I am in the initial, early stage of thinking/ planning a small series of workshop programs for women released from the military and returning as well as for the wives of returning military men. Did the make sense?  I can see a benefit of focusing on these women and discussing with them entrepreneurship, benefits/negatives, resources etc.  I would appreciate any comments especially from folks who may be working or have experience in working with this group.  SBA and some other groups are targeting returning military/veterans but I am thinking that programs just focused on the returning military women veterans and the wives of the returning men could be a good effort in providing entrepreneurship training just for them. Feedback please.

@trudy very interesting group,  my thoughts my be a little different as Israel military world is a bit different.  But I decided to jump in as one of my clients targets the  veterans  (men and women) middle life change.  Two thoughts – from my experience - the two groups of women you mentioned are not friends, the wife and the women veterans, so grouping them my be difficult,  different messages.   The second point - take a good, hard look at the sites and services for men, think of there message and how to adopt, for women it would need to be more. . .what ? personal and .. .   Good luck – Love your idea!!

@trudy In theory I think it’s a good idea, but I’m not totally sure about the readiness of that market for entrepreneurship. Of course my viewpoint might be skewed by what I see in the media about all the readjustment issues, so I would be worried about returning vets ability to cope with the additional stresses of starting up, or the relationship changes and adjustments between spouses that need to be

But, if you want to go further, I have a contact to introduce you to that might be a good leverage point for you. Message me directly and we can discuss.

Hey, Trudy:

Thank you for your Family’s service!

Veterans certainly do need all the help they can get.  I have been doing something similar with WPVets.org — where I can offer my services pro bono to Veterans.  In doing so I have helped many Veterans who are doing similar sites like what you mention. These folks come back from serving our Country and still want to help their fellow solders!

I do know there are sites that cater to female Veterans already too.  The key is to find a niche that no one else is servicing and then being passionate about it.  Maybe think about how you can be more niche than just “entrepreneurship”.  That can cover a lot!

Be sure to do your homework and seek out all the similar sites out there so you can a) determine a niche not yet addressed that you can target and b) so you know all the great folks you can network with. 

What you mention will require a lot of work and dedication to gather legitimate resources and be there to support and reply to the tons of e-mails you will receive.  I can tell you that it is worth the work and expense to be there for our returning heroes.  

If you think I can help in any way, just let me know.   Good luck with your project!

@trudy I’ve talked with our local Goodwill career center about offering some similar type back-to-work or next-level-entrepreneur workshops. They’re always interested in putting people to work. Since our career center is run by an ex commander of our local American Legion, he shared with me that there is grant money available to run such workshops for veterans. That means your funding could be provided elsewhere, instead of from the vets. 

Not all Goodwill stores have career centers, so you’ll have to hunt around for the career center they sponsor nearest you. But definitely call the nearest one, as they can really help you on this. And if you can’t find one where you are, I can put you in touch with the vet who runs the one near me. I’m sure he’ll be glad to talk with you.

I work with barbering and cosmetology schools who teach returning vets entrepreneurship. State Vet groups offer tuition assistance. There must also be other trade groups helpful to women entrepreneurs.

Check with the State VAs. They are gung-ho about helping returning vets. Funding is often available.