WHY MORE VETERANS ARE USING TIKTOK SOAR TO BUILD THEIR NEXT CHAPTER
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Spend a few minutes scrolling on TikTok, and you’ll see the new faces of Veteran entrepreneurship showing up like never before. Former service members are selling apparel, coaching strength and conditioning, roasting coffee, leatherworking, teaching trade skills, and documenting how to navigate VA systems. It’s not a side hobby; it’s a meaningful shift in how Veterans build careers and communities after service.
Civilian business success in 2026 demands digital fluency: storytelling, community-building, analytics, fulfillment, e-commerce, and customer support. The military doesn’t train for that. TAP barely acknowledges it. This gap opens the door for specialized Veteran programs.
TikTok’s SOAR Together program sits squarely in this gap, bridging the disconnect between military training and modern business needs. Rather than teaching Veterans how to go viral, it focuses on building functioning companies, with customers, systems, and revenue, using today’s digital economy tools.
What TikTok SOAR Is and How It Helps Veterans Build Modern Companies
SOAR Together (Supporting Our Artisans and Retailers) is TikTok Shop’s accelerator for emerging small businesses. SOAR stands out by offering participants hands-on mentorship, marketing resources, and growth tools. TikTok runs multiple SOAR tracks, including one dedicated to Veteran-owned companies.
Most cohorts follow a consistent cadence: 6–8 weeks of workshops, coaching, TikTok Shop onboarding, peer networking, and end-of-cohort showcases. Veterans learn how to build brand narratives, navigate e-commerce, produce effective short-form content, understand customer behavior, and convert engagement into sales.
Cohort details vary by year, but the mission remains consistent: empowering veteran-owned businesses with digital skills needed for marketplace success. This is why TikTok continues to invest in veteran entrepreneurship.
Why TikTok Invests in Veteran Entrepreneurship Through SOAR
SOAR is operated by TikTok Shop with support from Veteran entrepreneurship organizations such as VeteranStartUp.org and similar mission-driven groups. It also aligns with TikTok’s broader Veteran Voices initiative, which was created to support veteran nonprofits and creator communities.
Just as Veteran entrepreneurship is fast-growing, so is short-form video as a dominant discovery engine for products. Add in the force multipliers of credibility and mission that Veterans bring, and those traits quickly resonate with modern consumers across the platform. Digital commerce also aligns with the realities of post-service life: flexible schedules, creative autonomy, and full-ownership of one’s livelihood.
These dynamics are visible across SBA reporting, Veteran business advocacy, and public platform behavior. Understanding this landscape highlights who benefits most from Veteran-centered business accelerators like SOAR.
Which Veterans Benefit Most From TikTok’s SOAR Program
SOAR is not influencer training. Its unique curriculum is for Veterans serious about building businesses for long-term success.
Veterans publicly highlighted through SOAR communications represent apparel and lifestyle founders, fitness and wellness brands, specialty food makers, coaches, educators, tradespeople, and mental health advocates, reflecting national trends in Veteran entrepreneurship.
This diversity sets the stage for understanding how SOAR works from start to finish.
How the TikTok SOAR Program Works
Application and Selection
SOAR stands out for its cohort-based selection, which operates through the TikTok Shop or Veteran entrepreneurship networks. Unlike always-open models, this structure shapes peer learning and targeted support.
Digital Skills Training
Cohorts blend live and recorded instruction covering storytelling, editing workflows, TikTok Shop setup, conversion tactics, fulfillment, and customer support.
Mentorship and Coaching
Veterans gain access to business coaches, experienced sellers, platform specialists, and Veteran entrepreneurs who understand how digital markets function in 2026.
Showcase and Alumni Network
Most cohorts conclude with a showcase or highlight opportunity, followed by informal alumni networks that continue to collaborate and share insight.
These elements align with TikTok’s publicly documented SOAR Together structure. As Veterans progress through each stage, the transition's alignment with real-world needs becomes clear.
How TikTok SOAR Aligns With Modern Military Transition and Life After Service
Transition is rarely linear. One Veteran may accept a civilian job immediately; another may spend months navigating certifications, family obligations, relocation, or health. Many turn to entrepreneurship after service for autonomy, purpose, and identity.
SOAR supports that reality by delivering digital-first business skills that help veterans stay competitive in an economy where storytelling, social trust, and e-commerce systems shape growth. For some, SOAR becomes a primary career path. For others, it becomes a bridge into their next chapter.
How Veterans Can Join or Benefit From TikTok SOAR in 2026
SOAR is cohort-based, and availability depends on TikTok Shop and partner timelines. Veterans interested in participating can:
- Follow TikTok Shop for cohort announcements
- Connect with veteran entrepreneurship accelerators
- Build digital content skills early
- Use transition as a planning runway rather than a cliff
- Learn directly from SOAR alumni
TikTok’s SOAR won’t replace TAP, SBA counseling, or the GI Bill. But it fills a gap those systems don’t address: modern business literacy for a digital-first economy. It gives Veterans a path to build something of their own, with skills that make sense in 2026, not 1996.
Key Questions Veterans Ask About SOAR
How long does SOAR last?
Most Veteran cohorts run 6–8 weeks.
Does SOAR cost anything?
TikTok SOAR is not a paid program; details vary by cohort and partner.
Is SOAR for influencers?
No. SOAR is designed for small businesses and entrepreneurial Veterans, not influencer careers.
Is SOAR only for separating service members?
No. Veterans at multiple stages have participated, demonstrating the program’s broad accessibility and ongoing value regardless of the separation timeline.
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BY NATALIE OLIVERIO
Veteran & Senior Contributor, Military News at VeteranLife
Navy Veteran
Natalie Oliverio is a Navy Veteran, journalist, and entrepreneur whose reporting brings clarity, compassion, and credibility to stories that matter most to military families. With more than 100 published articles, she has become a trusted voice on defense policy, family life, and issues shaping the...
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Natalie Oliverio is a Navy Veteran, journalist, and entrepreneur whose reporting brings clarity, compassion, and credibility to stories that matter most to military families. With more than 100 published articles, she has become a trusted voice on defense policy, family life, and issues shaping the...
