Support Veteran-owned businesses during Invest in Veterans Week

By Roderick Rickman
Veteran Owned Business Roundtable

Recognizing the veterans who have served and defended our country is something that is important year-round, and this week offers a unique opportunity to do so — by supporting local veteran-owned businesses here in Michigan.

National Invest In Veterans Week is observed each year from March 1 through March 7. The week draws attention to veteran business owners and their contributions to the economy, and empowers the public to invest in the veteran population by supporting their businesses.

History has shown that veterans, through the lessons they have learned in their military careers about solving complex problems and providing leadership, make excellent entrepreneurs.

According to the Small Business Administration, small businesses owned by veterans employed more than 5 million people in the U.S., and had an annual payroll of $195 billion and receipts of $1.14 trillion. Representing 9.1 percent of all U.S. businesses, veterans make a major impact on the economy.

Our national non-profit organization — the Veteran Owned Business Roundtable (VOBRT) — is based in Sterling Heights and supports veterans throughout the state of Michigan and beyond.

In addition to helping veterans receive the benefits they deserve, we are heavily focused on supporting veteran business owners, connecting them to corporate and government contracting opportunities and making them an integral part of their supply chain. We connect them with major companies such as GM, Stellantis, Flagstar Bank, Henry Ford Health System and other top supporters of veteran-owned businesses. Our group is led by established veteran-owned businesspeople, so we appreciate the importance of recognizing these business owners as another way to say thanks for their service to the country.

Digital tools

VOBRT is using 2022 to ramp up our digital efforts to support local veteran-owned businesses. We have announced an increased online campaign to highlight these businesses, primarily through social media campaigns. In today’s age, the digital message is as important to spreading our message as traditional outreach.

Facebook tools will be a key component of our campaign in 2022, as the VOBRT will feature monthly Facebook Live interviews on our page with a Michigan-based veteran-owned business, in which each featured business will be able to tell their story in-depth to the viewers. We look forward to sharing the stories of these strong veteran-led Michigan businesses throughout the year and getting them increased exposure.

We will also be using the Reels tool on Facebook and Instagram to share short clips with important information to better reach the younger generations of veterans. These platforms provide the ability for established veteran business leaders to educate the generation coming up behind them of the opportunities available.

And last but not least, VOBRT is especially proud of our Positive Thinking Veteran Facebook page, which we started just 8 months ago and already has more than 40,000 followers. This page is aimed at keeping veterans in a positive frame-of-mind as they approach their life and work, something that is so critical in this population with so many veterans facing PTSD and other mental health challenges. We will continue to grow this page and inspire veterans on a daily basis throughout 2022, and provide veterans an online home to communicate with each other.

How can you help?

So what role can the public play in supporting veteran-owned small businesses, this week and beyond? Quite simply, if there is a veteran-owned small business in your community, let them know you are thankful, and do your best to support them however you can.

Identifying a verified veteran-owned business can be as easy as looking for the official Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) or Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB) logo on their website or business cards, which means they have gone through the process and are officially recognized as veteran-owned.

During National Invest in Veterans Week, you can not only buy from veteran-owned businesses, but also promote them on social media. Also, any effort to hire veterans at your business is always appreciated.

We appreciate the support, and we offer our thanks to all veterans for your service and continuing contributions to our lives.

Roderick Rickman is President of the Board of Directors at the Veteran Owned Business Roundtable, which is based in Sterling Heights. He is also Chairman and CEO of Rickman Enterprise Group. Learn more about the VOBRT and its services by visiting https://veteranroundtable.org.