When you want to level up a brand new business, there’s no better way than hiring veterans to be part of your team. Veterans have the sort of dedication and attention to detail that you’re looking for, plus they’ve put these talents to work serving their country. It makes sense that you would want to help them out by making vets top priority hires for your startup.
Presented below by PeerSource, this guide can provide a little extra insight into how to recruit, hire, train, and retain veterans for your team.
Getting a New Business Organized
If you want to attract top talent to your new business, you need to be sure that you have completed every single task on your setup list to a T. This includes making sure:
You’ve Chosen the Right Structure
Will you operate as a sole proprietorship or an LLC? It’s an important question that many aspiring business owners forget to ask themselves, but it’s also one that could help your startup save the money you need to successfully recruit and hire veterans as staff members. Choosing the right structure can, in fact, mean saving big time on your taxes while also shielding your personal assets from potential liability. When you decide to go for an LLC model, entrepreneurs find that using a formation service can be a real money-saver. Moreover, formation services can also file your annual report with the state on your behalf.
You’re Working With a Solid Plan
When you begin recruiting and interviewing veterans, the first thing they may want to know about is your business goals. If you haven’t written a formal business plan yet to define these, now is a great time to start. Having a thoughtfully written plan will show prospective employees, partners, and investors that you are serious about starting your new business and turning it into a success. Remember to keep physical and digital copies of your business plan; that way, you can have it available in both formats when needed. If you convert your plan to a PDF, remember to use an online tool to compress PDF files, making them easier to send via email.
Finding and Hiring Veterans for Your Startup
Once you have the bones of your business worked out, you can refocus your efforts on recruiting the right veterans for your new team. Keeping the following in mind helps you be a better boss overall.
Your “Why” for Wanting to Hire Veterans
This is important. Do a little research and you will see that there are endless reasons why more business owners should make an effort to hire veterans. At the same time, it helps to clarify your reason for wanting to do so. Are you a veteran yourself? Great! This can make it even easier to connect with veterans.
Your Business’s Resources for Supporting Vets
Veterans can have the right skills, talents, and experiences to make for an excellent addition to your team. If, however, you plan on hiring veterans for your business but are not a veteran yourself, it’s wise to educate yourself around some of the challenges facing them.
Mental health can be a major concern for many veterans, so make sure you are willing and have the resources needed to support employees who may be dealing with PTSD, anxiety, and other service-related issues. If you’re not familiar with the military lifestyle, it’s also critical that you know which topics and questions can be sensitive matters for those who have served. As just one example, the topic of Veteran’s Day may seem innocuous to civilians but can carry weight for veterans.
Carving out room in your team for veterans is a noble move and one that can provide major benefits for your new business. You just need to make sure you have your organization in order before recruiting veterans — or any employees, for that matter. Perhaps more importantly, carefully think about why you want to hire veterans and how you will support veterans on your team.
