30A- Final Reflection

This semester has been a definite roller coaster. Every summer class is always a little bit harder in my opinion, because in my life, I have so much going on with working two jobs, trying to cram summer classes, balance a social life, and more. With that being said, I have enjoyed taking ENT3003 this summer.
     Upon going back and looking at my past posts, reading some of the posts, and reading the comments and feedback that I received, I will honestly say that I did learn some valuable information. I have previously taken an entrepreneurship class, but this class did help me expand my knowledge base on the topic. I enjoyed the whole blog format, because I have never made a blog before, and in the beginning, I had no idea what was going on. I quickly caught on to the topic and I enjoyed posting my blogs. I  also enjoyed collaborating with my peers. I did not like the whole idea of being the same small group all semester, but at the end, I can say it was cool to grow together with those in my group.
     The thing that I will remember most from this class is the books that we read. I am not big on reading, but I truly enjoyed the books that I read. Doing the reading reflections helped to give me some insight and advice from real entrepreneurs. I learned about Elon Musk, Scott Adams, and Guy Kawasaki. The thing I enjoyed most were the assignments where we had to do a sort of self evaluation of our lives and what skills we possessed. These helped me to better see who I was as a person. I am most proud of myself accomplishing making a blog. I customized my page to the way I wanted it to look, and I labeled all of my blog posts, including pictures along the way.
     I would say that I definitely have moved closer to an entrepreneurial mindset. An entrepreneurial mindset is not just one specific thing. It is a broader way of thinking. It is an awareness of sort. Being aware of your surroundings and being aware of opportunities. I have definitely moved closer to an entrepreneurial mindset.
     The only recommendation that I would like to make to future students would be to not procrastinate. That is the same thing that I said with my halfway reflection too. Procrastinating will not bring any success. To get the most out of all the assignments, they require thought, you have to try. Just blowing through the assignments with half effort will not get you anywhere. You will also miss deadlines. My recommendation is to not procrastinate.
    All in all I had a great experience in this class. I hope that all of my future colleagues get as much knowledge from this class as I have!

Here is a picture that I took on the boat this past weekend with some friends. I am happy because I have finished all of my summer courses!

29A- Venture Concept No. 2

This is my second venture concept on my organization "Homebound", which is a not-for-profit organization helping military veterans readjust to civilian life after returning home from their time of service. I have received some very helpful advice regarding my idea, and I have adjusted my idea accordingly. 

Opportunity:

     Every day military men and women return home after their time of service. As of January 2016, all across America there were over 39,400 veterans who were homeless. In 2014 alone, there were an average of 20 veteran suicides per day. The number of veterans who are homeless, unemployed, have mental health disorders and substance abuse disorders is unacceptable here in the United States. Numerous men and women return home and have no direction on what to do, where to go, or how to readjust. These military men and women who need assistance on their journey back to civilian life are exactly who I am looking to help with Homebound.

    Currently, there are a multitude of military organizations that provide assistance to military veterans. These organizations include the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Wounded Warrior Project, Disabled American Veterans, and more. All of these organizations help in various ways, many of them focusing mainly on wounded veterans. No one organizations offers the services that all veterans could potentially need, which is readjustment to civilian life. I want my organization to be open to military men and women, and their families, assisting them in their transition back to the United States

Innovation:

     As I stated above, I want to offer a service that is like no other. I want my not-for-profit organization to assist all veterans who return home, not just the ones who were wounded in combat. Even those men and women who were not shot or physically wounded, tote mental burdens that sometimes need attention as well. And even aside from mental or  physical wounds, sometimes veterans have been away from civilian life for so long, that they do not even know how to go about adjusting back. Whether it be counselling for mental health problems, assisting wounded veterans, or offering simply a friendly hand in adjusting back, Homebound will be an all around go to for veteran transition needs. 

