Читать книгу Mission Entrepreneur - Jen E. Griswold - Страница 12

I have always been an entrepreneur at heart.

In fact, some of my earliest business memories as an elementary student are of putting together “junk stores” on my front steps. There, I would sell all the prizes that I had earned at the school store for good behavior and top grades. I would bring home my weekly collection of pencils, scented erasers, and stickers (back when those were a “thing”), and display them on the front porch with a homemade “open” sign. I had the advantage of being one of the oldest kids in the neighborhood, and thankfully my little sister and her friends looked up to me, so my junk store had immediate legitimacy.

Like any smart businesswoman, I tested my prices out on the local market. I played with how much the kids in the surrounding houses would pay to bring home my wares. One would think they wouldn’t have much value, given that anyone could earn the prizes themselves for free. But what I found was astonishing! I hit the jackpot with my elementary school customers; they wanted to buy it all! Not only was it fun to have eager customers, but they also taught me my first lessons in presentation and viral word-of-mouth marketing. If I made sure my goods were arranged in an appealing and organized manner and I took good care of the “well-connected” kids on the block, they organically spread the word and business stayed steady.

Given my exciting success, I experimented with adding other random “junk” items to my list of offerings; like Halloween candy I didn’t like and rocks. Yes…rocks! Straight from the back yard to my store. Apparently, that was the point where my greed had gotten the better of my business plan. Before I knew it, the mother of the children who lived next door leaned out her door with her finger up pointing at me, yelling, “My kids will not be buying anymore of your overpriced JUNK!”

That ended the junk selling, but it certainly did not stop my love for entrepreneurism. Whether I played piano for tips at Christmas, sold tickets to family to watch backyard plays I produced with my cousins, or sewed the simplest purses for sale, I was always dreaming up something! I don’t remember my parents particularly encouraging my ideas, but they certainly didn’t quash them either.

As I grew up and began life as an adult, my business ideas shifted to focus on what I could do to help the military world around me. First, there was my big idea to open a coffee hut called the “Daily Grind.” Then, there was my idea to create a series of binders for military families who needed to keep track of different categories of documents. There was also my attempt at securing military base aerobics contracts. And I even toyed with how to create a work-from-home business that would sell fashionable workout clothes. By now, almost all of these ideas have been accomplished by someone else (you’re welcome for the leggings idea, LuLaRoe!), but I like to think my ideas were ahead of my time.

While I was fortunate to start my entrepreneurial journey as a child, as I gained more experience in business I observed that many of my business-owning peers started later in life. Most often, their business ideas would form around their passions and how they could solve problems they saw within the world. I also noticed that many of my friends were propelled by the confidence they had gained through their military experiences.

And then it dawned on me.

Maybe it wasn’t just my lifelong interest in business that helped me gain success. Perhaps the military life I had been a part of for the previous ten years also played a big hand in providing me with the right set of skills to be an entrepreneur?!

As I thought through this idea on a deeper level, I realized there were many reasons why military life was conducive to business ownership. In fact, they were really strong reasons, too…so much so that I eventually named them “secret weapons.” Let’s take a look at the top ten “secret weapons” from military life that creates great entrepreneurs.

Top Ten “Secret Weapons” (from Military Life) That Create Great Entrepreneurs:

1 1. The Powerful Military Network

It is common to hear that business is all about “who you know.” Fortunately, the military community is one giant network of great contacts. With each new move or Permanent Change of Station (PCS), a military family meets a whole new set of people through work, school, base neighborhoods, church, and other community organizations. People who retire from the military usually move at least a handful of times, creating a large network of similarly suited contacts.

Word spreads quickly within the military community once they recognize the value of a great product or service on the market. In fact, “word of mouth” marketing is actually an organic process in military networks. Why? Everyone heavily relies on the opinions and suggestions of their counterparts. In fact, every time we find out we are relocating to a new area, the first thing we do is think about who we already know there and ask them for their recommendations.

The first three questions I always ask are:

 • “What are the best schools in the area?”

 • “Do you have a favorite hair stylist and how much do they charge?”

 • “What is your favorite restaurant?”

The fun part about all this is that military families love to share their favorites. So, when any entrepreneur develops his or her business concept, your local military network is an invaluable resource for marketing! Additionally, because military families are frequently on a regular relocation cycle, their connections extend far and wide across all continents, allowing for quick expansion. Having “boots on the ground” in simultaneous markets can allow for quick growth into multiple areas.

When I launched my social commerce business in 2010, I didn’t exactly know whether it would work. But I did know that it had a lot of utility for military spouses. The business model was lean, it did not need a lot of inventory, and the marketing was done by leveraging the power of social media. That created a huge opportunity for portable work, if people could digest the concept and get over the stigma of similar business models of the past. That left the big question: would my network want to share the message?

