Run a small business during your own military deployment | How-to Guides for running your business from Business.com

According to the Department of Defense, almost seven percent of National Guard members are self-employed or run their own small businesses. How can the small business owner keep his company going when he’s half a world away? Through meticulous planning, great hiring practices, and a strong management team, it can be done – and done successfully. However, small business owners face many issues that other military reservists don’t, because employee military reservists are protected by the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). Small business owners and entrepreneurs, who fall under the “self-employed” category, are not covered by this act. The top three things know about handling the military deployment of an employee:

1) Decide first whether your business will remain open or will be closed during your deployment.
2) Prepare your business and employees as soon as possible for operating in your absence.
3) Go to the SBA for financial help if necessary.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Go to the SBA

The United States Small Business Administration (SBA) offers a plethora of resources for the small biz owner facing his own military deployment. First things first: even if you don’t know of immediate deployment orders, it’s essential to develop your company’s “Small Business Mobilization Plan” to prepare your employees – and your business – for the possibility that you’ll be deployed at any time. One of the top resources offered by the SBA is the Military Reservist Economic Injury Disaster Loan program (MREIDL), for which your business may qualify if one of your “essential” employees – including you, the owner – has just been deployed by the military, and because of that employee’s absence, your company is now unable to meet its operating expenses.

I recommend: Check out the Small Business Administration’s (SBA’s) Office of Veteran’s Business Development for links to many valuable resources, including helpful hints to prepare your mobilization plans. Check out the SBA’s MREIDL loan page to learn more about the requirements, loan amount limits, loan specifics, and much more.

Groom your key employee(s) to run the business in your absence

Your key employees should not have to learn by trial and error in your absence. Do everything you can in advance to prepare your employee(s) for the overall management of the business.

I recommend: You can’t go wrong by heading to the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) for help and advice from the experts who know business. There, you can get free online or face-to-face business counseling. Prep your key employees for your possible absence by training them through free online business management courses.

Surround your business with support

When a small business owner is deployed to another country by the military, even the most well-prepared businesses can flounder without the owner there. In addition to grooming your top employees to take over, it’s time to reach outside your company to the many (often free) resources and support available to small businesses.

I recommend: Go to the Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) to click on your state, and find a goldmine of resources for your business – everything from training seminars to low or no-cost counseling services, to online resources and a resource library. Visit Online Learning for a list of state-specific online courses offered near you.

Handling your business upon your return

Deciding what to do about your business when you return to civilian life – whether that decision is to close the business, declare bankruptcy, or restart the business – depends on your ability to assess where the business stands, and get the advice of pros in handling this situation.

I recommend: Go to the Veteran’s Small Business Resource Guide and scroll down to page 7 to use the “Getting Back to Business Checklist” – a critical resource for the returning small business owner. After you’ve returned home, assess the benefits for which you qualify under the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Civil Relief Act of 1940.

Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

Stick to your business plan when assessing how to handle your absence. If you don’t have a business plan in place, it is crucial that you design one immediately to ensure that you and your employees are on the same page.
If you don’t already have legal documents setting forth who will take over your business in the event of your absence – power of attorney, etc. – it’s time to hurry to your lawyer and draw up the necessary legal documents – pronto.
Make sure you alert the necessary people that you’re leaving, including your lawyer, bank management, insurance agent, accountant, and any colleagues who might help your employees oversee the business while you’re away.
For specific questions or help, contact the Office of Veterans Business Development at 202-205-6773 for the telephone number and address of the Veterans Business Development Officer (VBDO) nearest you.

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