The following information is CAMEO’s first program that served veteran entrepreneurs. It operated from 2010-2012.
Be Your Own Boss (BYOB)
Despite having skills, discipline and focus to succeed, veterans face many workforce challenges. Some firms are reluctant to hire them because of the uncertainty surrounding PTSD. Some veterans may have the skills, but not the proper credentials to secure a position, e.g. paramedics. And female veterans face much higher unemployment rates than their male peers, perhaps because of the cutbacks in government and education sectors.
Instead of waiting for government or some other company to hire you, we say create your own job, start your own business. Entrepreneurship is a great option for veterans who know what it takes to succeed, but may need flexibility. That’s why CAMEO’s fourth annual Women Entrepreneurs Symposium focused on women veterans business owners. Over 40 women joined forces to discuss why entrepreneurship is a good option for those who serve and what are the ingredients to success.
To effectively serve veterans, we manage a peer support network for participating member organizations to discuss best practices and challenges they encounter when serving the men and women who served us. Issues discussed include: developing and strengthening strategic referral partnerships with traditional veteran-serving organizations, privacy around disabilities, transitioning to civilian life, and applying the skills they learned in the service towards their business.
| Goal | Actual | |
|---|---|---|
| Veterans Served | 60 | 98 |
| Businesses Served | 27 | 46 |
| Jobs Created | na | 62 |
| Number of Loans | na | 4 |
CAMEO pioneered a pilot project in 2010 with support from AT&T and Citi – the ‘Disabled Veterans Microenterprise Technical Assistance Program.’ The program provided grants to six community-based business technical assistance providers. The program served a diverse population that may be more comfortable learning in their community than on a university campus. Our members served disabled veterans with programs ranging from farming to procurement assistance. The results exceeded our original expectations (see chart right). This intensive community-based program was the first of its kind and has the potential to become a national model. In 2011 with continued funding from Citi, CAMEO continued the peer network outreach activities and strengthened our relationship with the California Department of Veteran Affairs.
CAMEO would like to expand the pilot program and peer networking to meet the growing needs of California’s veteran population. We encourage our members to create programs that specifically serve veterans. We have started to develop strong strategic partnerships and referral relationships with local veteran groups. However, to be effective and scale these programs, the sector needs additional funding – and CAMEO is actively engaged in uncovering old and new sources.
Download our Veterans BYOB brochure.