As a new small business owner, you have the opportunity to staff your company with skilled individuals who deserve extra care from their communities. Military veterans sacrifice a great deal during service and go through a major adjustment when they come home. With this guide, you can consider giving back by hiring veterans for your business.
Start With Business Best Practices
First, you have to create a strong business if you are going to hire anyone. Start by addressing some business best practices. For example, most small businesses register as limited liability companies. An LLC registration comes with many benefits, including tax advantages, liability protection for your personal assets, minimal paperwork, and flexibility. Every state regulates registration differently. Therefore, when you go online to use a formation service, be sure to check your state laws first.
The best way to establish your company culture is by creating an employee handbook. If you want it to be a PDF, you can make it look professional. Trying to edit a PDF can be frustrating. You typically have limited ability to edit. However, you can use a free PDF to Word converter to change it into a Word document for editing. You upload the PDF, convert it, make edits, and save it as a PDF again.
Find Jobs They Would Excel In
Given the skills that veterans obtain in their military careers, you can find positions in your business where they can excel. For example, a military supply store similar to CLR Marine could use veteran employees with extensive knowledge about the products you sell. For veterans without higher education degrees, they could transition well into a security position. Veterans with degrees often find good management positions because of their experience in leadership. For example, if you need a project manager, military personnel are detail-oriented and responsible on the job. They have experience placing team members and assessing problems.
Enjoy the Benefits
As a business owner, you also get to enjoy the benefits that veterans can bring to your company. For example, the Work Opportunity Tax Credit is a business deduction provided to employers for hiring veterans. You can also access salary reimbursement, subsidies from training, and free assistance. Research shows that veterans typically have a strong work ethic and an advanced understanding of technology. The salary reimbursement benefit comes from the Special Employer Incentives program, which allows employers to get money back for certain supplies, training, and equipment needed for veterans to do their jobs.
Help Foster Their Success
There is pride in knowing that you are helping a veteran. They gave so much, many of them sacrificing time with their families, to serve a cause. As a business owner, you can offer them a steady income and a way to take care of their loved ones. You could also offer them access to higher education through government programs and help them improve their lives through training and promotion opportunities. Ultimately, it creates a company image that you can benefit from as well.
Part of hiring veterans is establishing a company culture that promotes care. As the business owner, you have the opportunity to support military veterans by offering them a mutually beneficial position in your company. Keep an open dialogue with your staff so you can learn more about what they need and what they can provide your business.
Wriiten and submitted by Kelli Brewer
