Posted by Diego Echeverri, US Army Veteran, co-founder of Bull and Moose


Editor's note: As 11/11 rolls around each year, we’re reminded of the veterans who selflessly serve our nation with great honor. We’re especially inspired by the veterans who return to civilian life to build successful small businesses — the engine of our economy. To celebrate those who serve our country in more ways than one, we sat down with vet-run companies to learn the stories behind their vision, the influence of the military on their business philosophy, and their advice for aspiring veteran entrepreneurs. Here, we hear from Diego Echeverri, US Army Veteran and co-founder of Bull and Moose, which provides luxury, quality neckwear at a disruptive and fair price point.

The military sometimes inspires and influences in unexpected ways. For me, the Army taught me the self-discipline and leadership skills that ultimately prepared me to start my own business — but that didn’t surprise me. What I didn’t expect was the way I began to adopt the military’s belief in the power of a physical impression and the importance of pride in one’s appearance. As ambassadors of our country, we represent our country physically in more ways than one and must look as sharp in our suits as we act in the field. And so, 13 years after enlisting in the aftermath of 9/11, and 10 years after I deployed to Afghanistan, I started Bull and Moose, a company that provides military-inspired, fashionable neckwear for men.

Fashion has actually taken quite a few cues from the military over the years: trenchcoats, blazers, military boots and bomber jackets are staples of historical military outfits and lynchpins of the classic, preppy American wardrobe. When I started Bull and Moose, I launched with a product that perfectly married my bond with the military and my passion for high quality clothing: a camouflage bow tie. Another one of our first pieces, the DC Metro pocket square, was inspired by the maps the military printed out on silk for infantrymen, which lasted far longer than the paper maps they used before. We just launched a new tie, the Sergeant, that’s built from the same 3M reflective yarn that was woven into the belts we wore for safety in the Army.

The military doesn’t just inspire our product design; it defines our company and brand and has been a part of our DNA from the start. We sponsor Got Your 6, a campaign that helps drive the conversation and public perception that veterans can be leaders and civic assets. We also donate a portion of our profits to fund micro loans on Kiva. We’re a for-profit, but I’m driven by the knowledge that the more we sell, the more we can give back to the veteran community.

Sometimes the best kind of support a vet needs is just another vet to talk to, and what’s great about vets in business is there’s a close-knit network where someone always has your back. We come back from the military with a mixed bag of strengths and weaknesses, so navigating the entrepreneurial maze requires a lot of thinking, learning and changing. For some, the biggest challenge is shaking off the formality; for others, it’s adapting to ambiguity and navigating without a clear chain of command. At the same time, with vets, there’s no “can’t” — there’s always a way — and you learn that you’re capable of things you could never have imagined. Having other vets to talk to about those difficulties and successes — or just shipping or social media strategy — is huge.

Bull and Moose isn’t all about the military, and most of our products aren’t camo or built from 3M, but being a veteran and supporting other veterans is an undeniable part of our brand. I’m just as motivated to run a successful business as I am to help other vets and prove to the broader community that vets can do some amazing things. This generation in particular faces a daunting challenge: in addition to transitioning to a civilian world that doesn’t necessarily value their specific experience skills, they face the public perception that they’re inherently flawed. I know that’s not true, and I know how passionate and impactful they can be. And it’s my mission to ensure that vets are essential to society’s fabric as they are for our military.

Posted by Mark Rockefeller, former Air Force officer, co-founder and CEO of StreetShares

Editor's note: As 11/11 rolls around each year, we’re reminded of the veterans who selflessly serve our nation with great honor. We’re especially inspired by the veterans who return to civilian life to build successful small businesses — the engine of our economy. To celebrate those who serve our country in more ways than one, we talked to a few vet-run companies to learn the stories behind their vision, the influence of the military on their business philosophy, and their advice for aspiring veteran entrepreneurs. Here, we hear from Mark Rockefeller, former Air Force officer and co-founder and CEO of StreetShares, a socially-oriented online lending platform where investors compete to give loans to high-growth vet-owned and main street business.

