SAN ANTONIO – Melanie McCoy served in the Army from 1998 to 2006. However, the dream of owning her own business was always there.
Years later, she did it on her own.
“Getting out as a single mom, my son was 2. I decided school was the way to go because that seemed like the next natural progression,” McCoy said. “Entrepreneurship — it wasn’t even on the radar because I didn’t know that that was an opportunity."
McCoy said she started her business from home within a six-month timeframe.
“It was really lonely,” McCoy said. “It was very ambiguous because I didn’t know where to start (or) what to do.”
Though McCoy’s consulting business took off, she wished there had been a program to help her.
Many programs have been developed to find career paths and company jobs for new veterans, but there are none locally catered solely to entrepreneurship.
When District 9 Councilwoman Misty Spears came to her with an opportunity, McCoy said she had to take it.
McCoy started another venture 15 months ago, a nonprofit called Supply SA, which will partner directly with the city to offer veterans a direct pathway to entrepreneurship.
“This is an accelerator that really puts them at the front of the line for small business generation,” Spears said.
Spears’ Small Business Accelerator program involves partnering veterans with mentors and companies that can help with business models, financial management, marketing and securing capital.
Organizations and companies already involved include:
- Launch SA
- VelocityTX
- UTSA SBDC
- UTSA APEX Accelerator
- The Veterans Business Outreach Center
- Workforce Solutions Alamo
The program will also include an annual “Demo Day” pitch competition featuring judges from local government, business leaders and corporate partners such as USAA, H-E-B and Frost Bank.
“When we were meeting with our Veterans Affairs Department, they were expressing to us the challenges that their families face, and it just became really top of mind for our office,” Spears said.
Her team got into contact with people like McCoy, who are passionate about veteran relationships and small business success.
“And we’re a pilot, so this has never been done in any other city,” McCoy said. “This is building something really important and unique and special that others could replicate in the future.”
The program is not just for veterans, but also for veterans’ spouses and adult children.
“My son is 26 now, and there are not that many benefits for him as a child,” McCoy said.
McCoy said having veterans help lead the program is crucial because military members understand each other’s backgrounds better.
“We are different from the rest of the population in a lot of ways because of the experiences that we’ve had,” McCoy said. “You have this bond that you can take with you in your journey because entrepreneurship is hard, and growing a small business is hard. So, to have people that you trust and that you connect with and that you can keep them going — they can keep you going — is really important.”
The secondary effect will be keeping those veterans and businesses in San Antonio.
“Seventy-five percent of our economy is small business and when you hear that number, it’s staggering,” Spears said. “And then you realize how important it is.”
The program idea already got the green light from the city’s Economic and Workforce Development Committee. The whole program should be developed and ready within six months.
The program is estimated to cost $350,000, which the District 9 office said will come from the existing Launch SA contract. The contract will be up for renewal in late September.
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