VETRN

06/18/2025

Education empowers business owners to start a small business.

offers the Military Spouse Pathway to Business class, which helps military spouses build core skills.

Register for in-person or virtual classes, and enhance your skills, business plans & funding techniques!

VETRN recommends signing up today to take this no-cost course at your own pace: https://bit.ly/43dmNOn

10/24/2022

Searching for local resources to strengthen your ? Don’t miss National Veterans Small Business Week Oct. 31-Nov. 4! Get the details: https://bit.ly/3dSxRuh

10/20/2022

Save the date! National Veterans Small Business Week begins Oct.31-Nov.4. Visit https://bit.ly/3dSxRuh for more information.

10/19/2022

In advance of National Veterans Small Business Week, Oct 31st - Nov 4th, SBA announces over $4 million in new funding to expand Veterans Business Owner Outreach. Please read the announcement here:

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10/05/2022

Lee Goldberg, President of VETRN, is proud to announce that VETRN is one of four nationally recognized organizations to be awarded SBA grant funding to deliver existing training programs through the SBA’s Service-Disabled Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Program. The VETRN program, now in its 8th year, is a national online program that trains veterans and service-disabled veterans in how to successfully grow their small businesses or complete a 12-month turnaround plan.

In her announcement of the SBA Funding Awards, SBA Administrator Isabella Guzman states: “Helping America’s service-connected entrepreneurs is not only the right thing to do, it also helps create jobs and powers our innovation economy and global competitiveness. Through our Service-Disabled Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Program, the SBA is giving our existing training programs a boost to better serve and support these dedicated, mission-driven entrepreneurs.”

VETRN is grateful to its Board of Directors, Sponsors, Guest Experts, Mentors, the SBA and the SBA Office of Veterans Business Development, all of whom have supported and encouraged the VETRN program and its impactful programming designed to support the veteran and service-disabled veteran community. With this SBA grant funding and recognition, VETRN is proud to continue supporting this community who has directly benefited from attending the VETRN program.

08/29/2022

VETRN Announces the Start of Its 2022 VETRN MBA Online Program

VETRN’s President, Lee Goldberg and Program Manager, David Ferrara are excited to announce the start of the 2022 VETRN MBA Online program on October 1st. This online cohort includes 14 veteran small business owners and family members from 10 different states across the country. This is the 8th year of the VETRN MBA training program, teaching veteran participants, service-disabled veterans, and family members how to successfully grow their veteran owned small business. To date, 90 veteran small business owners and family members have graduated from the VETRN program, with many successes and successful pivot stories achieved. The VETRN MBA program is free of charge to all veteran participants.

VETRN is also thrilled to have received sponsorship support this year from many banks, credit unions, VETRN graduates, networking organizations, board members and friends of VETRN, including its newest sponsor Webster Bank. To VETRN’s many multi-year bank and credit union sponsors and to all of you who have provided VETRN with sponsorship support in 2022 and in prior years, VETERN thanks you for your support and for helping veterans and family members achieve their dreams and goals of becoming successful small business owners.

VETRN would also like to thank its extensive list of mentors, guest experts, panel judges, and professional resources, who have selflessly volunteered their time. A heartfelt thank you goes out to TMA Global and its local Chapter Presidents, as well as VBOC Director, Ray Milano, the SBA VBOC regional offices and the regional SCORE and SBDC chapters for providing access to local chapter resources and personal mentors for each VETRN participant across the country.

Given the revenue and cash flow challenges brought about by supply chain issues, cost increases, employee challenges, the Ukraine war and its impact on inflation, energy and food costs, VETRN will continue to teach its courses in “How to Manage Through a Financial Crisis” and “Understanding How to Deal with your Lender”, as well as offer the option of preparing a 12-month turnaround plan in lieu of a growth plan. In addition, VETRN is proud to continue its relationship and contracts with LivePlan and IBISWorld to provide additional tools and resources to its VETRN participants to augment its intensive 14-week curriculum.

VETRN continues to look ahead toward expanding the VETRN MBA program and its veteran small business network in the coming years.

05/09/2022

Lee Goldberg and VETRN wish to congratulate all the SBA Massachusetts Award recipients who were recognized May 5th at the annual MA SBA Awards Ceremony, the first in-person ceremony since Covid-19. A special congratulations goes to Brian LaFauci of Won Sports Inc. who received the Veteran Owned Business of the Year Award. Brian is an Air Force veteran, a former Director of the New England Veteran Business Outreach Center, and a graduate of the VETRN MBA Online Program. In addition, we would like to congratulate Kathleen Kelly, Senior Vice President of Webster Bank, recipient of the Financial Champion of the Year Award. Kathleen is also a financial advisor and resource for VETRN and veteran small business owners. In 2021, Kathy closed $21 million in SBA funding to veterans, women, minorities and the LBGTQ community. Kudos as well to Bob Nelson and his entire MA SBA District Office Team for closing a record number of SBA, PPP and EIDL loans in 2021, for assisting small business owners throughout MA and the region, and for a successful Awards Ceremony attended by over 250 people.

