This Veterans Day, the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce honors the men and women who served our country by focusing on two impactful ways to support them in their next chapter: hiring veterans and empowering veteran entrepreneurs. By supporting veterans in the business community, we can help them thrive post-service while strengthening our workforce and economy.
Hiring Veterans: A Strong Workforce Investment
Hiring veterans isn’t just a symbolic gesture—it’s a smart investment. Veterans bring exceptional qualities like discipline, resilience, and leadership, all honed through military service. For companies, hiring veterans means gaining team members who excel under pressure, adapt quickly, and know the value of teamwork. In industries where strong problem-solving and commitment are essential, veterans often thrive.
Actively hiring veterans also helps ease their transition to civilian life. For many, employment plays a key role in finding stability and purpose after military service. By prioritizing veteran hires, companies not only enrich their teams but also help veterans reintegrate successfully into civilian society.
Best Practices for Recruiting Veterans
To better reach and hire veterans, companies can implement targeted practices. Partnering with veteran-focused job boards, such as Hire Heroes USA and Veterans Job Mission, allows employers to connect directly with qualified candidates. Additionally, engaging with military transition programs and working with veteran service organizations (VSOs) can expand outreach. Crafting job descriptions that translate military skills into relevant qualifications and offering mentorship programs specifically for veteran hires are also effective practices. These approaches show veterans that their unique skills and experience are valued, while helping companies build a strong and inclusive workforce.
Supporting Veteran Entrepreneurs: Fostering Leadership and Innovation
While many veterans find purpose in employment, others channel their skills into entrepreneurship. These veterans leverage their military experience to create businesses and lead them. However, the journey to becoming a business owner can be challenging. Veterans may face unique obstacles, such as securing funding, building networks, and translating military skills into business strategies.
Supporting veteran entrepreneurs is essential to overcoming these challenges. By providing resources, mentorship, and funding, we equip veteran entrepreneurs with tools to build successful businesses, fostering job creation and economic growth in our communities.
Resources for Veteran Entrepreneurs
Veterans have access to specialized resources to help them start and grow their businesses. Here are a few key programs offering grants, mentorship, and guidance:
- The Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund
For veterans pursuing agriculture careers, this fund provides grants covering equipment and supplies essential for their farming businesses. With grants between $1,000 and $5,000, the fund has awarded over $4 million to more than 930 veterans since 2011. Learn more here. - Warrior Rising
Founded in 2015, Warrior Rising is a nonprofit dedicated to helping veterans transition into business owners. Through mentorship, remote learning, and grants, Warrior Rising transforms veterans’ business ideas into viable ventures. Their mission is to create 100 veteran-owned million-dollar businesses by 2024. Explore Warrior Rising. - Hivers and Strivers
This angel investment group provides veteran-owned businesses with capital from $250,000 to $1 million. Beyond funding, Hivers and Strivers offers strategic guidance and networks to support growth, ensuring that veteran-led businesses have the expertise needed to succeed. Find out more.
These resources offer more than financial support—they provide veterans with the mentorship and networking essential to transforming ideas into businesses.
This Veteran’s Day: Show Support Through Action
This Veterans Day, the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce invites our business community to take meaningful action to support veterans. If you’re a business owner or hiring manager, consider hiring veterans for their resilience and dedication. If you’re a community member or consumer, support veteran-owned businesses, and encourage policies that create opportunities for veterans.
Supporting veterans is about more than honoring their service—it’s about building an inclusive economy that values their skills and resilience. When we invest in veterans, we’re making a lasting impact on our communities and ensuring that their contributions continue to strengthen us all. This Veterans Day, let’s honor our veterans by empowering them in every mission they pursue.