![[infographic] Veteran Entrepreneurship: A Long, Proud Tradition](https://blog.streetshares.com/hs-fs/hubfs/open-small-business-fb.jpg?width=1200&name=open-small-business-fb.jpg)
Written by Mark Rockefeller
Entrepreneurship by U.S. military veterans is a longstanding tradition in America.
Following WWII, millions of American military veterans became business owners. This "greatest generation" sparked an economic boom, and America flourished. Banks were smaller, community-oriented, and supported small business. And business owners had access to veteran small business loans.
Times have changed.
Today's veteran entrepreneurs face a capital landscape as inhospitable as the Afghan countryside.
I returned from Iraq in 2008, as the financial crisis was just beginning. Today, regulatory burdens on banks, big bank consolidation, and dwindling community banks leave today's would-be veteran small business owners with few funding options.
Must my generation of veterans choose between difficult-to-obtain bank loans and costly online loan sharks?
No. Today's veterans have a secret weapon.
Learn how we can save veterans entrepreneurship together:
Need a veteran business loan? Check out our veteran page for more information!
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