Military Small Business Startup

There is a growing trend of military service members and their families starting up small businesses on the side.  Whether it is a military spouse starting a self-employed work-at-home business venture, or the service member investing in a business startup in preparation for upcoming retirement, small businesses are becoming more prevalent.

Military service members enjoy the thought of working for themselves and many pick up the entrepreneurial spirit while employed by the military.  Unfortunately, many service members fail to take that first step to create their business and never realize their goals.

I have been impressed with many of the business start-ups that I have encountered.  A popular sandwich franchise was bought by a soldier stationed at Fort Bragg, NC and although he deploys a lot, the thriving business is run by his spouse back in North Carolina.  A friend formerly stationed in Tucson, AZ started a military patches and accessories business while on active duty with the Air Force.  This successful business is based online and ships to customers worldwide.  Another service member is on active duty and has earned his personal trainer certification.  He is pursuing this business in-person in the gym training clients as well as an online presence through his informational website.  I have seen a variety of great business ideas from online shopping guides to European travel - the first step towards standing up your business is putting your ideas on paper and creating a business plan.

For more detailed information, check out these valuable online resources.

Small Business Administration - official government website.

Entrepreneur.com - the business startup section of the official website.

SmallBusinessNotes.com - military veteran small business resources.

The U.S. Small Business Administration has announced the SBA’s Patriot Express Pilot Loan Initiative for veterans and members of the military community wanting to establish or expand small businesses. 

Eligible military community members include:

• Veterans
• Service-disabled veterans
• Active-duty service members eligible for the military’s Transition Assistance Program
• Reservists and National Guard members
• Current spouses of any of the above
• The widowed spouse of a service member or veteran who died during service or of a service-connected disability
• The SBA and its resource partners are focusing additional efforts on counseling and training to augment this loan initiative. 

Want to start an Online Business?

Many service members will turn to an online-based business.  This type of business lends itself perfectly to the military lifestyle.  It allows you to work on your business from any location - from Biloxi to Baghdad; all you need is an internet connection and a laptop.  Additionally, unlike a traditional business, you can work at any time in any time zone - a great alternative if you are deployed overseas.  Flexibility is key.

The first step is to think of an internet-business model for your perspective site.  Then think of how to generate traffic (visitors).  Lastly, you will have to consider how to monetize your website once you are receiving traffic - a lot of web entrepreneurs turn to affiliate marketing to generate income.