(NewsNation) — For more than a decade, the Veteran Business Project has guided veterans through the steps of launching their own businesses, helping transform more than 400 service members into entrepreneurs.
“In the military, we’re never alone. [We have] that connection that ‘hey I’ve got someone to my left or right that is going through the same challenges as me,’” said Jennifer Slown of the Veteran Business Project.
The group provides crucial mentorship and resources to connect former service members with experienced entrepreneurs, with the goal of launching their own businesses.
One such business is Rosie’s Home Cookin’ in Naperville, Illinois.
“It’s the way we are trained. We fight as a team. We go into battle as a team, not as an individual,” said restaurant owner and Marine veteran Lynn Lowder.
He and other vets meet regularly at the restaurant, whose name was inspired by Rosie the Riveter and her depiction of American strength and grit during World War II.
Lowder was awarded a purple heart for his service in Vietnam, and wants to see veterans go from “special ops” to “owner/operator.”
“Small business is still the backbone of the American economy and it’s important for people to know that,” Lowder said.
The People Tree is another organization working to support veterans after service through spoken word and community.
“We find ourselves a very, specifically in this time, being kind of divided and we are that connecting factor,” The People Tree producer and veteran Erica Katz said.
Their mission is to assist active-duty service members in their return to civilian life, a process that can be as foreign as the areas where they were deployed.
“Being a patriot is very important to me. Not because I served my country, but because I believe in the process and our people,” Katz told NewsNation.
“The reason we can stand here and even have this conversation is because, for decades, people have come into the military, served this nation, put themselves in harm’s way,” Lowder said. “It’s those people, everyday people, who have kept the wolf away from America’s door since 1775.”