Despite my concerns, I jumped in and gave it my all. In just six years, my organization blossomed from a party of one to an organization of over eight thousand entrepreneurs spanning six continents, fourteen time zones, countless military bases and producing over eighteen million dollars annually. Even though the number of civilians on the team now outnumbers the military members, the military values of hard work and being a part of something bigger than yourself have permeated everything we do. Our team has rallied around the idea that being able to serve others with business success is far more motivation than merely just earning a paycheck. I truly believe that the majority of our early growth would never have been possible without the power of our military mindset and the connections within my military network.

Knowing all this, don’t be shy to put your network, whether it’s military or not, to work. As you are developing your business concepts and ideas, use your Rolodex (that’s a contact list, for you Millennials) to reach out and share the details of your business plan. You might be surprised at how eager they are to help you! Describe your ideal client in detail, so your well-connected colleagues and friends can be your eyes and ears in their community and help extend your business ideas quickly.

1 2. The Beloved US Military Brand

Brand names like Apple, Nike, Starbucks and Chick-fil-A all provide a sense of trust and reliability, no matter where you visit them. They are brands you can depend on without a second thought. The same is true of the United States military community.

As a member of this community, the rest of the population holds you in high regard as a person that is reliable, trustworthy, loyal, and disciplined. Investors, clients, supporters and even your competition give you instant credibility due to your years of military experience. It’s not just “civilians” who hold military businesses and employees in high regard. According to the Harvard Business Review, military consumers are recognized for their affinity to buy from other military businesses. This support is “rooted in institutional culture and reinforced” by members of the community whether it’s with purchasing power or hiring power.

While other small business owners have to work tirelessly to build that type of trust, military entrepreneurs and businesses who hire military veterans get the privilege of having it organically right from the start. Military entrepreneurs have a unique opportunity to create businesses that seek to hire fellow military community members. As colleagues who can interpret the unique skills and abilities of a military spouse or service member’s resume, you have the pick of the litter when it comes to hiring and building something that can truly leverage the power of the military brand. So, use it strategically to increase the speed of your growth.

1 3. One of the Best Investments

As a trustworthy, driven and reliable individual with the backing of the military brand, people are eager to help you succeed. Whether it is veteran resources, scholarships, higher education or loans, there are ample opportunities if you just look.

If you are looking for a modest amount of funding, I recommend you begin your search by looking at a range of nontraditional investment options for small businesses. Often, they are quicker, easier and less stringent to obtain than traditional bank financing for a small business. Some examples are crowdsourcing, microloans, and angel investors.

I remember lying in bed at night, thinking about my big dreams of starting my first business. I was ready to launch, but the timing for us financially couldn’t have been worse. I had just transitioned from the active-duty Air Force to the Air Force Reserves, and I was only working one weekend a month. On top of that, were burdened with a hefty mortgage in California, right before the housing crash caused the value of our home to plummet. We were in a tight financial position, to say the least.

Even though I knew my idea to start a decorating business for military families was viable, the thought of scraping together a thousand dollars to get a certification in home staging was daunting. I looked at business loans, but there weren’t a whole lot of options for less than ten thousand dollars and the thought of taking on more debt was even more depressing. Thankfully, I found a way to fund the training by selling a few household items online. But I will never forget that feeling of helplessness knowing I had an effective business idea that I was willing to work for, but had no funds to get started.

So when I began my second venture in 2010, I made it a priority to find ways to give back to the start-up businesswomen like me who just needed a little kick-start to get themselves on their way. I partnered with a young branch of a national lender, Accion, in San Antonio, Texas. I asked them to earmark my donations for military women who wanted to start small businesses. Then, those donations became small loans that, along with Accion’s development program, helped businesses get off the ground.

After many months of donations, I received a letter from the first woman who had been able to launch her business with my help. It was, by far, one of the most rewarding moments of my life. The recipient was a military spouse and sent pictures of the opening day in the yogurt shop she opened with the help of her Naval husband. The smile on her face in the picture put an even bigger smile on mine. Plus, it provided more motivation to grow my own business, so I could give back even more in the future. And it reinforced the idea that our military community is worth the investment.

So as you begin your journey, don’t be shy when you are seeking capital to get started. You might be surprised at how many individual angel investors within the military community may have an interest in your success as well. The bottom line is this: the money is out there…be diligent and creative, and you will find your funding source!

1 4. Broad Range of Experiences

Being an entrepreneur means that you are required to wear many hats: CEO, bookkeeper, fundraiser, sales manager, secretary, customer service specialist, and marketing expert, just to name a few. Unfortunately, a lot of times visionary business owners can lack the self-control, confidence, and breadth of skill to be able to succeed in a position with so many requirements.

It is no secret that military life puts families and members through a vast array of experiences. As a result, they are adaptable to change and are very confident with making tough decisions in unfamiliar environments. Experiencing a lifetime of change, involving a combination of military moves, combat deployments, single parenthood, and rebuilding lives in new locations, makes a person very independent and confident. That confidence and decisiveness are also the same skills necessary to be a successful entrepreneur.

I started my first business while juggling a newborn (days old) and a two-year-old. What possessed me to start at this particular moment, I will never understand! But I did. And I loved the challenge.