Veterans today return from service to a country that bears little resemblance to the ticker tape parades and land of opportunity that characterized the end of World War II. With ready access to capital and local banks willing to lend money to former service people, nearly half of the vets from my grandparents’ generation went on to own or run a business, driving one of the most remarkable economic growth periods in recent US history. Now, with fewer regional banks and more red tape, large global banks base their lending decisions on little more than a FICO score. This makes it nearly impossible for vets, who have incredible skills but limited financial history, to pursue their entrepreneurial aspirations.

I had a front seat to our country’s most recent financial unraveling, which only worsened this situation. After nine years in the Air Force —including a stint as a Jag lawyer in Iraq — I joined a law firm that represented some of the creditors trying to get their money back from Lehman Brothers. I learned how bad mortgages started, moved hands, took on more risk, and ultimately wreaked havoc on our economy. I saw how businesses across the country lost their savings and were forced to shutter their doors, while new businesses couldn’t gather the capital to get off the ground.

I started StreetShares to breathe life back into the American dream for a new generation of veteran entrepreneurs and aspiring business owners. As a vet who saw firsthand how hostile the economic climate can be for a young company, I want to help people access the capital they need to start their businesses. With StreetShares, businesses tell their stories and create pitches on our online platform, and investors compete to fund parts of that loan at rates they set themselves. That way, investors learn about the people behind the ideas and their loans are both financial and personal.

When I was stationed in Iraq with the Air Force, I worked on a project with a 24-year-old platoon leader whose responsibilities resembled those of a mayor — he ran an entire town’s public projects, security and education systems, and even started a community microloan program. While most people his age were dipping their toes in their first jobs out of school, he was running a small city. It’s guys like him that make me wonder, if they handle this kind of responsibility and lead in that kind of environment, imagine what they can do back in the US. And I want every one of them to have a shot at showing what they’re capable of, to pursue that dream.

There’s a battle for how this generation of vets is characterized, and my mission is to prove they’re our country’s future leaders. The US economy is looking for a catalyst, and I believe vets can be exactly that — they can fight the financial battle here at home just as they fight the military battle abroad.

Posted by Todd Connor, Operation Iraqi Freedom Navy veteran, CEO of The Bunker


Editor's note: As 11/11 rolls around each year, we’re reminded of the veterans who selflessly serve our nation with great honor. We’re especially inspired by the veterans who return to civilian life to build successful small businesses — the engine of our economy. To celebrate those who serve our country in more ways than one, we sat down with vet-run companies to learn the stories behind their vision, the influence of the military on their business philosophy, and their advice for aspiring veteran entrepreneurs. Here, we hear from Todd Connor, Operation Iraqi Freedom Navy veteran and current CEO of The Bunker, an incubator for veteran-owned technology companies.

Entrepreneurship is a commitment to solving problems, and I’ve committed to solving one that’s especially close to home for me: helping veterans start and grow businesses they believe in.

My own military journey began as a freshman at Northwestern University, when I joined the school’s ROTC program; four years later, I was commissioned as a Navy Officer and eventually served in the Persian Gulf as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. After returning to civilian life, I got my MBA, worked as a consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton and started a few companies. While I loved the excitement of entrepreneurial life, I missed the purpose and community of the military. Then the idea for The Bunker took shape, and I finally found a way to marry my passion for entrepreneurship with my desire to work with vets.
The Bunker is an incubator for vet-owned technology startups and aspiring veteran entrepreneurs. We help them with strategic business decisions and plans, connect them with investors and mentors, and guide them through the unique regulations around running a certified veteran business. We just launched last month, and with support from the likes of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, the Tillman Foundation and 1871, we’re off to a solid start.

In many ways, military experience gives vets a skill set that naturally lends itself to entrepreneurship. They’re trained to be leaders in any situation. They put their mission first and don’t let uncertainty or obstacles get in the way. They have an unwavering work ethic and don’t give anything short of their best. Bringing vets with these skills together at The Bunker creates a powerful ecosystem of like-minded, ambitious entrepreneurs who share a common mindset and an incredible bond.

But military experience also creates some difficult challenges. When vets return to civilian life from the military, they’re so far removed from the startup space that they lack the access to execute on their vision — they don’t have the capital, mentors, investors or the networks to turn their idea into a company. The Bunker is their gateway to the entrepreneurship community. It opens the door to the larger startup world and the people, companies and resources that come with it. That’s one of our primary goals — to help them find the tools they need to be successful.

