“My message to veterans is, if you are interested in starting a business, please contact your local Small Business Administration (SBA) office because they have resources that you likely don’t know are available to you,” says Coetzee Leslie. She spoke with BJNN on Thursday (Nov. 2) at the SBA Syracuse district office at 224 Harrison St. in Syracuse.
One of the programs SBA has to help veterans is called Boots to Business/Reboot. A one-day edition of the training program is set for next Thursday Nov. 9 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Clear Path for Veterans in Chittenango.
The nonprofit Clear Path for Veterans describes itself as “Upstate New York’s Veteran Resource Center serving as a hub of information, programs and resources.”
The free training is offered for veterans “of all eras,” service members (including National Guard and Reserves), and their spouses interested in starting or growing their small business.
“It’s compressed a bit because it’s for everybody and it’s post-separation from the military. And it provides the same curriculum basically to help veterans who are interested in being entrepreneurs to start their businesses,” Coetzee Leslie says.
Coetzee Leslie visited Syracuse as part of National Veterans Small Business Week, held Oct. 30-Nov. 3.
“We are commemorating events all over the country, and the reason why I chose Syracuse was because Syracuse University is the leader in veterans’ programs nationwide,” says Coetzee Leslie.
The SBA also offers a two-day Boots to Business program, which is part of the transition-assistance program that’s provided for military members before they depart active duty or reserve service for the last time, she notes.
Those interested in Boots to Business/Reboot can register online. For questions, people can also contact Mike Stout at michael.stout@sba.gov or (315) 471-9393 ext. 226
Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com