Many Americans who have served in the U.S. military now apply their
skills to grassroots entrepreneurship, according to the Sam’s
Club/Gallup Microbusiness Tracker, which also reveals that
veteran microbusiness owners – vetrepreneurs – experience success in
business startups and are expressing optimism moving into 2015.
In fact, 19 percent of overall American microbusiness owners, defined as
firms of five or fewer workers, are vetrepreneurs and 34 percent claim
to have annual income of more than $100,000 from their business
ventures. Looking at the future, business prospects remain bright with
86 percent of vetrepreneurs expecting their business revenue to stay the
same or grow in 2015.
Their forecasts for growth are tempered against a backdrop of
uncertainty about the U.S. economy with 34 percent of vetrepreneurs
expecting no growth and an additional 14 percent expecting revenues to
shrink. Furthermore, more veteran than non-veteran microbusiness owners
feel the U.S. economy will get worse (61.6% compared to 55.3%) and are
less likely to believe it will improve (28.8% compared to 38.3%) in the
next year.
Examining both the economic and emotional concerns for their businesses,
the Sam’s Club/Gallup Microbusiness Tracker reports that a remarkable 59
percent of vetrepreneurs started their company because it was a dream to
own a business. More vetrepreneurs feel they have the ideal job than
those who did not serve in the military (72.5% compared to 62.2%) and
they are more energized by their work (73.1% compared to 64.7%).
"Sam’s Club is humbled and encouraged by the positive impact our
nation’s service members are making in the small business community,”
said Rosalind Brewer, president and CEO of Sam’s Club. “One of the
biggest needs in the veteran community is employment. Sam’s Club is
making a concerted effort to support initiatives including Hiring our
Heroes and V-WISE (Veteran Women Igniting the Spirit of
Entrepreneurship) to give vetrepreneurs the tools and training necessary
to prepare for a career beyond the military.”
The Sam’s Club/Gallup Microbusiness Tracker results reflect 1,006
phone interviews conducted September 2-16, 2014 with companies of five
or fewer workers. For further information please download the Sam’s
Club/Gallup Microbusiness Tracker October 2014 Report at
SamsClub.com/newsroom.
About The Sam’s Club/Gallup Microbusiness Tracker
The Sam’s Club/Gallup Microbusiness Tracker is a nationally
representative survey that regularly reports on U.S. businesses with
five or fewer workers, a key driver of U.S. economic growth. The tracker
provides valuable insight into the mood and mind of microbusiness owners
for decision makers and influencers in government and commerce by
highlighting the unique concerns and challenges of microbusinesses along
their path from startup to maturity. To learn more about the Sam’s
Club/Gallup Microbusiness Tracker, visit SamsClub.com/Newsroom
or Gallup.com.
About Gallup
Gallup delivers forward-thinking research, analytics, and advice to help
leaders solve their most pressing problems. Combining more than 75 years
of experience with its global reach, Gallup knows more about the
attitudes and behaviors of the world's constituents, employees, and
customers than any other organization.
About Sam’s Club
Sam’s Club®, a division of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT),
is a leading membership warehouse club offering superior products,
savings and services to millions of members in 643 clubs in the U.S. and
Puerto Rico. To learn more about Sam’s Club, visit the Sam’s
Club Newsroom, shop at SamsClub.com,
and interact with Sam’s Club on Twitter and Facebook.
Copyright Business Wire 2014