For generations, the military has been a beacon of opportunity for those from disadvantaged and marginalized communities. It has served as a path to education, stability, and a sense of purpose for countless individuals who might not have found these opportunities elsewhere. The promise is clear: serve your country, and in return, the country will provide you with the tools to build a better life when you come home. For many, this social contract offers a way out of poverty, a sense of belonging, and the chance to redefine their future. But the transition back to civilian life can be daunting, and the promises made in service need to be kept long after the uniforms are folded away.
This is a story of how that promise was delivered to veterans returning from the Global War on Terror through the Boots to Business program. As servicemembers came home, they faced the immense challenge of finding their place in a world that had moved on without them. Many returned to communities where opportunity seemed scarce and uncertainty loomed large. But through the initiative that Nick Harrison helped lead, these veterans were given not just the tools to start their own businesses, but the confidence to believe in their futures once again. This is about more than just entrepreneurship — it’s about honoring a commitment to those who served, ensuring that their journey continues with purpose and possibility.
Rolling out a new program is always an ambitious undertaking. This was no ordinary program but a nationwide initiative aimed at giving servicemembers the tools to transform their military discipline into entrepreneurial success. Across the country, military bases became the launching pads for something new — a path for veterans to step into business ownership as they stepped out of their uniforms. The vision was expansive, the potential impact immense, but the reality of implementation was a far more intricate puzzle.
The U.S. Small Business Administration, tasked with shepherding this initiative, found itself navigating a landscape of partnerships. But unlike other federal programs, this agency weren’t working with our own personnel. The responsibility for delivering this training fell on the shoulders of local economic development organizations: Small Business Development Centers, Women’s Business Centers, Veterans Business Outreach Centers, and SCORE Chapters. These were organizations with deep roots in their communities, operating on a patchwork of funding from federal, state, and local sources. They weren’t just partners; they were gatekeepers of their own resources and priorities.
Adding to the complexity was the stark reality that no new funding was attached to this program. These organizations, already stretched to meet local demands, were now being asked to deliver a federal mandate — without any additional financial support. They had to deploy instructors to military bases to teach servicemembers, many of whom were preparing to leave the area within months. For organizations accustomed to investing in local entrepreneurs who would contribute to the regional economy, this was a new and difficult proposition. They were being asked to invest time, energy, and resources in individuals whose future lay far beyond their geographic reach.
This created an inherent tension. State and local governments, co-funders of these organizations, needed justification for why resources were being allocated to a population that might not stay. The local entrepreneurs who sought services were not the same as the servicemembers who were transient, poised to relocate soon after training. Convincing these organizations to prioritize the program, despite no direct or immediate local benefit, became the heart of the challenge. It wasn’t just about launching a new initiative; it was about navigating a web of competing priorities and limited resources to deliver a promise on a national scale.
For over thirteen years, the United States had been engaged in the Global War on Terror, and more than 2.3 million servicemembers had deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, or both. They had served in harsh conditions, shouldered immense burdens, and now they were returning home. But home was not the same. For many veterans, the transition to civilian life proved more difficult than expected. The statistics reflected the gravity of the situation — unemployment rates for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans were alarmingly high, with young veterans in particular struggling to find work. In 2011, the unemployment rate for veterans aged 18-24 reached 20.9 percent, well above the national average.
These veterans weren’t just facing an economic challenge; they were grappling with a profound sense of displacement. After years of purpose-driven service, they returned to a world that often felt distant, indifferent, or unwelcoming. The structure and camaraderie they had known in the military were replaced by an uncertain civilian landscape where the skills that had once defined them were not easily understood or valued. For many, the question wasn’t just how to find a job but how to redefine their identity and purpose in this new chapter of their lives.
Amid this pressing need, the Obama Administration recognized that the traditional pathways weren’t enough. Veterans needed more than a job search; they needed a sense of direction. The Transition Assistance Program (TAP) was reimagined to provide multiple tracks for servicemembers leaving the military, offering options that included higher education, vocational training, and entrepreneurship. For those veterans who wanted to take control of their futures and start their own businesses, the Boots to Business program was created.
Boots to Business offered servicemembers the chance to learn the fundamentals of entrepreneurship — a new way to channel their leadership, discipline, and resilience into building something of their own. It was a bold initiative aimed at empowering veterans to carve out a path to business ownership, transforming the qualities that had served them on the battlefield into tools for success in the civilian marketplace.
This is where Nick Harrison’s journey intersected with this new initiative. After returning from a deployment to Iraq and Kuwait, Harrison had been selected as a Presidential Management Fellow and assigned to the Office of Veterans Business Development at the U.S. Small Business Administration. As the Associate Program Manager for this ambitious program, he was tasked with bringing Boots to Business to life, navigating the complexities of launching a national initiative that would help thousands of veterans find a new mission through entrepreneurship.
Nick Harrison’s first task was to immerse himself in the roots of the program he would soon help shape. His journey began at the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University, the institution responsible for developing the Boots to Business program. Harrison absorbed their processes, dissecting how this initiative had been crafted, refined, and implemented. This first-hand knowledge was crucial; he understood that to lead the program successfully, he needed to grasp its foundations deeply.
