Ross Spano: “I thank Ranking Member Chabot for yielding. I rise today in support of the Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Act of…”

“I thank Ranking Member Chabot for yielding. I rise today in support of the Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Act of 2019, a bill that I was proud to introduce with Representative Schneider. This bill authorizes the Boots to Business Program for 5 years, which provides educational opportunities to veterans and their families on how to start and manage their own small businesses. Veterans often have the natural temperament and experience to be successful entrepreneurs. They are trained to be confident leaders and they know how to make tough decisions in very, very difficult environments. However, many veterans often retire from the service with all the right tools but lack the knowledge on how to apply them in the business world. The Boots to Business Program fills this gap. As a pilot program, it provides a number of opportunities to educate veterans in entrepreneurship. The flagship offering of the program is the Introduction to Entrepreneurship course, a 2-day, in-person training on the fundamental principles of business ownership. Specifically, the course teaches participants how to recognize business opportunities, create a business plan, and consider the legal and financial aspects of how to operate a business. This allows veterans to come to the course with the beginnings of a business idea and leave with the tools to turn it into a viable business model.…”