     Being a not-for-profit, my organization will not focus on profits, but rather on helping. Of course we will require capital to run, and our financial capital will come from grants and donations from the government and generous patriots wanting to support our cause. Through my relationships connecting me with multiple state representatives, as well as the numerous CEO's and business owners that I have, I have become aware of numerous grants and funding availability opportunities that will make funding a very small problem to stress. Conservatively, our working capital for the first year will be $500,000 which is a very realistic and achievable number. I know of multiple non-profit organizations that receive government grants and donations of more than double this amount, and I know that we can receive the funding to make this happen.

      Aside from our financial capital, human capital will be volunteers across the country who are looking to assist the veterans on their transitions. In 2015 alone, there were over 62.6 million volunteers that spent an average of 52.6 hours of volunteering for the year. We plan to have numerous part-time volunteers that only volunteer when their schedule allows it. We will have a board of directors. They will help us efficiently and effectively allocate our resources. On the board, I will sit as chairman, and the other board members will have military experience. Who better to help veterans than other veterans. The board is not a full time position. We will just meet and discuss decisions when needed with monthly meetings. 

     Along with the volunteers, we plan to have a team of paid employees as well. We will have a full-time marketing agent that is paid on a salary basis that works to spread our organization out to the world as much as possible. This individual will be in charge of social media, collaborating with other organizations and event planning. As we grow, we will hire on a team to assist this position with their duties. We will also have a full time employee, also on salary, in charge of career and job location for our veterans. This individual will help find jobs and careers for our veterans in need. Another paid position that we will have is a full time counselor who will be required to have a minimum of a bachelor's degree in counseling or psychology. As we grow, we intend to grow the number of paid full-time employees.

     We hope to be able to collaborate and work together with other organizations similar to our to expand and reach as many in need as we can.

Venture Concept:

      At first, I believe the first people who are going to seek out our services are going to be those who return home from their military service and are seeking out their plans now that they have returned home. We will provide life advisement to these men and women helping them stabilize back civilian life. While teaming up with organizations such as MilitaryFriendly.com, we will help them find potential employers to find a job, and assist in the other areas of life including social, financial, home buying, and more.

     Once our name has been established and the success of our organization begins to spread, we plan to have veterans from all ends of the spectrum seeking our services for their transition back to civilian life. When it comes to military not-for-profit organizations, we do not consider any of the others to be competitors, because as long as we are all helping veterans, than we have the same goal. With that being said, it has been made clear to me that they are indeed competition to my organization in terms of taking our funding away from us. Our organizations are competing for funds. This is not a huge problem that we are concerned about at the beginning stages of our startup because of the ways we will receive funding as I stated above. Also some of the weaknesses that have been exposed in recent years with some of our potential brother or sister organizations include fraud and money laundering. Our business venture will be sure to exemplify the highest standards of integrity to build an outstanding reputation. We will have a competitive edge over many of the competing organizations because we will not have the bad reputation that some of the others have made for themselves. 

Secret Sauce/ Unfair Advantage:

     The resources that we possess are extremely important in ensuring the success of our organization in the long run. Our most valuable resource that we possess is our connections that we have. Connections can make or break a company depending on who you know. With the various connections that we have, they will be assets to us, guiding us to success along the way. There are currently twenty-one military bases in Florida. We plan to get in contact with each of these military bases and let them be aware of our services and what we have to offer. The point in doing so is to allow them to know of our services and allow us to be able to get in contact with those getting ready to leave their time of military service so we can help them immediately. As we grow, we will gain new connections as well, further growing our connection base. As a not-for-profit for the military, we will have a slight advantage because many people will want to help us more opposed to others. Our connections that we have and that we will gain is by far our most valuable asset.

What's Next:

     I was once told in an entrepreneurship class that you want to think big, but start small. When we first start our organization, we will be working with limited capital, and limited volunteers. As we grow and expand though, we will grow infrastructure and assets to where we can do more and help more veterans. There will always be veterans returning home that need assistance, and helping them will always be our focus, no matter how large we grow.

