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09/30/2025 - The CNMI Small Business Development Center Network at Northern Marianas College hosted its “Fire Power: Veteran’s Guide to Capital” last Sept. 25 at the SBDC Innovation Incubator Office, with the program’s highlight focused on helping veterans transition from service to entrepreneurship.
SBDC associate director Mercilynn Palec led the “From Service to Startup” workshop, giving veterans a step-by-step roadmap to business ownership in the CNMI. She broke down the differences between sole proprietorships and LLCs, guided participants through licensing and zoning requirements, and highlighted the option of starting as a home-based enterprise before expanding into more formal structures. Veterans were also introduced to planning tools like LivePlan and referred to regional resources such as the Hawaii Veterans Business Outreach Center and Guam APEX Accelerator to help secure financing and government contracts.
Nadine Deleon Guerrero Kintol, network director of the CNMI SBDC, said the annual veterans-focused training creates a comfortable space for those with military backgrounds to explore business ideas.
“We feel that those who are in service together tend to have that camaraderie and have that sense of comfort, and so we like to provide those types of trainings targeted specifically to our veterans who are looking to venture into business, and hopefully they network and they get to venture into business together,” she said.
She added that workshops also connect participants to lending institutions like First Hawaiian Bank and Bank of Hawaii as they consider capital access.
For participants, the event delivered both practical knowledge and inspiration. Harley Eriich, treasurer of Project BuddyCheck 670, said the resources presented gave him new confidence in expanding veteran support initiatives. He pointed to business planning guidance, AI integration, and financing pathways as major takeaways.
“When we get out of service, we actually, we're so used to doing things and being ordered to do things that we kind of lose a sense of purpose,” he said. “But with the SBDC, it gives you that opportunity to take a risk and try to, you know, start up a business. And not only that, but you know, just also planting yourself back home and giving you something to do and helping us give us the resources that we can do to be successful in starting a business.”
Eriich’s organization, which began as a golf group to check on veterans’ mental health, has grown into a nonprofit with more than 200 members. It now partners with the Governor’s Challenge and is preparing for its Veterans Classic Golf Tournament in October. The long-term vision includes a Veterans One Stop Center that would bring together groups like SBDC and other local agencies to centralize resources for former service members.
Arthur San Nicolas, owner of Futmat LLC and a veteran of 22 years in construction, said this about the workshop: “The information is nice, well-thought-out, concise, and well planned out. I was not confused in any way.”
His business plans include workforce development, erosion control technology, and medical training services. He added that the clarity of the sessions made it easier to understand and execute his goals without confusion.
Later sessions of “Fire Power: Veteran’s Guide to Capital” explored the role of artificial intelligence in small business operations and perspectives from local banks on financing led by SBDC Marketing manager Roman Tudela and FHB Saipan vice president and Oleai branch manager Vicky N. Izuka, respectively.
Report by Mark Rabago
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