Most of us think of small businesses as the coffee shop on the corner, the neighborhood contractor, or the family-owned boutique we love to support. Yet behind every small business is a dream, a family, employees who depend on a paycheck, and a community that grows stronger when that business succeeds. What happens when those entrepreneurs have the passion to build something meaningful but don’t have access to the expertise they need to survive? That’s where Jane Veron and The Acceleration Project (TAP) step in. By connecting experienced business leaders with small business owners, Jane has created a remarkable nonprofit that is strengthening local economies one business at a time and proving that a little guidance can create an extraordinary ripple effect.

In this inspiring conversation, Jane shares how a successful corporate career, a decade spent raising her children, and a passion for solving problems led her to build a national movement that has already helped thousands of entrepreneurs thrive. Along the way, she reminds us that we don’t have to have all the answers before we begin, that asking for help is a sign of strength, and that our greatest gifts are meant to be shared. Whether you’re a nonprofit leader, business owner, volunteer, or simply someone looking for more purpose in your own life, Jane’s story is a powerful reminder that when we invest in people, we don’t just change one life…..we strengthen entire communities.

 

Here are a few highlights from our conversation:

Charity Matters: Tell us a little about what The Acceleration Project does?

Jane Veron:  I built The Acceleration Project (TAP) fourteen years ago. TAP is all about harnessing untapped potential to accelerate growth. We are grounded in building economic independence and wealth for small business owners because they are vital to the fabric of our economy, our communities, and our country.

We provide customized, hands-on support that enables small business owners to grow and flourish. Fortune 500 companies have access to world-class consulting, and I kept asking myself, “Why can’t the businesses on our Main Streets have that too?” So we built a nonprofit that delivers that expertise for free.

We don’t just hand people a strategy deck. We walk beside them. We help them understand their finances, marketing, operations, access to capital, and long-term growth. We are the scaffolding that helps businesses survive and thrive.

Charity Matters: What experiences did you have as a child that influenced your work?

Jane Veron:  Looking back, I realize I was always wired to solve problems. There is always a lot of discussion about what’s wrong, but fixing problems is much harder. You don’t have to solve everything perfectly—you just have to start making it better.

Even in college, I saw that inner-city children went home after school without supervision. So I worked with the Girl Scouts to create a troop that brought first through sixth graders together. The older girls mentored the younger ones, and we created experiences they otherwise wouldn’t have had.

I’ve always loved mobilizing people. I’d see a problem and immediately want to bring people together to fix it.

Later, I began my career at Bain & Company, helping Fortune 500 companies solve business challenges. Years later, when I saw small businesses struggling, I realized they deserved the same level of strategic support. That became the seed for everything we do today.

Charity Matters: What was the moment you knew you needed to act and start The ACCELERATION Project?

Jane Veron: It wasn’t one single moment….it was a series of building blocks.

I had a demanding corporate career, two young children, and was offered a promotion that required me to be physically present five days a week with a long commute. I realized I couldn’t sustain that life, so I took a leave of absence.

When we moved to the suburbs, I couldn’t sit still. There wasn’t a playground for my children, so we built one. Then I became involved in civic leadership, chaired the planning board, and led the League of Women Voters. Every experience taught me how important strong local economies are.

The real turning point came when my oldest daughter was leaving for college. I had spent years preparing her to go out into the world, and I thought, “I’ve spent my life building these skills. It’s time to use them to fix something bigger.”

I began talking with small business owners about what they were experiencing. At the same time, I saw incredibly talented women who had stepped away from careers in consulting, finance, and marketing and couldn’t find meaningful ways back.

Suddenly it all came together. I realized I could solve two problems at once by connecting experienced professionals with small business owners who desperately needed their expertise.

Charity Matters: What are your biggest challenges?

Jane Veron: There were always naysayers. So many people told me this would never work.

In the beginning, we were literally sitting around a kitchen table. Everything was volunteer-driven. When you leave corporate America, you suddenly realize you’re responsible for everything……from opening the bank account to building the website and creating the brand.

I also had to educate our board that being a nonprofit is simply a tax status. It shouldn’t dictate how you operate. Organizations need reserves. They need systems. They need to invest in the future.

Today, one of the biggest challenges is funding. Nonprofits can’t build for the future if they’re constantly surviving on one-year grants. I work hard to secure multi-year funding because our clients depend on us being there tomorrow, not just today.

Charity Matters: What fuels you to keep doing this work?

Jane Veron: I see the difference we make every day. When we help one small business owner, we help everyone connected to that business—the employees, their families, the community, even relatives living abroad who depend on that income. The ripple effect is extraordinary.

The hugs I receive from business owners who tell me, “You saved us,” are unforgettable. Seventy-five percent of our clients come to us without financial clarity. Most only have about one month of cash on hand. One unexpected event can destroy everything they built.

We become their wraparound support. We are there no matter what challenge they face, and that’s what keeps me going.

Charity Matters: When do you know you have made a difference?

Jane Veron: You measure success with both numbers and stories. Independent research showed that every dollar invested in TAP creates ten dollars of economic impact. Ninety-two percent of the businesses we serve remain open one year later. Eighty-six percent maintain or grow revenue, and ninety percent maintain or grow jobs.

But beyond the numbers are the people. One business owner we helped was a nurse who started a medical spa because she wanted to bring positivity into people’s lives. When she suddenly lost her building, we helped relocate her business, increase revenue by forty percent, and expand her capacity.

Today her daughter wants to follow in her footsteps. Those are the moments when you realize the impact extends far beyond one business.

Charity Matters: Tell us what success you have had and what your impact has been? 

Jane Veron: Our goal this year is to serve 4,000 small business owners across America.

We’ve expanded far beyond the stay-at-home moms who first volunteered with us. Today, consultants from Fortune 500 companies, Wall Street firms, entrepreneurs, and business leaders all donate their expertise because they want to use their skills for impact.

Our model works because we don’t simply advise….we walk alongside business owners until they gain confidence and the skills to continue on their own. Watching businesses grow, create jobs, and strengthen local economies is the impact we set out to create.

Charity Matters: If you could dream any dream for your organization, what would that be?

Jane Veron: Go big or go home. When we first started around my kitchen table with almost no money, I said we were going to become national. People laughed. They aren’t laughing anymore.

My dream is to create TAP for America, just like Teach For America. We already serve businesses across nearly every state, and there is absolutely no reason we can’t reach every community. We simply need more funding so we can continue growing.

Charity Matters: What life lessons have you learned from this experience?

Jane Veron: Take the first step. Don’t let perfection keep you from getting started. The business plan we originally wrote looks nothing like what we do today because you learn by doing.

Surround yourself with positive people who challenge you constructively. No one accomplishes anything important alone. Ask for help, and be specific when you ask. People genuinely want to help, but they need to know how.

Service also creates something incredibly powerful…..it builds relationships. When you help others, you form deep connections with people you might never have met otherwise. The more we understand one another and work together, the stronger our communities become.

Charity Matters: How has this journey changed you?

Jane Veron: I wish I had dreamed even bigger. I was always a rule follower…..a good student who listened to authority. Today I’d tell my younger self, Why not you? You don’t have to know everything before you raise your hand.

I’ve learned that wherever you are, you should contribute. Bring your unique gifts to your community and use them to make a difference. Purpose creates connection, and connection creates joy.

The more we listen to one another, the more we can solve problems together. Service makes that possible, and I truly believe it creates the kind of future we all want to live in.

CHARITY MATTERS.

 

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