My Goals:

     The point of the organization is not about me at all, but it is about the veterans of the United States. I want to give back to those men and women who gave so much for us. In the future, as we continue to grow, I want to help more veterans and recruit more people to join our cause. While networking with everyone we can along the way, I hope to achieve a reputable status with many, and build relationships that will last a lifetime. My goals include but are not limited to continuing to assist the veterans, and helping others start their own not-for-profits as well.

Feedback

I received a lot of helpful feedback regarding my first venture concept! I received a lot of positive feedback, as well as a lot of constructive criticism that helped me make my venture concept better! 

     I had two individuals that elaborated to me that even though there were other organizations that were helping in the same goal that I was, they were competition. They told me that we would be competing against each other for funding and grants. So I changed my idea on financial  capital. I got in contact with some of the contacts that  I have and that I have acquired along this journey to help figure out my capital situation a little bit better. I came up with an effective strategy regarding the situation.

     I also received feedback regarding my human capital. There was a concern regarding volunteers, and I received a suggestion to implement some paid employees. I created a better strategy. I will implement a board of directors to help us allocate funding appropriately. We will also implement a handful of paid positions starting off. I understand business structure and what it means. Along with the paid employees, I visited the website for the United State Department of Labor and I went through the Bureau of Labor Statistics. I found that there were 62.6 million people who volunteered in 2015, and the average time that they spent volunteering for the year was 52.6 hours. With my connections and marketing strategies, finding part-time volunteers will not be a problem.

     I also received feedback regarding contacting military bases to collaborate with them regarding my business idea and such. I did my research and found that there twenty-one military bases in Florida, and I found out how to contact them once we are established. 

Here is the logo of Homebound:

28A- Exit Strategy

For this assignment, I have to discuss my long-term plans for the business, as in what I plan to do regarding my position with the organization. Will I move on? Will I start another business? Will I retire? What is it that I will do?

     I intend to stay with my organization for the long-haul. I am currently twenty years old. I have a lot of life to live, God willing, and I have a lot more that I want to do. I plan to stay with Homebound, continuing to grow with the company, and continuing to help the most veterans that we can. Helping others is my passion and has been for many years. Getting to stay with the organization that I started, all while helping others, I will have a happy life. I hope to have a family and kids one day, and I hope that I am an example to them on what a life of service looks like. If at some point in the future I find myself in an opportunity and position to run for a political office, I will do so. I hope that my family stays involved with my organization, but I do not necessarily intend to pass the organization to my children. It is a non-profit organization. Nobody truly owns it. It is a public organization that is owned by everyone. 

     I have chose this exit strategy because I want to live a life of service. If I can stay and grow with the great non-profit organization, building new connections and relationships along the way, it will be a good life. Eventually, I would like to run for a political office position in state or federal government, but that is only if the opportunity arises, and the organization will be able to carry on without me. I hope to use the connections that I have found in my endeavors with the organization to be able to run for office. 

      I think my exit strategy is influenced by my passion to serve others. Growing with the organization will help me spread the numerous individuals that I can reach out too and help along the way. I think that the idea of running for political office also stems from my desire to help others, and I think that the many connections that I make through my organization will help me on the pursuit to be able to help and entire different market of people. At the end of the day, as long as I am helping others, and the organization stays true to our core beliefs, I will be happy.

27A- Reading Reflection No. 3

For this assignment, I chose a book from the second reading list, and it was 'How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big' by Scott Adams.

1. 

     Scott Adams takes a different approach in his book on success and what it takes to be successful in life. In this book, the whole theme talks about helpful insights on what it takes to be successful, how to be successful, and how to take control of your own life. Adams focus talks about his own experiences from how he worked hard and took control of his own life, what he learned, and how he ultimately was able to branch out to start his multi-million dollar empire. Instead of the cliches that are typically spread about goals, time management, and working hard, Adams takes a different view on the mental mentality that is typically shared. He shares a bunch of different life-advising tips and hints along the way in his book from attitude and passion. He presents his ideas in a certain humorous way, that makes the book easy to read and keeps you engaged, laughing along the way.

