Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC)_New

Colorado Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC) at Veterans Service center

The Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center opened Colorado’s first Veterans Business Outreach Center on May 1, 2023. Headquartered at Mt. Carmel, the Colorado Veterans Business Outreach Center also has a satellite office at Catalyst Campus for Technology and Innovation. The Colorado VBOC provides counseling, training, technical skill development, comprehensive business assessments, and mentoring services to aspiring and existing business owners who are Active Duty, veterans, members of the National Guard or Reserve, military spouses, and family members. According to the SBA, Colorado has 48,803 veteran-owned small businesses that provide $23 billion to the state economy and employ over 96,000 people. In accordance with the mission of the Office of Veteran Business Development, the Colorado VBOC provides programs and services as part of the Colorado small business ecosystem. We are here to help start, grow, and expand small businesses.

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Colorado Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC) Services

Transition Assistance

Service members and their spouses can receive transition assistance from the Colorado VBOC through Boots to Business (B2B), the entrepreneurship track of the Department of Defense’s Transition Assistance Program. The Boots to Business curriculum provides an overview of business fundamentals to those interested in exploring business ownership as a viable path once they transition to civilian life. For those that are not able to access an installation, the Colorado VBOC also hosts Boots to Business Reboot, an extension of Boots to Business, to veterans of all eras, military spouses, and members of the National Guard and Reserve.

Military Spouse Pathway to Business

Military spouses make great entrepreneurs, and small business ownership can be a transportable vocation that supports frequent relocation-part of the landscape for many military families. The Colorado Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC) at Mt. Carmel welcomed the Pathway to Business course in November 2023. Pathway to Business introduces military spouses to the key elements of entrepreneurship at no cost. In this course, military spouses are introduced to a broad spectrum of entrepreneurial business topics such as market research, economics, legal considerations, and finances. They will also learn about additional resources available to military spouses for accessing startup capital, receiving technical assistance, earning contracting opportunities, and more.

Counseling & Mentoring

The Colorado VBOC offers full business support and individualized feedback. Whether you have a business idea, are within your first year of business, or already well-established, we can assist. Service members, veterans, and military spouses can receive tailored business counseling from the Colorado VBOC both in-person, on the telephone, or online. The Colorado VBOC is a gateway into SBA’s resource partner ecosystem. Clients can receive referrals to other SBA resource partners, programs, lending institutions, access market research databases, and other critical business tools through meeting with the Colorado VBOC Business Counselor.

The Business Counselor helps in identifying and analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of the business plan to increase the probability of success. The results of the analysis are utilized to revise the strategic planning portion of the business plan. As appropriate, the Business Counselor conducts on-site visits with clients.

Training & Workshops

The Colorado VBOC hosts various workshops throughout the year to ensure clients receive well-rounded support and are prepared to take on every facet of business ownership. Workshops range from business planning strategies, exploring access to capital, growing a small business, digital marketing, private and government contracting, franchising, and more. The Colorado VBOC also offers training and workshops specific to the needs of service members, veterans, and military spouses. These specialized workshops focus on Veteran Small Business Certification (VetCert), Federal procurement, and private and government contracting.