Welcome to Jane Veron’s Substack

Small businesses are often called the engine of our economy. But engines do not run on hope alone. They need fuel. They need structure. They need strategy. And too often, the entrepreneurs carrying ou

That belief is what led me to co-found The Acceleration Project in 2012, and it is what continues to drive my work today.

My path to TAP was not a straight line. I began my career at Bain & Company and American Express, where I learned the power of strategy, disciplined execution, and organizational growth. Later, through civic leadership in Scarsdale as Trustee, Deputy Mayor, and Mayor, I saw small business ownership from a very different vantage point.

I saw what a storefront means to a neighborhood. I saw the risks owners take every day. I saw how much talent, resilience, and determination exist on Main Street. And I saw how rarely small business owners have access to the kind of expert guidance that larger companies rely on as a matter of course.

That gap became TAP’s reason for being.

Today, The Acceleration Project provides high-quality, no-cost advisory services to under-resourced small business owners across the country. Through expert support in finance, operations, marketing, strategy, and the full capital lifecycle, TAP helps entrepreneurs build stronger businesses, protect jobs, and create lasting economic mobility for their families and communities.

This Substack will be a place to explore that work more deeply.

I’ll share what we are learning from small business owners on the ground, why capital alone is not enough, how trusted guidance can change the trajectory of a business, and what it takes to build sustainable economic opportunity in communities across America.

I’ll also reflect on leadership, civic engagement, philanthropy, entrepreneurship, and the lessons I have learned while building TAP from a volunteer-driven effort into a national organization.

At its heart, this work is about people.

Behind every business is a founder taking real risks. A family hoping for stability. A neighborhood depending on local jobs. A community strengthened by the courage of someone willing to build something of their own.

When small business owners get the right support, the impact does not stop with one person. It protects jobs. It builds wealth. It changes what is possible for a family, a community, and a generation.

That is the work. And I’m glad you’re here.