Sherry Wynn ⋅ Austin, TX IBM ⋅ 20 years experience

Alhajie,

IBM offers a free platform with a lot of great content and strategies for small business owners. Check it out here: https://skillsbuild.org/reignite

Amit Chaudhary ⋅ San Jose, CA Doordash, Silicon Valley Software Company ⋅ 20 years experience

Read The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber
from your library if necessary

Jordie Kern ⋅ Amherst, MA 7 Eagle Group ⋅ 27 years experience

Score.org -- an incredibly valuable and free resource.

Rolande Sumner ⋅ Rock Hill, SC U.S. Army National Guard, Sergeant ⋅ 19 years served

Without knowing more about you and your ultimate desired result, I can’t give you meaning guidance here. However, I will be glad to spend an hour with you. Below is a link to book a comp Business Strategy call. I’ll be happy to help you move forward.

https://calendly.com/lastco/stragetysession

Arnold Rodriguez ⋅ Raytheon Missiles & Defense ⋅ 25 years experience

Recommend you visit www.SBA.gov. They have a ton of resources and free courses you can take advantage of, to include "How to Do Business With the US Gov't". There is also a lot of information on what you need to do to get certified as a "Veteran Own Business"; Service Disabled Veteran Own Business; etc.

Also, recommend you contact your local Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and make an appointment to meet with one of their Small Business Mentors. Besides offering 1-on-1 business advise/mentorship on how to start a small business, they also can get you into different training courses like 1. Quick Books; 2. How to Write a Business Plans; 3. Marketing & Advertising; 4. How to Obtain Business Loan, 5. etc.

Other resources you should look for and contact in your local area are 1. SCORE and 2. PTAC.

I wish you much success. Thank you for your service to our Nation. God bless!

v/r
A-Rod

Arnold Rodriguez, Lt Col (Ret), USAF

Bill Blair ⋅ Holiday, FL Legacy Venture Group ⋅ 35 years experience

Alhajie:
All good advice, but I have an alternative suggestion .I am currently a business broker in Florida with 10 years’ experience in selling businesses. Prior to business brokerage – I owned and sold 3 successful businesses in Florida.
I would suggest you talk with a local business broker and explain your situation. He could help you find a business with a good 5 year+ track record, where the owner might finance the sale and be a mentor to you, to insure you are successful. A built-in incentive to an owner financing his business.
Buying a business can be a lot easier than starting one from scratch and you’re getting advice from someone who knows the business. Even with our current Covid 19 scare – there are plenty of business owners with successful businesses who want to retire. Buying a current business generally produces an instant income – then your goal is to grow your business.
Good luck
Bill Blair
https://imabusinessbroker.com

Randall Short ⋅ Pasadena, MD U.S. Army, Major ⋅ 22 years served

Hey,

Take you VA assessments seriously. It is NOT the time to “suck it up”. If it hurts when they check, tell them. If you don’t, they won’t record it.

Why? Because VRE has a great program to help disabled vets start businesses. It’s not just about going back to school. You have to insist on it, but they will eventually set you up in a program with business plan help, mentors and capital. I started my business this way. The VA provided the equipment needed to get going. Between the equipment and a few classes I needed they funded over $40k to help. They also stick with you mentoring for at least a year. Note, you WON’T be able to also get a degree from VRE, it’s one or the other. Good luck!

Randall Short ⋅ Pasadena, MD U.S. Army, Major ⋅ 22 years served

Hey,

Take you VA assessments seriously. It is NOT the time to “suck it up”. If it hurts when they check, tell them. If you don’t, they won’t record it.

Why? Because VRE has a great program to help disabled vets start businesses. It’s not just about going back to school. You have to insist on it, but they will eventually set you up in a program with business plan help, mentors and capital. I started my business this way. The VA provided the equipment needed to get going. Between the equipment and a few classes I needed they funded over $40k to help. They also stick with you mentoring for at least a year. Note, you WON’T be able to also get a degree from VRE, it’s one or the other. Good luck!

Scott Fischer ⋅ Show Low, AZ U.S. Army, Sergeant ⋅ 4 years served

Quick books — get it - learn it - use it. The lifeblood of any business is cash flow. Whatever your business without mastery of your cash flow, you will NOT succeed. While a number of the cheerleadering courses including SCORE, may provide amusement at the end of the day it is you and you alone who will determine your success or failure. I wasted little time with the cheerleadering programs when a SCORE advisor suggested I place flyers in Walmart - I own and operate a medical clinic not a Car wash. Good luck, stay focused And keep it real if the numbers say your Business is dying — plan a funeral.

