COMMENTARY: A thank-you that opens a door

Years ago, a business could begin with a pencil and a quiet conversation after supper. At the kitchen table, someone would start adding up the cost of tools, jotting down ideas and thinking about that first customer. Nothing fancy. Just a plan, a little hope and the willingness to try. Someone says, “I think we could make this work.” That is a hopeful moment. But it is also a moment when a little encouragement — and some practical help — can make a difference. The SBA Office of Advocacy’s 2025 state profiles, using 2022 Census business data, report 15,387 veteran-majority-owned businesses in Iowa, 14,412 in Kansas, 33,730 in Missouri and 11,224 in Nebraska. Together, that is nearly 75,000 businesses across the Great Plains. With National Veterans Small Business Week underway, I think about the veterans and military spouses who may be sitting at that table right now. They have an idea. They are willing to work.

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