Joining Forces to Help Military Entrepreneurs Succeed

eMentor and the Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) have joined forces to increase the number of successful entrepreneurs from the military community by offering military veteran and military spouse entrepreneurs with easy to use, flexible online mentorship support. Military Entrepreneur eMentor connects aspiring entrepreneurs with more seasoned entrepreneurs and business professionals for dynamic mentoring experiences that powerfully move protégés forward in achieving their entrepreneurial goals. Protégés will receive personalized guidance, advice, support and inspiration from successful veteran, military spouse, and civilian career mentors. Membership is free to both mentors and protégés.

Protégés –
Who is Eligible to Join?

Military Entrepreneur eMentor Protégés may join by invitation only and must be graduates of IVMF’s Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans (EBV), Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans’ Families (EBV-F), or Veteran Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship (V-WISE). These programs are considered the gold-standard for those aspiring to start or grow their own businesses. For those who are not yet alumni of these programs, you are invited to apply for an IVMF program and will later be encouraged to join the Military Entrepreneur eMentor Program upon graduation. Visit https://ivmf.syracuse.edu/our-programs/ to learn more about the IVMF entrepreneurship programs.

Mentors – Iron Sharpens Iron

Share What You Know!

Business mentoring accelerates success. For entrepreneurs, working with a mentor boosts their success exponentially when a seasoned mentor provides needed expertise and guidance. If you are a successful entrepreneur or business professional who enjoys sharing your experience to help an aspiring business owner realize their dream, please consider becoming a mentor today.

As a mentor, you will be able to volunteer as your schedule permits from wherever you are — by connecting with military entrepreneurs online, 24/7 — for one-on-one, email and phone-based mentoring relationships. There is no minimum time commitment, but most mentors engage with their protégés for an average of 60 – 90 minutes per month.

Mentors are selected for their expertise and willingness to support protégés with:

Providing timely advice to military entrepreneurs and helping them to set and achieve goals.
Sharing expertise in business related fields to increase the productivity and profitability of protégé businesses.
Periodically participating in forum discussions to create a sense of community and share valuable lessons learned.

We are currently seeking mentors:

With or without previous military experience;
Who are (or were) successful entrepreneurs; or
Who are business professionals (not necessarily entrepreneurs) with expertise in:
- Marketing, Business / Employment Law, IT / IT Security, Financial Analysis, Accounting, Business Financing / Accessing Capital, Strategy Design, Leadership Development, Negotiation, Grant Writing, Government Contracting, Franchising, and other important business competencies.
We are especially in need of mentors who have experience in the following industries:
- Food and Beverage, Fitness and Health, Beauty Service, Non-Profit/Social Enterprise, and Online Retail.