Tim Allen ⋅ Hoboken, NJ U.S. Army, Captain ⋅ 5 years served

I strongly suggest finding a local program where you can pair with a mentor who will help walk you through the process. For example, I took a lot of value from this program: https://www.fdu.edu/academics/centers-institutes/rothman/veterans-launching-ventures/?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=Idea8_FDU&gclid=Cj0KCQjwwOz6BRCgARIsAKEG4FVH4N5iEGyPOEgIIRIUhkdxbILveGAvOOZf4Nv24jtJ_Kb-YP_4WzAaAkdlEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Tim

Patrick E Alcorn ⋅ Arlington, TX Veterans Business Outreach Center ⋅ 20 years experience

Join the entrepreneur community on Alice at bit.ly/B3community3 and connect with your local VBOC for up to date answers to your small business questions. https://www.sba.gov/page/veterans-business-outreach-center-vboc-program

Andrew Woodland ⋅ Orlando, FL Ultra Electronics Sonar Systems ⋅ 16 years experience

Hi Alhajie

Thank you for your service. I really like the answer from Chet Frame ⋅ El Paso, TX

I am a business mentor in the UK and we have similar support groups such as the Chamber of Commerce.

Coming up with a business idea is relatively easy, coming up with a great business idea is hard. It is critical to your success that when starting out you explore as many ideas as possible before deciding on the final one you will take forward.

Starting a business is a process that requires an enormous amount of thought and careful examination. As already mentioned - take a good look at your strengths, weaknesses and skills.

Before you start a business, you should be absolutely clear about why you are doing it. Understanding what is driving you to start a business is a major factor in determining what type of business you should start.

A business plan is a great exercise for sorting out your thoughts and it allows you to plan your business in a structured way, for yourself and so outside parties such as investors or partners can understand what you are trying to achieve and how.

Think about finding a business mentor - A mentor is there to guide, advise and educate you in areas where you may not have experience.

SCORE is a non-profit that works with the Small Business Association to help connect small businesses and volunteer mentors across the United States.

Research shows that 70% of mentored small businesses survive past the five-year mark — nearly twice the rate of non-mentored businesses.

Good luck

Jennifer Polhemus ⋅ Santa Monica, CA Precision Research (self-employed) ⋅ 25 years experience

To avoid failure (the fate of too many well-intentioned small businesses), it might help to face up to the two main causes of those failures: lack of management/skills and insufficient capital. And then work backwards to stay away from those problems.

And become passionate about reading books/articles/blogs, etc. in your field. Try to make it a daily practice. Onward!

Chet Frame ⋅ El Paso, TX Border Business Consultants ⋅ 18 years experience

Good morning, Alhajie.

I suggest you contact your local Score chapter. Go to www.score.org and look for a mentor. The men and women of Score are all volunteers who have made it on their own and are now giving back. All of the mentoring services are provided at no cost to you. They are connected with the Small Business Administration, the Small Business Development Centers, Chambers of Commerce, and other organizations that are here to help small business owners succeed.

They are here for the life of your business!

Taube Weiner ⋅ Dedham, MA TransitionsbyTaube.com ⋅ 30 years experience

Hi Alhajie,
I am a career coach who has helped many people start their own business. I do not charge for people in service. It's may way of saying thank you. My website is TransitionsbyTaube.com. take a look and if you think you'd like to work with me, contact me through email.
Blessings,
Taube Weiner (pronounced TobyI)

Jason French ⋅ Jacksonville Beach, FL French Capital Management ⋅ 7 years experience

The most important thing you can do before you start on that path is to list your strengths and weaknesses. Be realistic though; double down on your strengths and hire people to compliment your weaknesses. Second is network, network, network. You should always have someone in your network who can help you along the way.

ACP AdvisorNet Staff ⋅ New York, NY ⋅ 10 years experience

Hi Alhajie,

Thank you for your question and for your service. We are happy that you joined our mentorship program and we are currently looking for an excellent mentor to personally help you throughout the year.

Meanwhile, please see a few articles below on effective communication and enhancing your leadership skills.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kourtneywhitehead/2020/04/26/4-tips-to-help-you-send-more-effective-networking-emails/#3b958710fd6d from Forbes
https://www.themuse.com/advice/4-email-templates-to-make-networking-way-less-awkward?bsft_eid=d47e108e-0202-9dc9-7786-2b43ce3fd177&bsft_pid=24318de8-b477-4d24-98d4-a8c6fe54ec6a&utm_campaign=daily_20190116&utm_source=blueshift&utm_medium=email&utm_content=daily_20190116&bsft_clkid=452afcb0-b36a-4296-9b81-9e61b1f06c86&bsft_uid=2f5f66b2-76bd-4ea9-b9e4-8c282f699ce3&bsft_mid=d8632ad9-e47b-4a05-8868-dc248613edfe&bsft_pp=3 from The Muse
https://www.businessinsider.com/boss-management-leadership-advice-hiring-developing-people-earning-respect-2020-1 from Business Insider

Hope these are useful!