05/09/2022

VETRN Announces its 2022 MBA Online Program
For Veteran Small Business Owners and Family Members

VETRN’s President, Lee Goldberg and Program Manager, David Ferrara are excited to announce the start of the 2022 VETRN MBA Online program for the Fall of 2022. The 2022 online cohort is expected to include 20 or more veteran small business owners and family members from across the country. This class starts our 8th year of the VETRN MBA training program, teaching veteran participants how to successfully grow their veteran owned small business. To date, 90 veteran small business owners and family members have graduated from the VETRN program, with many successes and successful pivot stories to date. The VETRN MBA program is free of charge.

To all of you who have provided VETRN with sponsorship support in 2021 and in prior years, thank you for your support and for helping veterans and family members achieve their dreams and goals of becoming successful small business owners. We hope that you will continue to provide your support for our 2022 VETRN Online program.

As the VETRN MBA program is now a national online program, identifying local mentors for each of our class participants continues to be a challenge. In addition to our own substantial list of mentors, guest experts, panel judges, and professional resources, who have selflessly volunteered their time, our heartfelt thank you goes out to Ray Milano and the SBA VBOC regional offices, the regional SBDC and SCORE Chapters, and to TMA Global and its local Chapter Presidents, for providing access to local resources so that every VETRN participant across the country has access to a personal mentor.

As is the 2021 VETRN Program, and in recognition of the continuing revenue and cash flow challenges to small businesses throughout the USA, we will continue to teach our two classes in 2022 on: “How to Manage Through a Financial Crisis” and “Understanding How to Deal with your Lender”. VETRN will also continue with the option of preparing a 12-month turnaround plan in lieu of a growth plan. VETRN will also continue with contracts with LivePlan and IBISWorld to provide additional tools and resources to our VETRN participants to augment its intensive 14-week curriculum.

So, as we begin our 8th year of the VETRN MBA program and our 3rd year of online programing, David and I are very appreciative of everyone involved with the VETRN program and are excited about teaching this year’s 2022 cohort. We look forward to the continued expansion of the VETRN MBA program, our veteran small business network, our VETRN graduate community and the VETRN support community in the years ahead.

04/26/2022

VETRN Announces Graduation of 14 Veterans and Family Members from its 2021 VETRN MBA Online Program

VETRN’s President, Lee Goldberg and Program Manager, David Ferrara are thrilled to announce the graduation of 14 veterans and family members from the 2021 VETRN MBA Online program on April 16, 2022. The 2021 online cohort included veteran small business owners and family members from 10 different states across the country. This class completed our 7th year of the VETRN MBA training program, teaching veteran participants how to successfully grow their veteran owned small business. With this class, VETRN has now graduated 90 veteran small business owners and family members from the VETRN program, with numerous successes and successful pivot stories to date. So, congratulations once again to our 2021 program graduates.

At the Graduation, the VETRN participants presented either a three-year growth plan or a twelve-month turnaround plan to a distinguished panel of judges from the business, banking, SBA, VBOC, SBDC and turnaround management communities. At the conclusion of their Final Presentations, a graduation ceremony took place where each graduate was recognized and officially received their VETRN 2021 Program Certificate of Completion. The recording of the introductions of the VETRN graduates, the panel judges and the guests, including the graduation ceremony itself has been posted on the Home Page of the VETRN website.

This year, VETRN was proud to honor Amy Amoroso, VBOC Director for New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and Bob Nelson, SBA District Director for the MA SBA office. Amy received national recognition from the SBA as one of three 2022 National Small Business Resource Partners honored for their outstanding work in support of women, veterans, military spouses and veteran small business owners. Bob Nelson received a Certificate of Appreciation from VETRN for his ongoing support of veterans and small businesses and the outstanding work by Bob and his Staff for their historic achievement in FY 2021 of almost $1 Billon in combined 7a and 504 loans, which was a 43% increase over the prior year.

To all of you who have provided VETRN with sponsorship support in 2021 and in prior years, thank you for your support and for helping veterans and family members achieve their dreams and goals of becoming successful small business owners.

As the VETRN MBA program has grown into a national online program, identifying local mentors for each of our class participants has been challenging. In addition to our own list of mentors, guest experts and professional resources, who have selflessly volunteered their time, our heartfelt thank you goes out to TMA Global and its local Chapter Presidents, Ray Milano and the SBA VBOC regional offices and regional SCORE Chapters for providing access to local chapter resources so that every VETRN participant across the country had access to a personal mentor.

We would also like to thank our VETRN Board members, guest experts, mentors, panel judges and professional resources for volunteering their time and expertise to the VETRN program.

