From Service to CEO: DAV and Owners in Honor™ Open a Practical Path to Veteran Business Ownership
Patrick Flood, CEO of Owners In Honor
Patrick Flood and DAV Headquarters Team
WASHINGTON D.C. , DC, UNITED STATES, November 10, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Veterans leave service with traits business schools try to teach but rarely replicate: disciplined execution, mission focus, and calm under pressure. The question is not whether those skills translate to entrepreneurship, it is how to give veterans a clear, supported path into ownership that fits real life and real timelines.
Disabled American Veterans (DAV) and Owners in Honor™ are answering that call. Their new partnership combines DAV’s nationwide network of benefits, career, and community services with Owners in Honor’s expertise in Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA). Together, they create two complementary on-ramps to business ownership: one for launching a startup and one for acquiring an existing small business. The goal is simple: reduce friction, increase clarity, and deliver real results that create jobs, build family wealth, and strengthen Main Street.
Last week at DAV Headquarters in Erlanger, Kentucky, the organizations convened veterans, lenders, investors, and community leaders to demonstrate how startup and ETA pathways can work side by side. Former U.S. Congressman, Army veteran, and entrepreneur Patrick Murphy moderated the discussion, highlighting the shared belief that ETA is a valuable, attainable route for many veterans, and that the DAV–Owners in Honor™ partnership helps turn interest into action.
*Why ETA Belongs Beside Startups:
Veteran entrepreneurship is often framed as a choice: build from scratch or get a job. ETA expands that choice. Through ETA, veterans can acquire established small businesses with existing customers, cash flow, and teams. This provides a faster, more stable path to leadership.
For veterans who want to lead and improve operations, ETA can feel less like a leap and more like a handoff. At the same time, many veterans have new ideas or missions that only a startup can fulfill. The DAV–Owners in Honor™ model does not rank one path above the other; it puts veterans at the center and aligns resources around one outcome: a successful ownership that lasts.
*What the Partnership Provides:
-Two Guided Pathways: DAV supports startup-minded veterans through programs like Patriot Bootcamp, career services, and benefits navigation. Owners in Honor™ focuses on the acquisition path by offering ETA education, deal guidance, funding introductions, and post-close support.
-Warm Handoffs: Veterans are connected directly to the right experts at the right time, whether drafting a pitch deck or evaluating a seller’s financials.
-Shared Mentorship: A unified mentor network supports the full journey of ownership, from sourcing to leadership and operations.
-Outcome Tracking: Both organizations will measure job creation, revenue growth, capital raised, and business survival to ensure that support translates into measurable results.
*What Veterans Should Know Now:
-Veterans have options. Whether they want to build or buy, there are proven resources and peers ready to guide them.
-Ownership is a team sport. Use warm handoffs, ask hard questions, and build your advisory network early.
-Community matters as much as capital. The right operator community can be the difference between surviving and thriving.
The Bottom Line:
Veterans are not asking for shortcuts. They are asking for clear maps, expert guidance, and a fair shot at ownership. By combining DAV’s lifelong support with Owners in Honor’s ETA and operating expertise, this partnership turns “thank you for your service” into something measurable: purchased companies that keep serving communities, startups that create jobs, and families that build lasting stability.
For startup resources, visit dav.org
For acquisition and ETA support, visit ownersinhonor.org
Media inquiries:
press@dav.org and media@ownersinhonor.org
Ali Craig
Victor + Valor
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