Is running your own business the right choice for you?

As many retired officers have learned, the transition from military to civilian life can be surprisingly complex. When that adjustment involves swapping the disciplined, hierarchical environment of the military for the often chaotic and unpredictable world of running your own business, the stakes change dramatically. In any new small business, the “general” often can be found sweeping the floors, emptying the trash, and answering the phone.

Still, many former military officers are choosing to strike out on their own rather than become employees.

Maj. Gen. Charles Henry, USA-Ret., former CEO and current advisory board chairman of The Veterans Corp., a nonprofit organization created by Congress in 1999 specifically to help veterans start their own businesses, believes the military provides great training for entrepreneurs. He thinks service in the military instills an unshakeable sense of discipline that allows veterans to succeed at any task, whether it’s flying in pitch-black darkness, preparing to parachute out of a plane, or running a business. 

“Tenacity and perseverance will make you successful in any endeavor. Whether they’re wearing a suit or [battle dress uniform], veterans know that nothing is free, and they need to work hard to accomplish the mission,” says Henry.

LEARNING FROM THE PAST

What probably was the largest wave of former military personnel who became entrepreneurs flowed into our society in the years following World War II. With the help of a surging economy and low-interest business loans available under the GI Bill, tens of thousands of veterans decided to stick a toe in the entrepreneurial waters. Many of those pioneers still are running successful businesses today.

Former Petty Officer 1st Class Al Mauseth, of San Jose, Calif., finished college under the GI Bill and then launched Treat Ice Cream Co. in 1951. Today, at age 81, he still works nearly every day. “I’ve enjoyed every minute of it,” he says. “I just don’t know how to quit.” Mauseth thinks it would be more difficult to start a new business today than it was 50 years ago. “You have to know a lot more these days,” he says.

In some ways, that’s probably true. The business and financial worlds have grown increasingly complex, and the competition in many industries is fierce. In other ways, however, if you do your homework and are mentally prepared, thanks to the many resources that now are available, it might be easier than ever to make the transition from servicemember to entrepreneur.

MILITARY MINDSET

William Ward, a business administration professor at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pa., says military experience can be both a help and hindrance to entrepreneurs. He headed an MBA program at Virginia Tech for several years, and about half of the students were former or retiring military officers. He said some officers successfully made the transition while others didn’t.

“Many of the skills and behaviors acquired during years of military service are the antithesis of what is needed to do well in your own business. For example, there is a big difference in organizational and interpersonal relationships,” he explains. “On the other hand, much of what is experienced during a military career is valuable for starting up your own business—patience, perseverance, facing adversity, and dealing with conflicting or competing priorities are all valuable skills in the world of the entrepreneur.”

Maj. Glenn Spradling, USMC-Ret., 53, could serve as a living example of Henry’s philosophy. Spradling is owner of Flowers on the Move, a flower shop in Jacksonville, N.C. “There’s no doubt my military experience gave me a big advantage in my transition from Marine Corps officer to business owner,” he says.

Spradling credits much of his success to mentoring he received from superior officers during his military career. “While we served in Okinawa together in 1983, [a colonel] showed me how much the Marine Corps operated like a business,” he explains. “He taught me why getting the right thing, at the right place, at the right time, and at the right price to satisfy a need, is the key to success in both the military and in business.”
Spradling emphasizes the importance of taking advantage of all the resources available to aid you in the shift from uniform to civvies. “Don’t wait to get mentally prepared prior to separation,” he says. “After 20 or 30 years you must shift mental gears to prepare for life after the service. Books such as What Color Is Your Parachute?, the Transition Assistance Program classes and retirement seminars provided by base resource centers, articles in professional magazines such as Today’s Officer, and personality and preference testing via base education centers are just a few of the resources that helped me. Especially helpful was the personality testing, which showed I had a strong preference for being a business owner or manager.”

MAKING YOUR MOVE

Former Navy pilot Bill Laughlin, 45, who took a job working for someone else before going into business, sees his military experience a bit differently. “The best thing the Navy taught me was how to manage my time [and] people and how to work as a team with others to make a project work,” he says.

After separating from the Navy in 1989, Laughlin went to work as a candidate recruiter for a large recruiting firm in Atlanta. His new employer assigned him to one of its first teams charged with helping military officers secure employment in the private sector. After two years in that job, Laughlin joined four partners to form Orion International Consulting Group, a company whose primary focus also was helping military officers make a successful transition into the private sector. 

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