From there, he flew to San Diego, California, where the program was being delivered to servicemembers transitioning out of the military. Here, Harrison saw the real-world impact of the training—how veterans, some of whom were unsure of their next steps, were being given the tools and confidence to think like entrepreneurs. This fieldwork allowed Harrison to see the program’s strengths and its gaps, which he would later address in his role. Attending the Veteran Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship (V-WISE) Conference further broadened his understanding of the unique challenges veteran entrepreneurs, especially women, face.
Armed with the insights he gathered from Syracuse and San Diego, Harrison’s next move was to formalize his vision. He began drafting comprehensive white papers for the inter-agency task force overseeing the Transition Assistance Program, urging them to push Boots to Business earlier in a servicemember’s career. His argument was simple but powerful: to be truly “career-ready” upon exiting the military, entrepreneurship training needed to be more than a last-minute add-on. Harrison saw that timing was everything. Veterans needed time to absorb the information and plan their futures.
Not content to stop there, Harrison also started working on draft legislation. His goal was to codify the program into law, giving it permanence and the financial backing it desperately needed. Alongside this, he crafted detailed budget requests, laying out the financial blueprint required to sustain and expand the program. These actions laid the groundwork for a future where Boots to Business could continue to thrive and serve countless more veterans.
One of the program’s major logistical challenges was the cumbersome process of distributing materials to military bases across the country. Initially, instructional handouts were shipped from Syracuse, and supplemental materials on government contracting were printed in the Office of Veterans Business Development, often at the last minute. Harrison quickly recognized that this system was not only inefficient but burdensome. Emails requesting materials frequently got lost, and high-level personnel were spending their time running off color copies by hand.
Harrison took charge of mapping out this process, identifying its flaws, and finding a solution. He worked with the office to automate the materials request system in SharePoint, ensuring that orders would no longer be missed or delayed. He also secured an outsourcing agreement with Syracuse University to handle the production and distribution of all instructional materials, freeing up staff to focus on higher-level program management tasks. By streamlining this process, Harrison ensured that servicemembers across the nation received their training materials on time, every time.
Coordinating the delivery of a national program across 55 district offices and a web of local small business development centers was no small feat. Harrison recognized that to ensure the program’s success, strong relationships needed to be cultivated with the individuals on the ground. He reached out to those managing local delivery — Small Business Development Centers, Women’s Business Centers, Veterans Business Outreach Centers, and SCORE Chapters—to ensure that all parties were aligned and classes were scheduled with precision.
Harrison also worked closely with the instructors, providing them with the support they needed to deliver the curriculum effectively. Beyond logistics, he saw the importance of spreading the word. By partnering with veterans service organizations, he helped amplify the program’s reach, ensuring that servicemembers knew about this valuable resource.
Harrison’s commitment to the success of Boots to Business didn’t end with its initial launch. He believed in the importance of continuous improvement and personally traveled over 21,000 miles to visit six cities across the United States. In each location, he conducted focus group sensing sessions with servicemembers, instructors, and partners to evaluate the program’s performance. These sessions gave Harrison a direct line to those on the front lines of the program, allowing him to identify areas for improvement and gather invaluable feedback.
After compiling all the information he had gathered, Harrison authored a fifty-page report that prioritized the feedback and outlined clear steps for future enhancements. This document would serve as a roadmap for the program’s ongoing refinement, ensuring that it remained responsive to the needs of servicemembers and evolved in the years to come. Through his tireless efforts, Harrison laid the groundwork for a future where the Boots to Business program could continue to adapt and thrive, always focused on serving those who had served.
The Boots to Business program launched against all odds, reaching over 6,000 servicemembers at 150 military bases across the country in its first year. With no dedicated funding, it was driven by sheer will, resourcefulness, and the collaboration of local small business development organizations. Harrison’s leadership ensured that materials were in place, instructors were prepared, and servicemembers received the training they needed to start their entrepreneurial journeys. What began as a leap of faith quickly transformed into a lifeline for veterans, offering them the tools and confidence to turn their military skills into business acumen.
These workshops became more than just a crash course in entrepreneurship; they were places where servicemembers rediscovered their purpose. As veterans learned to write business plans and navigate the world of finance, a spark ignited. The same qualities that had carried them through deployments — leadership, resilience, and problem-solving — were now guiding them toward a new mission. Harrison watched as participants lit up with the possibilities of what their futures could hold, no longer tethered to the uncertainties of civilian transition but empowered to forge their own paths.
In recognition of its success, Congress took notice. In the program’s second year, $7.5 million was appropriated, marking a significant step toward ensuring its longevity. What had started as an ambitious initiative with no budget now had the backing it needed to grow and expand its reach. Harrison’s efforts had laid the groundwork for this critical support, ensuring that future generations of veterans would continue to benefit from the program’s offerings.
The momentum didn’t stop there. By 2014, the program celebrated a major milestone: the graduation of its 200,000th participant. What began as a pilot program had evolved into a nationwide movement, helping veterans from all walks of life transition from military service to entrepreneurship. Boots to Business had become a fixture in the veteran transition process, providing a tangible way for servicemembers to turn their dreams into reality.
For many veterans, the program wasn’t just about starting a business; it was about reclaiming control of their futures. It gave them a new mission — one filled with possibility and self-determination. Under Harrison’s guidance, Boots to Business became more than a program. It became a beacon of hope, showing veterans that the skills honed in service to their country could serve them once again in the world of business.