you know, people think you're going to start a business and they go to the local bank and say, I need money for a business, but they haven't gone through any of that training to become lender ready. So when we talk about SBA, there's a few things. So SBA has SBA backed loans. And I just want to clarify that SBA does not give money, they just back the loans. So there's a group of lenders that work with SBA under our umbrella and they provide funding and we back those loans. So SBA does offer micro loans through those institutions. And so one of the tools that we have at SBA is called lender match. So if you go to SBA and you start looking for access to capital, you'll find lender match. So lender match is a great way you can describe your needs, the interest that you're looking for. It'll connect you with lenders in your specific area with a specific business that you're trying to start. So you'll go through a series of filling out the application and it matches you to lenders in your area, in your particular business area that you're looking it into as well. So that's a great option as well. And then also looking at making, looking at the installations in your area, building that relationship and then looking at other funding options as well. Whether it be private investors, any other options that may be out there to provide capital. Let me ask both of you as veterans yourselves and who have dedicated a lot of your lives to helping and supporting veterans, what's it like for you to watch as veterans or their spouses? You know, the lights come on and they start making progress and start having some success as an entrepreneur. Just what's it like for you to be a part of that and witness that? Well, it's just absolutely great. So this summer I spend, we go out on the road and we do on-site visits. So I sat in on several boost business classes around the country and I love it. So you get these people who are just fired up, the businesses that from axe throwing to eyelashes, anything you can think of and just they want to get into it. They want to learn more about it. They're connecting with one another in the classes and we capture a lot of those. We do a lot of success story videos, professionally done videos that talk about the journey. You know, what was the journey of this success story? What resources they use? And so I can share that with you if you want to send it out through your group. These are great stories from, you know, sending out care packages through Troopster to restaurants to, you name it, tracking containers on ships. It's just amazing the stories that are out there. People coming to your home as a chef preparing meals. So yeah, it's great. I love going out there. I love listening to the ideas. And again, you know, we stay in close contact with them. One of the things I like to see as well is when I go out to these visits is we normally visit one of those entrepreneur success stories and just to watch their business grow from when they started, you know, to a year or two later and where they're at and how their business has grown. So it's great. I love doing it. Dan, what's it like for you? It's inspiring. It's incredibly inspiring and there's an energy that comes with this group of people. And I've said before that it reminds me of like when you're in the military and you go around and every sub-organization, it seems like there's one or two people who are just have a level of creativity that's off the charts and you're like, where, how did that person end up in the Marine Corps? How did that person, you know, they could be a CEO somewhere? Well, that's who we're dealing with at Patriot Boot Camp. Really exciting people. Great ideas. You mentioned Troupster. You know, Chelsea's someone you've helped, someone that DAV's helped. Well, the Patriot Boot Camp has helped. There's just an excitement there with them and it's the sense of optimism and energy that it's indescribable. It's exciting and it makes the mentors who participate. They'll tell you, we get more out of doing this and helping these folks, we think, than even they get, which is incredible because that kind of mentorship is transformative. Yeah, Elizabeth, you asked earlier and Dandy bring up a great point. So once they get into, again, I'll call it the ecosystem and I'll use Chelsea, for example. Once we started working with Chelsea, it opened the doors up to not just SVA programs, but, you know, all the other programs available to DAV and Chelsea also does a lot of pitch contests. She's very good at it. She wins a lot of money, puts her right back into the business and she also trains other veterans on how to prepare for pitch contests. So it's always, you know, they want to get back in most cases. I do a lot of panel discussions and so we reach out to some of those success stories and they'll always say, yeah, let's do it. And so the panel discussions are, you know, inspire of other veterans or military spouses worth thinking about getting into entrepreneurship and to hear their stories and, you know, I've had them fly from California to come into DC to do a panel discussion, you know, just because I asked them to do that. So it's really inspiring and you're right, Dandy. Once they get into that space, they use all the resources and we point them in that direction. And Chelsea, just to point out, Chelsea is with Troupster. Chelsea Mandela, she's getting a huge shout out from all of us today, but she's one of those great businesses who's really well known in that circle. Yeah. All right, so last question for the two of you. Why is it important as organizations and as individuals that we support veteran entrepreneurship and how can the folks watching be part of that support? From my perspective, it's about more than just giving some veterans a second chance. It's about even more than making them, making the business world more accessible to them. It's about what they can accomplish for our country, what they can do in terms of getting jobs, providing jobs. And those jobs, they of course turn around, they want to hire people in the veteran and military connected community as well. But it's really about the impact that these folks can have in our country and in our community. So I think it's important for people to get involved. You can do that through Patriot Boot Camp. You can do that with SBA and we're pretty closely aligned. But Patriot Boot Camp, we have another event coming up in February. So if people want to join that, we're going to make an announcement pretty soon, but you sign up for alerts at PatriotBootCamp.org and we'll keep you in the loop, keep you in the loop for Caffeine Connects and all the other resources we provide. There's great stuff out there and we're grateful for our partnership with SBA as well. Stan? I would say there's, you know, nearly two million veterans fall businesses in the country. So think about what that does to the economy. And you're right, Dan, in a lot of cases they come back to us and say, okay, so now my business is up and running and I want to hire veterans, how do I do that? So we do connect them with, you know, some of the other resources out there that are working with veterans on employment and try to connect them with those business owners as well. So it's a significant, really significant to our economy to have those veteran entrepreneurs grow their businesses, offer jobs, so it's really important. Anything else either of you would like to add? Yeah, just one other thing I did mention, I talked about Boots to Business, I talked about the Reboot program, but what I didn't mention was, and it's on me, so I'll just mention it now, that not only do we offer those courses, but we also provide grants to women, veteran entrepreneurship training programs. So if you go to our website, you'll find those. And so currently the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University, IVMF, has the Veteran Women Igniting Spirit of Entrepreneurship program, Lift Fund out of San Antonio, Unabin out of Tulsa, Oklahoma, which really caters to the Native American community. So that's a great women-owned entrepreneurship training program. There's also a service disabled veteran entrepreneurship training program that, in our grantees, include Warrior Rising, and Warrior Rising is also a great partner of ours. So they're out of Utah, they offer entrepreneurship training. The Veteran Entrepreneurship Program at Oklahoma State University, we also have St. Joseph's University out of Philadelphia, and they host the Institute for Veterans, Military Families, Entrepreneurship Boot Camp. And then we also have the Entrepreneurship Training Program, Resources, or Veteran, which is out of Massachusetts. So all this is on our website. So when that journey starts, it can start with Boots Business, it can start with the VBOX, but there's all these other training and services that we provide as well. So I highly encourage people to take a look at our website, look at what services and programs that we provide, and we'll help you along your way with entrepreneurship. The one thing I would add is, I see people in the chat and they're asking about, well, I wasn't aware of this resource, I wasn't aware of that resource. What I would encourage people to do is share. When you see an announcement for a Patriot Boot Camp event, or a reboot, or a Boots to Business event, share it. Make people aware of it. When you experience those things, share the information then. Tell people what you went through, what was valuable, and give us feedback to make us better. SBA is doing a fantastic job as an organization, as a government agency. It's a different kind of group to work with, and I encourage people to get involved, but be an ambassador for entrepreneurship in the Veterans community and share this stuff so that we can help more people. Absolutely. All right, thank you both again for joining us, and thank you to everyone who tuned in. You can learn more about DAV Patriot Boot Camp at www.patriotbootcamp.org. For more information about the Office of Veterans Business Development and its many resources, click the links found in the description on this post.