Did you know the SBA has a loan program specifically designed for small businesses that need a smaller boost to get started or scale up? Here's a quick breakdown of the SBA Microloan Program — and why it might be the perfect fit for veteran entrepreneurs in this community. 🔹 What Is It? The SBA Microloan Program offers loans up to $50,000 to help small businesses and certain nonprofit childcare centers start up or expand. The average loan is around $13,000 — right-sized for early-stage or bootstrapped businesses. 🔹 What Can You Use It For? Microloans are flexible. You can use the funds for: • Working capital • Inventory & supplies • Furniture & fixtures • Machinery & equipment Note: Funds cannot be used to pay off existing debt or buy real estate. 🔹 Repayment Terms • Maximum repayment term: 7 years • Interest rates: typically 8%–13% (varies by lender) 🔹 How Do You Apply? You apply through SBA-approved nonprofit intermediary lenders in your area — not directly through the SBA. Each lender sets their own credit and collateral requirements, so terms will vary. 👉 Find a microlender near you: sba.gov/microloans --- Veterans, this is a solid option if you're looking for startup capital or need a cash infusion to grow without taking on large debt. If you've used an SBA Microloan or are considering one, drop your questions or experience below — let's help each other navigate this!

After almost 2 yrs of going back and forth for my self-employment track it is finally happening. It took a lot of research, reports, paper work back and forth. I was approved for EVERYTHING i asked for and is currently being ordered. If you’re going through the self-employment track -stick with it, don't get discouraged. Do your homework! It’s like a sales pitch on shark tank. Sell your idea to your case workers, justify everything down to the power cord. They are looking at wether it will be sustainable and if it has a high probability of failure. Choose a business that survived through covid, a business that you can do B2B and B2C. ELABORATE as much as you can! You got this!

Hi Everyone My name is Justin Zelenak and I was just approved for the VR&E Self employment track. It was a long process! I want to thank @Brian LaFauci and @David Jones for the help and I cant thank you guys enough! Next Steps- Equipment purchase Find a commercial place If anyone in the Massachusetts area has any leads on a commercial space it would be much appreciated. My Business- I started out of my sun room with a small DTF printer and grew EXCEPTIONALLY quick by word of mouth with local sports teams and businesses. Few months later I saw so much potential with TikTok so I started to figure out how to post and what to post to get seen. I made a Christmas design, made a video and posted it to my TikTok shop and within 4 days I had 1400 orders totaling over $95,000, I had to shut down my TikTok shop because my little printer couldn't keep up. I was blown away with mind blowing growth with TikTok and realized I needed bigger and faster equipment to keep up with any demand that is thrown my way. I am now able to get a commercial size DTF printer and I also get to add embroidery to my business which was HIGHLY requested from all my customers. I will be providing services to consumers, businesses, and anyone that wants to build their own brand. I have accounts with 3 of the biggest clothing wholesalers sale suppliers in the US with a wide selection of name brand clothing like Carhartt, Nike, Underarmour, Addidas, Dickies, Puma and tons more. Thanks for the invite to the community!

New Introductions, just create a post and select "intro" for the category. Ex: Hi, I'm __________, my business/idea is/does __________________. My outside interests are ___________. Here is mine: "Hi, my name is David, I'm retired Army. I've launched 8 businesses over the last 21 years in hospitality, logistics, residential/commercial real estate, and business consulting. I've got 4 kids and love anything outdoors like hiking or riding my dirt bike. My favorite sports are hockey and football. If you know anybody wanting to sell a self-storage facility, I'd love to speak to them." How-to Videos about this group platform: (Part 1) Watch an intro video here to learn more about the platform and how to navigate the Community Chat and Classrooms. https://www.loom.com/share/4957d0310f47456887688e986181eb28?sid=86b33f7c-8e65-421e-8344-2ce2cf5004be (Part 2) Continued learning about how to message people, search for content/people, leveling up, and how to use the map. https://www.loom.com/share/901cc344870f43bfa847d525813c877a?sid=16eb8553-b174-4796-9491-2c8b965dfcaa (Part 3) https://youtu.be/jFhwhsJ4l0o Learn more about the VBOC (Veterans Business Outreach Center) and how we help veteran entrepreneurs start and grow their companies. Veterans Business Outreach Centers: Public Service Announcement