ARMY SF MEDIC, 2004-2018 — VA loan, then SBA loan, and the bookkeeping I had to teach myself

Special Forces medic, three tours, retired as a sergeant first class. Always wanted to run my own outdoor outfitter business in the Pacific Northwest. Used the VA Home Loan to buy a house with a barn I could convert. That part was easy. Then I needed working capital to buy inventory: kayaks, climbing gear, used trucks. The VA loan does not fund businesses. I went to the SBA. The SBA Patriot Express had been wound down by the time I applied; I used a Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC) in my region to navigate the regular 7(a) loan process. What nobody told me: SBA wants three years of personal tax returns, a business plan with realistic financials, and collateral. The veteran preference is real but it is preference, not bypass. I spent six months getting my paperwork to a place where the bank would even underwrite the loan. I had to teach myself QuickBooks. I had to teach myself the difference between gross margin and net margin. I had to teach myself how to read a balance sheet. The military teaches a lot but it does not teach you to read a P&L unless you happened to be in finance. Year four of the business. We are profitable. Two employees, both veterans. The VetFran-style mentorship from the local VBOC was the difference between failure and survival.