Boots to Business Explained

Boots to Business is SBA's entrepreneurship training program, delivered as part of the Defense Department's Transition Assistance Program. It is free at participating installations.

Three pieces:

  • Introduction to Entrepreneurship — the foundational two-day, in-person course. Business concept development, writing a business plan, and the SBA resources available to help you launch.
  • Revenue Readiness — an optional online follow-on delivered through Mississippi State University, available once you have done the introduction.
  • Boots to Business Reboot — the same content delivered off-installation, in communities rather than on bases.

Reboot is the part worth knowing about. Because the course normally runs on installations as part of TAP, veterans assume it closed to them the day they separated. It did not — Reboot exists precisely for people who cannot get through a gate, and its eligibility covers veterans of all eras.

Participants who finish either version can then take further B2B online courses at no cost.

Who is eligible?

The two versions have different eligibility, and this is the distinction worth getting right:

  • Boots to Business on installations — service members including National Guard and reserve component members, and military spouses.
  • Boots to Business Reboot, delivered off-installation — veterans of all eras, service members including Guard and Reserve, and spouses.

So if you left the military years ago, Reboot is your route in. It is not a lesser version — it is the same course, taken into communities rather than run behind a gate, and it is the only one of the two whose eligibility explicitly covers veterans of every era.

Two things worth pairing it with. If the business is going to bid for federal work, SDVOSB or VOSB certification through SBA VetCert is the next step, and the 5% federal contracting goal is the reason to bother. And if you need capital, SBA's loan programs and the local Veterans Business Outreach Center network are the routes the course points you at.

Contact is [email protected] or 202-205-8381, and course dates are listed on SBA's site.

How do I apply?

  • Find a course date on SBA's site: Installation courses and Reboot sessions are both listed.
  • Choose Reboot if you are already out, or cannot get on base: Same content, and the version whose eligibility names veterans.
  • Bring your spouse: Military spouses are eligible in their own right.
  • Do it even if you left years ago: Reboot's eligibility covers veterans of all eras, not just people currently transitioning.
  • Take Revenue Readiness afterwards: The online follow-on through Mississippi State University is free.
  • Email [email protected] or call 202-205-8381: If the listings do not show a session near you.

Common questions

Does Boots to Business cost anything?

No. It is free at participating installations, and the online follow-on courses are free too.

Can veterans who left years ago do Boots to Business?

Yes. Eligibility covers veterans of all eras, not only service members currently transitioning.

Can military spouses attend Boots to Business?

Yes, military spouses are eligible in their own right, alongside active-duty, National Guard and reserve component members.

How long is the Boots to Business course?

The Introduction to Entrepreneurship is a two-day, in-person course. Revenue Readiness is an optional online follow-on.

What is Boots to Business Reboot?

The same course delivered off-installation, in communities rather than on bases, and open to veterans of all eras as well as service members and spouses.

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