You're an Illinois veteran facing a big career decision.
This page gives you the public data. The trade-offs are yours to weigh. It won't tell you what to do. It shows you what the numbers show, names what they can't, and lets you weigh it against what matters to you.
Last refreshed: 2026-06-14 · Illinois focus (why Illinois? see below)
What are you weighing right now?
Two paths, Founder and Career-changer, are built out in full today. The other five are previews: you can see what's coming and ask me to send the full version when it ships.
In more than one at once? That's normal. Pick the most pressing, or read the closest. You can come back and switch.
Your Yes/No tells me whether to keep building these.
Want it tailored first? (optional)
What's your immediate next move?
This just orders what you see first. You can switch it on the next page.
What matters to you in this bet? Pick up to 5.
That's 5, the max. Unpick one to swap.
Which 3 matter most when the trade-offs actually pull against each other?
Tap your picks in order; they number themselves 1, 2, 3. (Keyboard: focus a chip and press Enter.) Picks 4 and 5 are saved with your survey but not shown in the table.
Skip any of this. The page still works, you'll just see the full table instead of a personalized one.
Only used to flag time-sensitive benefit windows on the next page. Never required.
Henry's the only person who reads this. Nothing you type is ever shown to other readers. What gets collected →
Where the numbers come from
U.S. Census (veteran tables, business survival), Department of Labor (federal-contractor filings), Bureau of Labor Statistics (wages), Small Business Administration (lending, SDVOSB, Mentor-Protégé). Plus non-government research, cited inline where it's used: Kauffman, Brookings, and peer-reviewed studies.
Why Illinois
Illinois is where the data work is deepest right now. If your life goal is better served in another state, each built-out path shows a "Should you stay or go?" comparison. Tell me which states you're weighing in the survey and I'll prioritize them next.
What I collect
- What's stored: the values you pick, anything you type in "add your own," gender / age band / separation year if you enter them, which states you flag, your path and focus, your yes/no answer, and your email only if you opt in. Free-text is stored apart from your email.
- Who sees it: Henry, one person. Totals may appear in update posts. Your typed text is never quoted, shown to other readers, or shared.
- How long: survey rows 24 months; email until you unsubscribe.
- Delete it: the privacy page explains how to request deletion, and it's gone within 7 days. Anonymous submissions can't be singled out later.
Before you go
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