HerVoice:

Empowering Veteran Women Entrepreneurs

To Our Sisters-in-Arms,

Thank you for taking the time to participate in this empowering experience. Your feedback is crucial in helping us understand the landscape for veteran women entrepreneurs and your unique journey.

Background:

Veteran women entrepreneurs play a pivotal role in our business landscape, driving innovation, economic growth, and employment opportunities. Despite your invaluable contributions, we know you often encounter unique obstacles on your path to success. To better understand and address these challenges, we are conducting a targeted survey aimed specifically at you—veteran women business owners.

Purpose:

The HerVoice survey seeks to glean insights into your experiences, needs, and aspirations of entrepreneurs. By delving into your challenges and resource requirements, we will be armed with the data to craft tailored initiatives and programs to bolster your success.

Specifically, the survey aims to:

Identify Barriers:

Illuminating the primary challenges faced by veteran women entrepreneurs.

Access to Resources:

Evaluating the availability of essential resources such as capital, training, and knowledge/access to contracting opportunities.

Inform Policy and Programs:

Advocating for targeted policies and programs that address the unique needs of veteran women entrepreneurs.

Foster Collaborations:

Facilitating strategic partnerships to enhance support networks for veteran women entrepreneurs.

Benefits of Participation - Influence Change, Access Resources, Network, Visibility, Recognition and Community Empowerment:

Your voice can directly impact the development of policies and programs supporting the entrepreneur ecosystem for veteran women owned businesses.
Your voice will provide insight that can guide the creation of tailored initiatives to address identified gaps in services and support.
Your voice creates a community of shared experiences, and the opportunity to connect with peers, experts, and support organizations across the nation.
Your voice will aid in raising awareness of the true impact of veteran women owned businesses and create enhanced opportunities to highlight your contributions.
Your voice contributes to amplifying our narrative, advocating for relevant resources, and drive positive change within the veteran women entrepreneur community.

The HerVoice survey presents a unique opportunity to shape the future of support and enhance our entrepreneur ecosystem. We encourage all veteran women entrepreneurs to let your voice be heard and join us in forging a more inclusive and supportive environment for your entrepreneur journey.

Statistical data underscores the significance of veteran women entrepreneurs. With approximately 2.05 million women veterans in the United States, comprising nearly 10% of the total veteran population, and an estimated 15.2% of all veteran-owned businesses being women-owned, generating billions in annual revenue, the impact of veteran women entrepreneurs cannot be overstated.

The narrative for veteran women entrepreneurs is yours to create. Let your voice be heard!

Tell Us About Yourself

First Name *

Last Name *

State *

City *

Postal code *

Email *

Hispanic or Latino(a) *

Yes

Prefer not to say

Race

Age *

Do you have a disability (including during your service)? *

Are you located in a rural community? In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. *

Are you a socially disadvantaged business? Socially disadvantaged individuals are those who have been subjected to racial or ethnic prejudice or cultural bias within American society because of their identities as members of groups and without regard to their individual qualities. The social disadvantage must stem from circumstances beyond their control. *

Branch Served *

Military Status *

Military Rank *

Business Composition

What is the legal structure of your business?

How long have you been in business?

How many employees did you have at the end of the last fiscal year?

What were your annual revenue for the last fiscal year?

Is your business 51% or more owned by a female Veteran?

What is your primary business industry?

Primary Business Industry

Goods-Producing Industries

Natural Resources and Mining

Construction

Manufactoring

Military Service and Entrepreneurship

What were the biggest challenges you faced when transitioning from military service to entrepreneurship?

Did you receive any specific training or support related to entrepreneurship during your military service? *

If yes, please describe the type of training or support you received.

Did you receive any support or resources specifically tailored to women veterans starting businesses? *

Business Challenges and Impact

Are you in need of assistance for your business? *

If yes, what type of assistance do you need?

Have you used government assistance for your business? *

How has the current economy impacted your business? *

What impact did COVID-19 have on your business? *

Business Challenges and Impact (CONT.)