Thankfully, my resilient nature, after enduring so many years of moving, deployments, and chaos, helped me handle this season of craziness. My husband was often traveling during my business start-up period, so the schedule was pretty hectic. When he was gone on trips, I was a one-woman show. I would work a full day of decorating homes, feed the kids dinner, put them to bed, and then I would begin hours of administrative work for my business. Needless to say, I never saw any TV during those start-up years. But I truly believe that my experience and resilient state of mind were what led to my eventual success. And I attribute all of that to the many lessons military life taught me.

1 5. Awesome Work Ethic, Discipline, Problem-Solving, and Decision-Making

According to Bloomberg Business, eight out of ten business owners will fail by their eighteenth month in business. The New York Times cites one of the top reasons for failure as “operational mediocrity.” Fortunately for those in the military community, years of structure, disciplined decision-making, and developing a stellar work ethic help increase a person’s odds of success. Ask any corporate recruiter why they love to hire military spouses, veterans, and family members. Unequivocally, it’s because they have a dedication to work that is unmatched!

Additionally, when you move as frequently as many military families do, you don’t survive without the ability to make sound decisions and problem solve. For example, when traveling cross-country from California to our new assignment in Virginia, we were forced to be quick on our feet when we learned our rental house would not be available to move into until nearly a month after we arrived. It wasn’t financially feasible to live in a hotel for that long, so we made some strategic phone calls and found a family friend who had an extra couple of bedrooms that were available. These strange twists and turns to normal life may be perceived as devastating or depressing to anyone else. For us, they equate to some of our favorite memories of family bonding through unexpected circumstances. And, added up, they built a foundation of great experience to prepare me for the constantly changing environment of business.

1 6. Capitalize on Your Benefits

While many entrepreneurs have to endure a scary start-up period where their investment capital may be utilized to the point that there is nothing left for medical benefits, such is not the case for military entrepreneurs or employees. With access to reliable healthcare, dental and life insurance benefits, military entrepreneurs can feel safe in knowing they won’t have to forgo routine care or pay outrageous bills to get their business off the ground.

Add to that the awesome educational benefits provided by the Montgomery and Post-9/11 GI Bills, and a person can set themselves up with a foundation for business success without having to go into debt, like so many others. These benefits are not just for the military member or veteran, but can also be transferred to spouses and family members.

Additionally, there are other sources of income, such as Tuition Assistance. Or the MYCAA (Military Spouse Career Advancement Account), which is a $4,000 allotment provided to spouses in certain eligible ranks to obtain training towards a “portable career.” Whether these programs provide a basic degree or more specialized training in an area of business, they are too valuable to leave unused if you have a business idea you’d like to pursue.

1 7. Certifications, Security Clearances, and Background Checks

If there is one thing that is for certain, it’s that military folks are recognized as upstanding citizens. Between specialized work experiences, educational opportunities, volunteer requirements, and background investigations, most military members have been vetted numerous times by numerous different agencies during their military experience. Obtaining these investigations and clearances is a costly process, sometimes to the tune of thousands of dollars. Having access to this type of vetting gives military entrepreneurs a major advantage they wouldn’t otherwise have. And it makes them highly desirable as candidates to work for or to start a business that requires higher-level clearances or background checks.

The simple benefit of having base access and higher-level security clearances can play a role in opening up jobs or contracts that others do not have. One of my first big decorating contracts was with the housing company that ran the base housing on Travis AFB in California. Because I had a military ID and could quickly and easily navigate to and from the base, it most certainly made my proposal for work seem more appealing. It also cut down on the time it would take any other company to complete the constant flow of decorating projects the job required.

My favorite project we did there was a home makeover for a deployed family. Many stores in the local area donated furniture and accessories to help us complete a whole new look for their home. Upon the reveal, there were tears of joy and surprise and they were so grateful for their new look. That special moment will forever remain as one of my favorite memories of being a business owner! And it made me extra grateful to have the background checks and clearance to be able to be considered for that project.

1 8. Organization and Planning

Just like with any important venture, when you’re in the business of moving a lot, like most military families, you have to be organized and have a good process for planning. Whether it’s moving to a new community, starting kids in a new school, or working through a deployment, it doesn’t work very well if you don’t have a well-thought out plan. Over the years, I’ve watched many friends and colleagues hone their system down to a science. Some even go to the extent of making checklists and binders to keep their process on track. Then, each new relocation allows for another chance to tweak and perfect the system.

But not all of us in a family are completely type-A personalities who find joy in making checklists. So, we also have to be good at recognizing each family member’s strengths and weaknesses and prioritizing where they can be best utilized in the process.

What better practice for business ownership, right? In any type of business, there will be a variety of strengths and weaknesses within your team. A good leader has to recognize the strengths of each of the members of their group; the creative one, the detail-oriented one, the one who is good with people, or the one who has a knack for making things look good. When you can quickly recognize how to best utilize the strengths of each team member, the faster and more effectively you’ll accomplish your goal.

1 9. Culture of Teamwork, Trust & Accountability