Everyone deserves support and respect, but if there’s ever a population that needs it the most it’s esteemed veterans. These are the people that bravely serve the country and help protect its citizens.
After their service, some decide to start businesses that continue to honor that service and their fellow veterans. That includes veteran owned apparel and other collaborative businesses. Here are a few reasons why it’s incredibly important to support veteran-owned businesses.
Keeps Veterans Employed
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, veteran-owned businesses account for 5.9 percent of all businesses in the country. What many people may not realize is that these companies often employ other veterans or make a point to collaborate with other veteran-owned companies and products.
While service members come from a diverse range of backgrounds and environments, they become one family of veterans once their service concludes. Backing veteran-owned businesses is one way to continue honoring their service while helping veterans stay gainfully employed.
Helps Remove Barriers to Success
While many veteran-owned companies are very successful, some reports suggest that veterans face unique obstacles that can impede commercial success. These include:
- Marketing Difficulties
- Finding Viable Employees
- Policy and Regulation Issues
- Cultural Challenges
When a veteran-owned company manages to stabilize and become successful, it becomes a positive motivation for the next veteran who wants to own a business. It truly is cyclical. One success story can become someone else’s dream and, eventually, their reality, too.
Encourages Future Veterans
The country will always need brave and eager people to help protect freedom and lives. Service members will take different paths toward their civilian futures after serving in the military. While many choose to go to school or find jobs, many want to take another route and become business owners.
As the number of veteran-owned companies grows and prospers, it also becomes a mighty example of how success can be defined for future generations of veterans. There are more than one or two ways to thrive after transitioning back to civilian life. Veteran-owned companies help prove this.
One of the most admirable traits of veteran-owned companies is their commitment to other veterans. Whether that’s support, collaboration, or employment, you will often see that veterans are very invested in fellow veterans. It’s a family thing.
The next time that you’re shopping around for clothes or other products, take a moment to check if it’s a veteran-owned business. If not, consider finding those same products through a veteran-owned store or company. You’ll be helping to give back to the very people that kept their country safe.