San Francisco – CA The Small Business Administration found that veterans are 67% more likely to be self-employed compared to civilians in a March 2011 study “Factors Affecting Entrepreneurship among Veterans.” With the passage of the American Jobs Act and government procurement set asides for women and disabled veterans, veterans who want to be entrepreneurs can continue to serve their country by building new small businesses.
CAMEO announces a ‘be your own boss’ program for veterans. CAMEO expanded programming to meet the growing needs of California’s veteran population by hiring Elizabeth Perez as the Veteran Outreach Consultant. She is ramping up the veterans program, driving outreach efforts and facilitating referral relationships between traditional veteran serving organizations and CAMEO member organizations that specifically serve veterans.
CAMEO would also like to congratulate Ms. Perez as she was honored recently by The White House as a Champion of Change.
“CAMEO is very fortunate to have someone like Elizabeth on our team,” said Claudia Viek, C.E.O. of CAMEO. “She is dedicated to helping veterans start their own businesses.”
In 2010 CAMEO pioneered a pilot project in which members served disabled veterans with business assistance programs ranging from farming to procurement in their own communities. This intensive community-based referral program was the first of its kind in California and has the potential to become a national model. The ‘be your own boss’ program will expand on the pilot project.
“A lot of groups offer programs for veterans,” said Ms. Viek. “What’s really important is that they are served in their own communities. Our community-based approach ensures ongoing business support even after the class is finished.”
About CAMEO
CAMEO’s mission is to grow a healthy, vibrant, thriving environment for all entrepreneurs and start-up businesses by advancing the work of our statewide member network – the over 160 organizations, agencies and individuals dedicated to furthering the growth of micro-businesses in California. Annually CAMEO member organizations assist the 21,000 businesses that support 37,000 jobs.