According to the 2012 data from the U.S. Census Bureau, there are over 23,000 veteran-owned businesses. And in that snapshot of time, those 23,000 businesses had almost 60,000 employees. It’s safe to say that the small business and employment landscape in Iowa would be very different without these businesses. And it’s no surprise so many veterans go on to be business owners after their service through the Armed Forces. The skills needed to own a business are tied very closely with the skills many veterans acquire throughout their military training - leadership, discipline and strong decision-making ability, just to name a few.