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In honor of veteran’s day, the Louisiana Small Business Development Center at Louisiana State University in Shreveport helped veterans learn to start up their own businesses Wednesday morning. The second annual Veterans Mean Business Breakfast in the LSUS University Ballroom educated veterans on how to start, run and grow a business. “This is a way to help veterans start their own business. It could also be for any person in the military about to retire, in the reserves or military spouses. It is for any military personnel that may be interested in a way to transition into the private sector,” said Christine Rambo, marketing and communications for the LSBDC.
The program was developed by inspecting the needs of the community and was implemented because the LSBDC could see the need was there.
“There was personnel who wanted to take their skills and assets learned during duty and transfer them to the civilian economy,” said Cooper Cochran, LSBDC director and veteran.
Veterans, military reserve, National Guard and military spouses heard from various speakers, all of which were veterans or have been involved with the military.
“These speakers are timely and appropriate for the audience. They can give advice that our target group wants to hear,” said Cochran.
Speakers included Cochran discussing the resources available to start and grow a small business. Michael Ricks, Louisiana District director for the Small Business Administration, talked about the Patriot Loan Express, a special SBA loan geared towards veteran-owned businesses.
Scott Allen, Supreme machine in Ruston owner, and Rep. Henry Burns, Wooden Spoon owner, advised attendees on applying military experience to running a business.
“Statistically veterans do succeed better than rest of population, due to their more orderly and regimented way of life,” said Cochran.
Elva Taylor of the Northwest Louisiana Governmental Procurement Center and Connie Shirley of the Barksdale Air Force Base Second Contracting Squadron discussed steps to getting government contracts.
Cochran said he has heard from past attendees about the success of this breakfast. He said that this breakfast is integral to the future of all military personnel.
“It’s not only the Air Force at Barksdale, but this conflict has touched the National Guard Reserve as well. There are a lot of military people looking to see what it takes to retire,” Cochran said.
Helping veterans make a transition to civilian life is especially important with an air force base in Bossier’s backyard.
“We have a large contingency of veterans in the area. We’re not far away from Ft. Polk and we have retired military personnel in the area. We have young folks leaving as well as those retirees,” Cochran said.
While Cochran noted it is important to help veterans make the transition from military life to a civilian, Cochran says that it is as equally important to help anyone make that transition from their day job to a private business.
“Veterans is a key word and that’s the thing to do right now is help veterans. That cycle comes and goes and right now it’s in vogue to help veterans. But we pay special attention to other folks as well as veterans.”
The LSBDC is a statewide network of nine service centers, offering free confidential business consulting, entrepreneurial training and online business resources to help entrepreneurs and small business owners start, expand and grow their companies.
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