David and I are very appreciative of everyone involved with the VETRN program, and we are both looking forward to and cheering on the successful business growth of our graduates.

04/14/2022

VETRN is proud to send its heartiest congratulations to Amy Amoroso and the McNulty Center in Watervliet, NY on the announcement by the SBA that the McNulty Center is one of three 2022 National Small Business Week Resource Partners being honored by the SBA for their outstanding work with partnerships and community leaders in support of women, veterans, military spouses, and veteran owned small businesses.

Amy is the Veteran Business Outreach Center (VBOC) Director covering New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The McNulty Center is also a VETRN partner.

I am so proud to be working with Amy and the McNulty Center as a partner and VETRN program supporter in the work that we do to support the successful growth of veteran owned small businesses throughout the USA. Thank you so much, Amy, for your dedication, commitment, and passion in working with veterans, service members, and military spouses to start and grow their own small businesses.

Congratulations once again, Amy. I am so proud of you and the work that you do and proud to partner with you in supporting the veteran small business community!!

Lee Goldberg, Founder and President of VETRN

04/04/2022

FINANCIAL LITERACY MONTH FOR VETERAN ENTREPRENEURS: ACCESS CAPITAL

This April, the SBA is celebrating Financial Literacy Month. If you’re preparing to bring your business to life, expand your services, or even open a new location, the SBA has resources to help. Whatever your circumstances, use this month to take the next step with your small business.

With an extensive network of skilled business advisors and reliable lenders, the SBA has the financial tools you need to achieve small business success. Learn more about the SBA’s access to capital resources for veteran entrepreneurs.

SBA Funding Programs
From small business loans and grant-funded programs, the SBA offers a variety of funding programs to fit your business needs:

- Loans: Find SBA-guaranteed loans to start or grow your business. https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans
- Investment Capital: Identify a potential SBA-licensed investor for your business. https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/investment-capital
- Disaster Assistance https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/disaster-assistance: Get access to low-interest disaster recovery loans, including the Military Reservist Economic Injury - Disaster Loan (MREIDL). https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/disaster-assistance/military-reservist-loan
- Surety Bonds: Protect your work and clients with an SBA-guaranteed surety bond. https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/surety-bonds
- Grants: Look for grant funding based on your industry. https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/grants

Lender Readiness
Is your business lender ready? Before reaching out to lenders, update your business plan and financial projections. It’s important to understand how much capital you need and how you plan to use it. Consider your credit history, industry experience, and any collateral you could use to help guarantee the loan. Your local Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC) can help prepare you get lender ready.

Finding the right lender is an important next step. The SBA has made it easy for entrepreneurs to access lenders. With Lender Match, a free online tool, the SBA connects small businesses with SBA-approved Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) and small lenders. Answer questions about your business, try the SBA Lender Match tool, and get matched with lenders within two days.

This blog was originally written by the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Veterans Business Development. To learn more about OVBD visit, sba.gov/ovbd.

The mission of this office is to maximize the availability of administration small business programs for veterans and their dependents or survivors.

03/14/2022

American Veterans Helping Ukraine in its Fight for Freedom

Lee Goldberg, President of VETRN, understands the importance of freedom and being able to live in an open and free society. As a combat veteran and officer in Vietnam doing the Tet Offensive, he quickly learned to appreciate how lucky he is to have been born and living in the United States. He returned safely, but 59,000 of his fellow American soldiers did not return. He literally kissed the ground upon returning to the US after his tour of duty. Like many of us who were born and live in the USA, his family originated from Eastern Europe – Lithuania and Odessa, Ukraine. His wife’s family came from Poland in the 1930’s to escape Hi**er. Many of her family members were killed during the Holocaust.

VETRN was founded in 2013 to support the veteran small business owner community and their families so they could live a better life – a life where they could become successful running their own small businesses. They served their country. They are so lucky to be living in the USA and be given the freedom and opportunity to live their lives as hey choose, vote for their leaders, and not have their lives or their family threatened by a dictator.

The people in Ukraine want nothing more than to have the freedom to live their life as they choose. To elect their own leaders. To live a peaceful life. They share the same dream as us. They want nothing more than to be free. They look to the USA and a free Europe as the example of how they want to live their lives.

Today, hundreds of American veterans have poured into Ukraine and the Polish border to do humanitarian work or to assist the country’s military in the battle against Russian forces. These former US servicemen include medics, ambulance drivers and even combat soldiers. Thousands of citizens from other free countries are now assisting Ukraine in their struggle for freedom.

Lee states “I am so proud to read and hear about the American veterans who are risking their own lives and are now helping the Ukrainians, more than 2.5 million of whom have escaped from their homeland because they cherish freedom and refuse to live under a brutal dictator in Russia who tells them that they have no right to exist as their own country.”