JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas –
The Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph Airman and Family Readiness Center will host part of a program called "Operation Boots to Business" 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday for active-duty members and their families as well as retirees on a space-available basis.
The two-day session, sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration, whose purpose is to inform veterans how to start and service small businesses, was a response to nationwide unemployment, Ray Ramos, A&FRC community readiness consultant, said.
"This stemmed from a lot of veterans coming back home and not having jobs," he said. "We are offering another resource to help them transition and become successful."
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the national unemployment rate in April was 7.5 percent for post-9/11 veterans and 6.2 percent for veterans of all generations.
"Boots to Business is an extension of The Veterans Opportunity to Work Act, passed by the House of Representatives in 2011, to reduce veterans' unemployment and help them get meaningful jobs, especially if they wish to own a business," Mike Bell, A&FRC community readiness consultant, said.
"San Antonio is huge on small business," Bell added. "There is a lot of space, a lot of real estate available around the city that is ready to be tapped into."
According to Richard Sifuentes, University of Texas at San Antonio's Small Business Development Center assistant director, small business impacts a large chunk of the job market.
"Sixty-four percent, or nearly two-thirds, of all new jobs come from small businesses in the U.S.," he said.
A project conducted by the UTSA SBDC in 2011 found that the industries with the most potential for business growth are health and wellness, food services and wholesale trade.
While only 50 percent of small businesses survive after five years and 30 percent after seven years, owners must strategize a business plan, adequate funding, management and location among other factors that determine their business' longevity, Sifuentes said.
The seminar scheduled at the A&FRC "goes over business plans A-to-Z and is taught by an SBA representative and an SBA resource partner who are professionals in the field," Ramos said.
Upon completion, attendees will have the option to continue the next phase of "Boots to Business" by enrolling in an intensive, eight-week online course for free, which will cover the principles of accounting, finance, market analysis, business operations and sales, Bell said.
To sign up for the seminar, call 652-5321.