One of the largest private-sector veteran service organizations focused on entrepreneurship in the United States has now served over 100,000 veteran and military spouse entrepreneurs nationwide.
Programs at Syracuse University’s D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) provide veterans and military spouses with the resources and education needed to build their own businesses and provide them with purpose in their post-military careers, added Deputy Director at the IVMF Ray Toenniessen.
“We do a lot of research, evaluation and policy work here, but where we differ is that we run boots on the ground programs and deliver boots on the ground services to this population,” he said.
IVMF’s programs include Onward to Opportunity, a career training and credentialing certificate program that we run on military installations nationwide and online.
“Then we run a large portfolio of entrepreneurship and small business programs, all of which are really designed to meet veteran and military spouse business owners, no matter where they are in their entrepreneurial journey,” Toenniessen said.
IVMF also offers ideation programs for startups as well as more advanced programs for already-established businesses looking to grow.
“We have a community impact and insights team who is out in cities, counties, states, regions all over the country helping to build more connected models for veterans and their families to access the needed services in their community,” he said.
IVMF’s 100 full-time team members are spread across 18 different states, helping veterans and their families become successful entrepreneurs.
“While it was great in Field of Dreams, the slogan of if you build it, they will come is not is not an effective slogan for business ownership,” said Toenniessen.
Businesses supported through IVMF programs have generated over $2.63 billion in total
alumni revenue and created more than 9,000 jobs nationwide, said Toenniessen.
“That is real impact to the United States economy,” he said.
Toenniessen urged veterans who want to start their own businesses to learn all they can about what it means and what it takes to become a successful entrepreneur.
“Don’t just read the stories of, you know, Mark Zuckerberg or Jeff Bezos,” he said. “While those are phenomenal entrepreneurs, life-changing, once in a in a lifetime type entrepreneurs, that is not the everyday entrepreneur and small business owner across the United States. So, take a step back if you’re sort of on the fence. Do some research. Enroll in one of our programs, read some other people’s stories and understand what does it really mean to go down this path and mitigate some of that risk.”
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.
