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Do you have a business or work for yourself? Have you had a business in the past? Are you thinking about going into business for yourself? We are seeking feedback from the military-affiliated community on your experiences with entrepreneurship.
If you are a:
And you are currently in business for yourself, have owned a business in the past, or are interested in operating your own business or venture someday – we want to hear from you!
The National Survey of Military-Affiliated Entrepreneurs (NSMAE) is a multi-year, annual, and longitudinal study seeking to gain a better understanding of military-affiliated entrepreneurs. The goal is to better understand opportunities and barriers faced by military-affiliated entrepreneurs. This information will be used to create a public dataset and research that can inform practitioners, policy makers, and communities about these needs and advance opportunities for this community. This research is supported by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.
Encourage your network to be a voice for their community! We know the greater the response, the more powerful our collective voice is. We have developed a toolkit full of social media posts and graphics that you can use to spread the word on your social media channels.
Thank you to our 2022 outreach partners and collaborators. Visit the series page to learn more about our partners and collaborators.
If you are interested in becoming an outreach partner and collaborator please reach out to ivmfsurvey@syr.edu.
Are you a member of the media or a nonprofit organization that supports military, veteran, and military family communities? And are you interested in partnering with IVMF to promote the 2022 survey? Please contact ivmfresearch@syr.edu.
For questions about our survey, contact ivmfsurvey@syr.edu.
What: With support from the Kauffman Foundation, the IVMF has launched a multi-year, annual and longitudinal study of veteran and military spouse entrepreneurs. This initiative is designed to address critical gaps in our understanding of veteran and military spouse entrepreneurs and the supporting mechanisms needed to assist throughout their entrepreneurial journey.
Who: We are looking for military-affiliated individuals who have started a business, currently own/operate a business, or are interested in entrepreneurship.
Who is military affiliated? We use military-affiliated to capture various populations:
Why: We want to develop the largest national public dataset that includes insights into critical knowledge gaps regarding military-affiliated entrepreneurs in order to learn how best to assist them throughout their entrepreneurial journey. The goal of the survey is to inform public, private, and nonprofit practitioners (SBA, VOBS, Financial Institutions, PTACs, corporations interested in collaborating with veteran-owned businesses, etc.), policymakers, and the academic community about the unique characteristics and needs of military-affiliated entrepreneurs.
Key topics: individual and military characteristics; aspirational and business-related metrics; attitudes towards entrepreneurship; connectivity of resources, networks, mentorship, and information; local economic and policy factors; and family and wellness.
Thank you to all who participated in the 2020 NSMAE. Thanks to more than 2,500 of you we were able to collect a dataset that has been great source of current insights for public and private sector leaders, policymakers, and community-based organization on systemic barriers to and drivers of entrepreneurial success among veterans and their family members. Additionally, your insights assisted in creating new programs and initiatives to better serve your fellow military-affiliated entrepreneurs. To learn more about the 2020 results and to read reports and briefs, please visit: https://ivmf.syracuse.edu/nsmae/
