American Military Veteran Entrepreneurs: A Comprehensive Profile of Demographic, Service History, and Psychosocial Characteristics

Abstract

American military veterans are nearly twice as likely to be self-employed compared to non-veterans, and are majority owners in nine percent of all businesses nationwide. Despite their contribution to the broader economy and the potential for training programs to cultivate and foster successful self-employment and veteran-lead entrepreneurial ventures, research on veteran entrepreneurs remains limited. In order to gain a better understanding of the potential strengths and vulnerabilities of veteran entrepreneurs, the current study utilized data from a large, nationally representative sample to profile self-employed veterans (n=230) and compare them to veterans who work as employees (n=1,055) with respect to demographic, military service history, and psychosocial characteristics. Results indicated that self-employed veterans were older and more educated and more likely to utilize VA healthcare. Self-employed veterans were more likely to serve in Vietnam and to serve in the military for fewer years. No differences were noted in perceived military experience, level of combat exposure, or military branch served as a function of self-employment. Although reporting more lifetime traumas, self-employed veterans did not experience higher rates of current or lifetime psychopathology or lower perceived quality of life. Potential protective resilience-promoting factors may be associated with the higher levels of openness, extraversion, optimism, achievement-orientation (purpose in life), and greater need for autonomy and professional development observed among self-employed veterans. Moreover, self-employed veterans demonstrated higher levels of gratitude, community integration, and altruistic service to others. Findings have potential to inform human resources management strategies and vocational training and reintegration initiatives for veterans.

The National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study: A Narrative Review and Future Directions

“…Efforts to support self-employment may help mitigate unemployment among veterans. Results from Heinz et al (74) demonstrated that veteran entrepreneurs experienced a higher number of traumas compared to non-entrepreneurs, but veterans entrepreneurs did not report higher levels of PTSD or other psychopathology. These results suggest that higher trait levels of optimism, extraversion, gratitude, curiosity (i.e., need for autonomy), and openness may contribute to resilience in veteran entrepreneurs.…”

Psychological Construction and Cultivation of New Entrepreneurs Using Industrial Cluster Theory and Multidimensional Structure Model

“…Learning effect A successful enterprise often provides other enterprises in the industrial cluster with labor division and cooperation opportunities in a complex environment, and take full advantage of entrepreneurial resources to establish new enterprises successfully and achieve economic and social profits (Ratna, 2018). Some researchers propose that the dependence of entrepreneurs on resources and personal characteristics has a great impact on the success of enterprises, and it also plays an important role in promoting the development and growth of science and technology (Heinz et al, 2017;Lv et al, 2021).…”

To Work for Yourself, for Others, or Not at All? How Disability Benefits Affect the Employment Decisions of Older Veterans

“…While research on veteran self‐employment is quite limited, Heinz et al. (2017) report that veterans who are self‐employed tend to be older and more educated and to have had shorter military careers than veterans who are employees. This pattern of self‐employment rising with age, which is also seen in the general population (Fuchs, 1982; Zissimopoulos & Karoly, 2007), may reflect a desire among some workers to use self‐employment as a means of retiring gradually, particularly in the presence of hours constraints or in order to facilitate a change of occupation.…”