2. 

     Like we have been working on most of the semester about innovation and coming up with new ideas, Adams takes a different approach on the way we view passion, success, goals, and more. Adams says in his book that we should  have a system, not a goal. He says losing 20lbs is a goal, while eating right is a system. He is not saying that goals aren't good, but he is saying that a system is more effective in achieving success, and it makes sense. I apply this to what we have learned in ENT3003 because it helps me take a new look on innovation and goal setting. 

     Also, Adams talks about failure in his book numerous times... Obviously, it is in the title. Adams talks about failures as a common thing. He says how failures happen from time to time, we just need to learn from them and then move forward because of that learning. I think this is great advice that can be applied because as entrepreneurs, we will fail. A lot. We just have to take it with stride and move forward.

     One of the points that I really liked in the book that Adams talked about that I greatly agree with is the point about connections. I have been saying that all year. Adams says that  who you know is important. He goes on to say that you do not have to be good friends with CEO's or billionaires, but just knowing friends that know different things than you are important! I think that this can be applied in our class in every way!

3.

In one part of the book, Adams talks about focusing on energy rather than time. What he is saying is that he prioritizes what tasks that he decides to do when by his energy levels. He says that his energy levels are maximized in the morning, so that is when he draws cartoons. In the afternoons, he says his energy levels are lower, and that is when he focuses on the more "busy work" that does not  require as much mental capacity. He acknowledges that not everyone has a flexible schedule and cannot always do this prioritizing, and he said at one point, he did not have the luxury either. He said he would wake up at four in the morning to focus on his own projects before he had to go to work and start his day. 

     If I were to create an assignment based on this book, I would focus on this point in his book. I would have the class evaluate their own life personally. I would have each student think about when their energy levels are highest, when they are lowest, when they are most creative and so forth. I would have them write about their energy levels, and how they think they should prioritize their day to be most effective. I would also ask them that if they did not have the luxury to  prioritize their day exactly how they wanted, what could they do differently in their own life to change that. It would be a self-evaluation assignment that helped students become aware of themselves.

4. 

The biggest surprise to me was about how Adams talks about generosity and selfishness. He says that there are three different kinds of generous people, selfish, stupid, and burdens on other. He says that the best one to be is selfish. He is not saying that we should go through life as a selfish asshole. He is saying that we first must take care of our own needs before we can go out into the world and help others. He goes on to say that if you do your selfishness right, you will automatically become an asset to society. Besides, how are you going to help others if you are not at your best yourself. This is definitely an interesting concept. I believe in helping others, and I enjoy helping others. With that being said, I have always kind of believed that first and foremost you have to take care of yourself. In my life, I want to give back in my community in numerous ways, financially and more. For me to do so, I first have to take care of myself and get where I want to be in life to be able to do so. Adams has solidified this belief for me. 

