There are 1.8 million American women who’ve served in the military. NaVOBA member Marylyn Harris is one of them. When Harris started her business, Harrland Healthcare Consulting, LLC, she was shocked to learn that there were no specific resources available to help women veterans start their own business. She decided that had to change.

“There are critical, unmet needs for these women and I wanted to do something about it,” she said.

To fill this void, Harris created The Woman Veterans Business Center, a web portal of resources and information designed for women veterans and military families, who want to start, develop and grow their own businesses.

“This center will allow female veterans and military families to network with other veteran-owned businesses, find resources, products and services that can help them develop their businesses, and learn about conferences and other events,” said Harris, a Desert Storm veteran.
 

Help when you need it, where you need it.

The beauty of a web portal, Harris said, is that its services are available from anywhere in the world, at any time of the day, everyday of the year.  Harris kicked off her program with the Women Veterans Business Center (WVBC) Inaugural Business Bootcamp last November in her hometown of Houston. Inviting dozens of business leaders, veteran business owners, and want-to-be business owners, Harris hosted the program at the Houston City Hall.

“It was a great way to get people thinking about the issues facing these women and military families, plus it was a great way to network,” she said, “I wanted these women to see that others have succeeded, and they can too.”

Harris plans to offer the services to members who will pay a low-cost membership fee to help off-set some of the costs. Currently, the fee is $25 a year for individuals and $50 a year for military families of up to four members. The services include access to the resources and services available online, the opportunity to network with other members around the world, mentoring opportunities, advocacy services and accessibility to products for business owners.

In addition to the web services, Harris also plans to offer workshops and seminars throughout the year to providing training and networking opportunities for the members. She also plans on having quarterly “boot camps” like the one held in Houston last fall. 

“I eventually want to expand to other locations and have centers across the country,” she said.

For more information about the Women Veterans Business Center visit www.WomenVeteransBusinessCenter.org

“I wanted these women to see that others have succeeded, and they can too.” – Marylyn Harris, NaVOBA member and founder of the Women Veterans Business Center.

Vetrepreneur Info:
Name: Marylyn Harris, RN, MSN
Owner: Harrland Healthcare Consulting, LLC
Military Service: U.S. Army 1981 to 1992, Staff Sergeant (E-6)
NaVOBA member since: 2009

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