Access to Capital and Contracts

Have you faced challenges accessing financing for your business? *

Yes

Not sure

How do you rate the availability of resources and support for veteran women-owned businesses in your community? *

Access to Capital and Contracts (CONT.)

Do you currently hold contracts with any private companies? *

Do you currently hold contracts with the federal government? *

How did you initially learn about the contracting process for your business? *

Are you in need of assistance obtaining contracts for your business? *

Yes

Possibly

If yes, what is the primary barrier preventing you from obtaining contracts? *

Lack of access to contracting opportunities

Limited knowledge of the bidding process

Difficulty meeting eligibility requirements

Insufficient networking and relationship-building

Other

Technology Adoption

Have you faced any challenges or barriers in adopting new technologies for your business? *

Yes

Business Growth and Development

Have you participated in any business development programs specifically tailored for veteran women-owned businesses? *

If yes, please specify the program(s) you participated in and the impact they had on your business.

What are your primary goals for the growth and development of your business in the next 10 years?

What do you need for your business to grow? *

Family Support and Workplace Policies

Is your business family-owned? *

If yes, do family members work there?

Do you provide any paid leave to your employees? *

Yes

Not applicable

If yes, what types of paid leave do you offer?

Do you provide childcare assistance or resources for your employees? *

Yes

Not applicable

Do you offer any other family-friendly policies or benefits to support your employees? *

If yes, please specify the family-friendly policies or benefits you provide.

Training and Education (CONT.)

Have you participated in any training or educational programs to enhance your business skills? *

Yes

Have you participated in any formal educational programs or workshops specifically tailored for veteran women business owners? *

Yes

If yes, please specify the types of training or education you've received and their impact on your business.

Have you sought out informal learning opportunities, such as online courses or self-study materials, to improve your business skills? *

Yes

If yes, please specify the types of informal learning resources you've utilized and their effectiveness in enhancing your business knowledge.

Do you believe there is a need for more specialized training programs tailored specifically to address the challenges and opportunities faced by veteran women business owners? *

Yes

Unsure

Networking and Collaboration

Have you engaged in networking activities with other veteran women business owners? *

If yes, what types of networking opportunities have you found most beneficial? *

Industry Conferences

Local business meetups

Online forums or communities

Veteran-specific networking events

How valuable were these programs in providing guidance and support for your business endeavors? *

Have you collaborated with other businesses or organizations to achieve your business goals?

If yes, how beneficial have these collaborations been for your business? *

Very beneficial

Somewhat beneficial

Not beneficial

Not applicable

Community Involvement

Are you involved in any community initiatives or organizations that support veteran women business owners? *

Yes

If yes, please specify the organizations or initiatives you're involved in and your level of participation.

Success Metrics and Overall Satisfaction

What types of support or resources do you believe would be most beneficial for veteran women business owners in your community? *

How do you define success for your business? *

What are the key milestones or achievements you have reached in your entrepreneurial journey? *

What are your primary business goals for the next 12 months?

On a scale of 1 to 5, how satisfied are you with the support and resources available to veteran women business owners in your community? *

What advice would you give to other women veterans considering entrepreneurship? *

Long Term Goals

What are your long-term goals for your business?

Do you plan to expand your business in the future? *

Yes

If yes, what are your expansion plans?

Have you encountered any barriers or obstacles unique to women veterans in starting or running your business? *

Yes

If yes, please specify the barriers or obstacles you have faced.

What support or resources do you believe would be most beneficial for women veterans starting businesses? *

Succession Planning

Have you developed a succession plan for your business? *

Yes

If yes, please briefly describe your succession plan.

What factors influenced your decision to develop a succession plan?

Have you identified potential successors for your business? *

Yes

If yes, please provide details about the identified successors.

What challenges or concerns have you encountered in the succession planning process?

Have you sought professional assistance or guidance for succession planning? *

Yes

Thank you!

Do you have a burning question that we did not address? Please share any additional issue(s) you feel are relevant as a woman veteran entrepreneur. We are truly listening.

I am okay with the survey creator reaching out to me regarding any follow-up questions. *

Yes

If interested/willing to be contacted by phone, please share your number below.

Phone