26A- Celebrating Failure

There have been many times throughout my life where I have failed. Failure is just a part of life that brings us one step closer to our successes. For this assignment, I had to think about a time when I failed in the past semester.
     This past semester in Summer A, I was asked to join the University of Florida Food & Resource Economics Department's Academic Quiz Bowl team. This is an academic team that competes in a Jeopardy style game in the various categories of agricultural economics against other teams across the country. When I was asked about the opportunity, I was thrilled and I immediately agreed to join the team. I was nervous because I knew two of the individuals that were currently on the team, and I thought that they were way smarter than me. Upon going to the first practice and trying to show my knowledge, I was proven right. I failed miserably. I maybe knew two of the questions the entire practice, and the other team members were running circles around me, quickly answering the questions with precision. I felt very embarrassed.
     When the second and third practices came around, I was nervous but ready. I had been given a book to study which included all of the materials that we would need to know. Once again though, I was dominated at practice. Even though I had studied a little bit, it was no match for my team members, and I once again failed to prove that I was going to be a valuable team member. I was very discouraged. As the following weeks progressed, I continued to study the material and work towards catching up to the rest of the team. I continued to notice my inferiority at the practices, but I kept trying and trying. I studied and studied and studied some more. I skipped going out and partying on a few  weekends to focus on studying as well.
     It was not until two weeks ago at practice that I finally seen I was catching up. At practice, I was answering more and more questions, and it did not go unnoticed. My team members told me that they could tell that I had been studying and that I was certainly stepping up! Very similar to when someone notices your gains in the weight room, when others notice your progress, it gives you a certain stimulation to continue working even harder and that is what I have been doing! I have been studying harder than ever before. My first official competition is in two weeks, and I will be ready!

If there is anything that I have learned from this experience, it is that if you really want something, and you work hard enough towards it, you can achieve it. I have always been a fairly bright individual, graduating top ten in my class in high school, along with many other academic accomplishments. With that being said, when I got to UF, I learned that I was not nearly as smart as I thought I was.  I never imagined that I would be able to join an academic team. I also never thought I would be able to catch up  with my teammates once I joined the team.  But with a little bit of prioritizing and a lot of hard work, I was able to exemplify what my team needs from me.

This class has changed my view on failure because as we have read about various entrepreneurs and collaborated with one another, we see that failure is natural. Not only is failure natural, but in many cases, it is necessary for growth. If we went around through life and never failed, we would be arrogant and blind to many different aspects of our life. When we fail, it shows us what we are truly  made of. I have a short temper. And when I fail, I get very frustrated. It helps me become a better person when I fail because I learn to overcome my frustration and pursue my goal. I feel that I am definitely more willing now, at this point in my life, to take a risk. We cannot fear failure. In my eyes, I would rather look back on my life in twenty years and say, "well, at least I tried" than to look back on my life and ask "What if?"

25A- What's Next?

For this assignment, I am looking to go out in the area and locating potential customers for my service according to my customer segment that I have previously identified, and then I am going to locate some new potential customers from a different segment.

Existing Market: 

In the terms of "Homebound", I am thinking big and starting small. Starting out, I will be located here in Florida. As a fresh organization, I will be working in collaboration with a lot of additional organizations with similar goals and ideas. What I mean by this is that since I will be freshly starting, I will not have a whole lot of start up capital at the start, and my organization will start by outsourcing many of the services that we will be offering. As we grow, we will become more self sufficient, able to provide all of the services needed ourselves. We will have more of our own job recruiters, counselors,  real-estate agents, and more. We will become a fully functional body working together to work fluidly. 

     I went out to search for the three interviewees/potential customers that fit my current customer segment, and it was a hard task to tackle. Finding retired military men and women that need assistance and are willing to accept assistance was not as easy as finding a potential customer for a candy bar sale. Once I found a handful of potential interviewees, I actually spoke with four individuals. I presented them my idea for Homebound, tossed my elevator pitch and used my venture concept as well. I then asked them the question, "what should we be doing that we aren't planning to do?" As a whole consensus, the potential customers all told me that I was definitely headed in the right direction. One individual thought that it was a great thing that I was thinking big but starting small. She had said that even though it is aggravating at first, that is the best approach to take. Allows to grow at a rate that you can keep up with.

     I did have two individuals that told me that I needed to plan to differentiate my organization a little more. I asked what they meant, and they told me that I had a great idea, but when marketing, I needed to focus on expressing on how my organization was different than the others. They said, "there are a million different organizations out there, and yours is a great idea, but you need to make sure to emphasize how you are different. Express with more emphasis that your organization is to ALL military men and women, AND their families."  They went on to explain that differentiating myself would be crucial for donors, and it will allow for more people to look to us for their needs. 

