Erik Hill struggled with anxiety, stress, and guilt after his last deployment in October 2023.
Today, Ohio's first-ever Veterans Business Outreach Center opened!?
VBOCs help entrepreneurs in veteran and military communities launch or grow businesses by providing counseling, training and other services.
Find a VBOC near you! https://t.co/TbXh5jOk03#NVSBW pic.twitter.com/j0gtr8tRW0
— SBA (@SBAgov) November 13, 2024
He wanted to find a natural way to help himself, so he started Immersion LLC, a wellness center featuring self-regulated saunas and cold plunging. “I got started after my last deployment in October ’23; struggled with anxiety, stress, guilt, a lot of things.
And I just wanted to look for a natural way to help myself,” Hill said.
Veterans: If your next mission is entrepreneurship, we've got business resources like funding options, training, counseling, mentoring, and contracting assistance that can help!
Learn more: https://t.co/Nb3fVJW0yw#NVSBW24 pic.twitter.com/hYE2rYvSVw
— SBA (@SBAgov) November 12, 2024
Justin Lindteigen, owner of Greenstone Construction, serves as a contractor for several federal agencies, including area U.S. Air Force bases, the Veterans Administration, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He got the idea to start his business while taking a college class after returning from Iraq in 2009.
“I got back from Iraq in 2009 and I had a free ride for college,” he shared. “In one of my classes, I had to write a business plan. A great facilitator encouraged me to actually start that business.”
America’s veterans and military families have served and sacrificed for our nation. At @SBAgov, we know so many continue serving with their entrepreneurial spirit. On #VeteransDay, we honor the contributions of America’s nearly 2 million Veteran-owned small businesses.
— Isabel Casillas Guzman (@SBAIsabel) November 11, 2024
Veterans represent our nation’s best, and they must have access to every opportunity to pursue the American Dream.
Join me in honoring these fantastic men and women during National Veterans Small Business Week!https://t.co/m7GBYf1sRm
— Joni Ernst (@SenJoniErnst) November 12, 2024
Both businesses are based in Fargo, and both owners credit the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) with providing crucial support.
Veterans’ business ventures in Fargo
“We have access to funding that can be anywhere from up to $5 million dollars,” Hill said. Alan Haut, director of the SBA for North Dakota, highlighted several resources available to veteran-owned small businesses.
“We also have a Veteran Owned Small Business Outreach Center (VBOC) that provides additional hands-on guidance. We conduct Boots to Business events at military installations to help train veterans who are retiring from the service to become business owners,” Haut explained. “Additionally, we offer a variety of webinars.”
Haut emphasized that in addition to supporting hundreds of veteran-owned businesses, the SBA aids more than 70,000 other small businesses in North Dakota.
“Small businesses, in general, are the backbone of the economy. They support new jobs, new growth, new innovations, and veterans represent a very strong segment of small business owners,” he said. The latest figures show that the more than 1.6 million veteran-owned businesses across the U.S. generated sales amounting to $983.9 billion in 2021.
These initiatives and stories underscore the vital role that veteran entrepreneurs play in bolstering the local and national economy during National Veterans Small Business Week, Nov. 11-15.
