The origin of Veteran’s Day began on November 11, 1918 when at 11:00am when the Allied powers signed a ceasefire agreement ending World War I.
On the first anniversary, the United States celebrate Armistice Day. It became a national holiday in 1938 and in 1954 President Dwight D. Eisenhower officially changed the name to Veterans Day.
According to data from a report from the SBA Office of Advocacy 9.1 percent of all business owners are veterans. Nearly one in 10 small businesses nationwide are veteran-owned. Collectively, these 2.4 million small businesses employ almost 6 million Americans and generate more than $1 trillion in receipts.
In an article in Entrepreneur Magazine, Carol Tice highlights 6 ways Small Business Owners Can Celebrate Veterans Day, to honor the men and women that bravely served.
- Patronize veteran-owned businesses. There’s a directory of them here, if you don’t already know of one.
- If you have employees, give them the day off. Veterans Day is often one of those holidays that gets glossed over, or that doesn’t seem important enough to close up shop. It is. Give your workers a day to attend a veteran’s parade or just think on what we all owe our service members.
- Offer veterans a discount. Service members deserve a break. If you give a deal to seniors, kids, or any other group, consider putting veterans on your list.
- Help a veteran start a business or grow one. There are great organizations such as The Veterans Corporation that exist just to help vets become entrepreneurs. Many franchisors also offer special programs to assist veterans in becoming franchisees. If you know about a resource and see a vet struggling with their business, lend a hand.
- Tell a veteran you appreciate their service. Sounds corny, but they deserve our thanks, and I bet they’d love to hear it said out loud.
- Talk to your kids about the holiday. It’s important that the next generation understand all that’s been sacrificed for their benefit.
As the nation marks Veterans Day 2013, we continue to build on ways to help our Veterans, including debt-free funding using a Thrift Savings Plan. If you are a veteran and are looking for funding for a small business, schedule a consultation.