Feedback:

      After  interviewing my potential customers, I think that I got a lot of good feedback from them. I always love hearing that I have a good idea, and I also am glad to hear about how I can improve my ideas. I think that no matter how good we think we are, there is always room for improvement.

       I really got to thinking about what the two individuals told me about making sure to differentiate myself and my organization to make sure that I maximize my success. What they were really telling me was that I need to make sure that I implement an effective marketing strategy and market right to be able to survive in an industry that there are currently so many different organizations apart of. Sure, I have a different business format and idea in mind, but I have to make sure that I show that to everyone else. 

     What I have taken away from the feedback is definitely that I need to make sure that I have a superior marketing and advertising sector for my organization. It cannot be just good. It has to be superior, and it has to be presented effectively for what it is we are trying to accomplish.

New Market:

So far with the venture that I have been participating in, I have been going to all of my potential customers with a B2C approach, going to the clients and talking with them. For my new market approach, I will be taking a B2B approach, selling myself to other businesses and organizations. This is just as, if not more, important as the customers. If I cannot join an alliance with these other businesses and organizations, I will surely fail. Creating the bond using the B2B approach is crucial. The goal of doing this is for both my organization and the business or organization I speak with, to be better off with the relationship. We will both be assets to each other. 

      For this part of the assignment, I went to businesses and organizations to conduct my interviews. My dad does home restoration and remodeling for a living, and he has many good relationships and accounts at many large home improvement stores. The first interviewee came from Home Depot in Gainesville, Florida. I knew that Home Depot was a military friendly company and that they would be good ones to go speak with. I spoke with the head manager at this particular Home Depot and pitched them my idea and what I was looking to do. I then explained that I wanted a relationship with them to be able to have a source of employment for my veterans that come to me for employment help. In return, Home Depot is receiving disciplined mature individuals to work in their stores. The individual I spoke with told me that he loved the idea of what I was looking to do, and he thinks that it would be a great idea to form such a relationship. He reassured me that with the relationship, it did not guarantee anyone a job, but it definitely opened another possible opportunity. He suggested that before I send them out for employment to make sure that they are going to be up for the task and that they will be hard workers.  That way my organization's standards will be held reputable. 

     The others that I went to were smaller businesses in the Gainesville area. I kept all of my interviewees in the Gainesville area because I knew that there is a VA hospital for any veteran affairs, a multitude of jobs available, and eager employers needing quality candidates. I went out briefly and pitched my idea at a few bike shops, bars, and construction companies. I knew that these smaller owned shops would have more flexibility on hiring processes and such, and that even if they didn't have job openings, they could help point us in the right direction. I had very positive results from all of the business places that I went, and many of them were very helpful. One shop owner told me that he was actually a military veteran and he would definitely be willing to help out with my goals, even if it was only part time positions. 

Feedback:

       The feedback that I received when I went out and spoke with businesses about partnering up was very positive. Many of the small businesses that I spoke with appeared to agree to the partnership for pure patriotism. Others seemed to agree because it appeared to be a good marketing move for their business. Even though this is not really the reason I would want them to join me, they aren't wrong, and the more bonds that I can create, the better. 

     After the experience, it made me realize that the job search part of my organization may not be quite as hard as what I had originally suspected. The one individual that told me that I need to make sure that those that I was seeking employment for would work hard is great advice. If I send a bunch of individuals out from my organization that are "shitty" employees, than I will be burning bridges. I will definitely have to first and foremost ensure that those that I am helping seek employment are going to be hard working individuals and are ready to get out into the workforce. If they aren't, that is just another task that we will first tackle prior to job seeking. 

     All in all, I think that I had good results from this assignment. I gained some good feedback and a lot of helpful advice that I had not previously thought of. It was good to get some other perspectives and gain new knowledge. 

     

24A- Venture Concept No. 1

My venture concept is about "Homebound", a not-for-profit organization helping military veterans readjust to civilian life after returning home from their time of service.

