From Soldiers to Small Business Owners
Virtual Business Process Outsourcing Opportunities Help Ease Transition to Civilian Life While Leveraging Veterans’ Unique Skill Sets
By Ken Jackowitz, Senior Vice President of Independent Business Operations at Arise Virtual Solutions
A couple of weeks ago, President Obama announced the decision to bring home 34,000 American troops from Afghanistan in the next year. While this is joyous news for the families of deployed men and women, it also brings to the forefront a national problem plaguing returning veterans – finding work opportunities upon re-entering civilian life. According to Newsweek Magazine, citing a study from Prudential, 70% of veterans say finding a job is their top challenge after military service, which can account in part for the fact that approximately 2.7 million veterans are unemployed. To compound the problem, it is estimated that 1 million more military service members will become veterans in the next 5 years. (VeteranCentral.org).
Returning to civilian life after serving in the military can be extremely challenging, mentally and physically. Yet, military personnel and their families make great sacrifices, including sometimes struggling financially, to protect the freedoms that created and sustain our country. And, more importantly, military personnel have significant skills that can be leveraged by companies and business partners that make them uniquely qualified entrepreneurs. For this reason, a new non-profit, dedicated to helping military personnel safely, quickly and holistically transition to civilian life, called Veteran Central Foundation has launched a series of programs designed to provide resources that helps military families find work, connect with civilian and military subject matter experts, collaborate with other veterans and receive the support they need.
One program currently being developed called the “Virtual Veteran Business Program” matches the skills of returning veterans with income opportunities and help them thrive once back home.
“When we talk about the skills of veterans, the thing that people talk about first is their integrity,” said Rita Aragon, Major General (retired) - Secretary of Military and Veterans Affairs of the State of Oklahoma in a recent interview. “Most veterans have the ability to work without being supervised, have self-initiative, work honestly and are able to just get things done. A lot of the intrinsic attributes of a military person are what makes them good business people.”
Through the Virtual Veteran Business Program, Veteran Central Foundation matches veterans and spouses who want to start their own business based on interests, skills and other best practices to various income opportunities. For example, Arise Virtual Solutions uses a network of small businesses to support its various programs for brand-name companies. These home-based opportunities are strong income solutions for veterans for the following reasons:
1. A Good Personality Fit. Running your own business is not for everyone. It takes discipline, focus and commitment to be an effective business owner, which is why military veterans and their family members often are so successful. Also, veterans often have acquired skills during their military service that are applicable to customer service or other home-based positions. Finally, veterans have real-life experiences, which help them connect to customers and deliver high customer satisfaction.
2. The Need for Flexibility. Working from home and running a business allows veterans and military family members the flexibility to set their own schedules. The ability to work around outside commitments is especially important for veterans who may have returned to the states with injuries requiring medical attention. For example, because the work opportunities offered by Arise can be schedule during various times of the day, veteran business owners can schedule medical visits during the day without affecting daily operations of their companies.
3. Work That Moves. Another benefit of a virtual outsourcing company is that it can be operated from any location. This is so important to military veterans and their spouses because it means that they can continue generating an income despite relocations or reassignments.
4. An Easier Transition. Operating a home-based business gives veterans the space and situation they need to adjust back to civilian life in their own way. Whether that is to operate as a one-person organization or to hire hundreds of contact center professionals, the opportunity is adjustable based on the needs of the veteran at any given time.
Currently, there are over 500 military-owned small businesses that provide virtual outsourced services. Through the efforts of organizations like Veteran Central Foundation and its partners, it is the hope that even more returning veterans will find the support they need to successfully start their own businesses. It is a realistic solution to the unemployment rate among veterans and the right thing to do. In the words of George Washington, first President of the United States, “the willingness with which our people are likely to serve, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans were treated and appreciated by their nation.” Let’s show military men and women that we care by helping them take advantage of feasible income opportunities when they return.
To learn more about Veteran Central Foundation and their partnership with Arise Virtual Solutions please visit http://veterancentral.org/veteran-call-center/.