Vets and their businesses need to be embedded in mainstream society, too. That’s why The Bunker sits inside 1871, the epicenter of Chicago’s startup scene — so our entrepreneurs are as much a part of the city’s business hub as they are of the veteran community.

The Bunker is young, but we’re already growing our footprint. News of and excitement around The Bunker spread so quickly to vet groups nationwide that we’ve built a network of Bunker incubators in 7 cities across the US. The best part? I’ve met less than half of the folks leading the charge in those 7 cities, but because they’re all vets, I trust them to carry the Bunker vision forward — just as I trusted the guys next to me when I served in the Navy. That’s the kind of community that has each others’ backs.

Posted by Derek Herrera, Marine Special Operations Officer, CEO of RuckPack

Editor's note: As 11/11 rolls around each year, we’re reminded of the veterans who selflessly serve our nation with great honor. We’re especially inspired by the veterans who return to civilian life to build successful small businesses — the engine of our economy. To celebrate those who serve our country in more ways than one, we sat down with some vet-run companies to learn the stories behind their vision, the influence of the military on their business philosophy, and their advice for aspiring veteran entrepreneurs. Here, we hear from Derek Herrera, active duty Marine Special Operations Officer and CEO of RuckPack, a peak performance nutrition shot (you may also remember them from last year).

Two years ago, I was leading a Marines special operations team on patrol in Afghanistan when I was shot through the back by an enemy sniper and paralyzed from the chest down. I wanted to be in the military as long as I could physically serve, so when I suddenly lost that ability far earlier than I ever imagined, I was faced with a scary reality: I had to find something else that inspired the same passion and purpose that drove me in the Marines.
I returned to California and shifted my focus from physical service to physical rehab, but it didn’t take me long to realize the power of the military skillset in the business world. I’d learned to lead a team through chaos, to motivate and inspire the people around me despite the challenges ahead of us; I’d learned how to approach a mission by gathering as much information as possible and developing a well-informed strategy. In August of 2013, I enrolled in the Executive MBA program at UCLA, and this summer, took over the reins as CEO at RuckPack — a peak performance nutrition shot founded by a fellow Marine, Rob Dyer, who I met in Marine Corps Special Operations Command.

Leading RuckPack brings back the passion and purpose I worried I’d never find after my injury. Its mission is as challenging and exciting as those I experienced in the Marines — a mission where I get to lead a team of really incredible people I trust and respect, a mission that’s equal parts exhilarating and daunting. I also couldn’t be more proud to be at the helm of a company that wasn’t just born on the battlefield, but also believes in supporting veterans who return from it: we have a Veteran Distributor Program, which allows any veteran to sell and make a 10% commission on RuckPack products, and we give 10% of our profits to military charities. That kind of philosophy that motivates me.

As the CEO, I represent the company externally, but to me my role is that of team leader — more about serving the company and its employees and making sure their success always come before my own. In the military, officers don’t eat until all of their troops have eaten; as CEO, I live by by the same servant-leader philosophy. To me, getting the team to feel as invested in the company and cause as you are ultimately builds the collective trust, earns you respect and builds a strong community.

Growing the RuckPack team is one of my top priorities as CEO, and my approach to hiring is inextricably linked to my experience in special ops. I saw firsthand the potential and power in smart people who learn quickly and adapt to the situations (and challenges) at hand. My team was assigned to missions and projects they had very little prior knowledge about — anything from building a self-sufficient local police force in Afghanistan to mapping night patrol plans — so they had to teach themselves everything about their mission at the time in order to succeed. They knew to identify the problems, gather information, identify potential solutions and determine a detailed action plan. That’s exactly the kind of mindset I want working with me on RuckPack. Experience in the industry isn’t a bad thing, but for me, it’s not the driving force in my hiring decisions.

Leaving the military for civilian life can be scary: you go from knowing your mission and having the support of people you trust with your life to being surrounded by people you don’t know and who don’t have the shared military experience. But there’s so much untapped potential in these vets, in the leadership and management experience they carry with them that the civilian world can benefit from. That’s the other reason I’m so proud to be CEO of RuckPack — I want to show other people, from vets to civilians to employers, the power of the military skillset in business.