Opportunity:

     Every day military men and women return home after their time of service. As of January 2016, all across America there were over 39,400 veterans who were homeless. In 2014 alone, there were an average of 20 veteran suicides per day. The number of veterans who are homeless, unemployed, have mental health disorders and substance abuse disorders is unacceptable here in the United States. Numerous men and women return home and have no direction on what to do, where to go, or how to readjust. These military men and women who need assistance on their journey back to civilian life are exactly who I am looking to help with Homebound. 

    Currently, there are a multitude of military organizations that provide assistance to military veterans. These organizations include the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Wounded Warrior Project, Disabled American Veterans, and more. All of these organizations help in various ways, many of them focusing mainly on wounded veterans. No one organizations offers the services that all veterans could potentially need, which is readjustment to civilian life. I want my organization to be open to military men and women, and their families, assisting them in their transition back to the United States.

Innovation:

     As I stated above, I want to offer a service that is like no other. I want my not-for-profit organization to assist all veterans who return home, not just the ones who were wounded in combat. Even those men and women who were not shot or physically wounded, tote mental burdens that sometimes need attention as well. And even aside from mental or  physical wounds, sometimes veterans have been away from civilian life for so long, that they do not even know how to go about adjusting back. Whether it be counselling for mental health problems, assisting wounded veterans, or offering simply a friendly hand in adjusting back, Homebound will be an all around go to for veteran transition needs. 

     Being a not-for-profit, my organization will not focus on profits, but rather on helping. Of course we will require capital to run, and our financial capital will come from grants and donations from the government and generous patriots wanting to support our cause. Aside from our financial capital, human capital will be volunteers across the country who are looking to assist the veterans on their transitions. We hope to be able to collaborate and work together with other organizations similar to our to expand and reach as many in need as we can. 

Venture Concept:

     At first, I believe the first people who are going to seek out our services are going to be those who return home from their military service and are seeking out their plans now that they have returned home. We will provide life advisement to these men and women helping them stabilize back civilian life. While teaming up with organizations such as MilitaryFriendly.com, we will help them find potential employers to find a job, and assist in the other areas of life including social, financial, home buying, and more. 

     Once our name has been established and the success of our organization begins to spread, we plan to have veterans from all ends of the spectrum seeking our services for their transition back to civilian life. When it comes to military not-for-profit organizations, we do not consider any of the others to be competitors, because as long as we are all helping veterans, than we have the same goal. With that being said, some of the weaknesses that have been exposed in recent years with some of our potential brother or sister organizations include fraud and money laundering. Our business venture will be sure to exemplify the highest standards of integrity to build an outstanding reputation. 

Secret Sauce/ Unfair Advantage

     The resources that we possess are extremely important in ensuring the success of our organization in the long run. Our most valuable resource that we possess is our connections that we have. Connections can make or break a company depending on who you know. With the various connections that we have, they will be assets to us, guiding us to success along the way. As we grow, we will gain new connections as well, further growing our connection base. As a not-for-profit for the military, we will have a slight advantage because many people will want to help us more opposed to others. Our connections that we have and that we will gain is by far our most valuable asset. 

What's Next?

     I was once told in an entrepreneurship class that you want to think big, but start small. When we first start our organization, we will be working with limited capital, and limited volunteers. As we grow and expand though, we will grow infrastructure and assets to where we can do more and help more veterans. There will always be veterans returning home that need assistance, and helping them will always be our focus, no matter how large we grow. 

My Goals

The point of the organization is not about me at all, but it is about the veterans of the United States. I want to give back to those men and women who gave so much for us. In the future, as we continue to grow, I want to help more veterans and recruit more people to join our cause. While networking with everyone we can along the way, I hope to achieve a reputable status with many, and build relationships that will last a lifetime. My goals include but are not limited to continuing to assist the veterans, and helping others start their own not-for-profits as well.