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VETERAN BUSINESS PLAYBOOK ON ENTREPRENEURSHIP JOURNEY WITH SCORE.I'M AMINA BURRICK, NAVY VETERANS SCORE MENTOR, VP OF OPERATIONS, STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS AT H-R-V-C-C AND MODERATOR FOR TODAY'S EPISODE, WE'RE HERE TO TALK ABOUT SOMETHING THAT AFFECTS ALMOST EVERY VETERAN WHO THINKS ABOUT STARTING A BUSINESS, THE GAP BETWEEN WHAT THEY EXPECTED AND WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED.
TODAY, WE'RE SITTING DOWN WITH VETERAN BUSINESS OWNERS AT DIFFERENT STRATEGIES OF THEIR JOURNEY, ALONG WITH THE LEADERS AND MENTORS WHO SUPPORT THEM.
SOME OF YOU'RE JUST GETTING STARTED AND SOME OF YOU'RE SCALING, AND ALL OF THE LESSONS YOU HAVE, UH, TO SHARE WILL DIVE INTO THE OBSTACLES THAT CAUGHT YOU OFF GUARD THE SUPPORT THAT ACTUALLY MADE A DIFFERENCE, THE ROLE THAT SCORE MENTORSHIP AND VETERANS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE PLAY, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, WHAT YOU WISH YOU WOULD'VE KNOWN FROM DAY ONE.
IF YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT STARTING A BUSINESS ALREADY IN ONE OR WONDERING WHERE TO FIND HELP, THIS EPISODE WILL SAVE YOU TIME, MONEY, AND FRUSTRATION.
TODAY WE HAVE RACHEL, WHO'S BEEN IN GOVERNMENT CONSULTING FOR 20 PLUS YEARS, AND IN BUSINESS, AND WITH SCORE FOR A LAST EIGHT YEARS.
DONYA HAS JOINED SCORE ABOUT TWO MONTHS AGO, AND I JUST WANTED TO ASK SOME QUESTIONS.
SO LET'S START FROM THE BEGINNING.
WHEN YOU FIRST DECIDED TO START A BUSINESS, WHAT DID YOU THINK IT WAS GOING TO LOOK LIKE AND WHAT'D YOU EXPECT? YEAH.
WHEN I FIRST STARTED BUSINESS, I WENT IN THINKING THAT MY MILITARY DISCIPLINE AND MY CAREER EXPERIENCE WOULD REALLY JUST GIVE ME THIS COMPETITIVE EDGE, UM, AS IT RELATES TO BEING A BUSINESS OWNER.
BUT ONCE I STARTED ENTREPRENEURSHIP, I REALIZED IT WAS COMPLETELY OPPOSITE OF THAT.
UM, I NEEDED MORE FOUNDATION, MORE SYSTEMS, AND I, I JUST FELT LIKE I WAS IN A WHOLE NEW WORLD, NEW EXPERIENCE.
WHAT ABOUT YOU, RACHEL? I KIND OF THOUGHT THE SAME THING, UH, EXCEPT FOR I WAS A LITTLE NAIVE.
I THOUGHT THAT I'D BE MAKING $150,000 RIGHT OFF THE BOAT.
SO I WAS SUPER EXCITED THINKING THAT, HEY, I GOT, I, I'LL BE HAVING A SALARY.
I DID NOT THINK OF ALL THE, THE THINGS THAT I WOULD HAVE TO DO, THE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS.
UM, I WAS NOW HEAD OF, UM, ACCOUNTING, NAME IT, ACCOUNTING, HUMAN RESOURCES, LEGAL.
I HAD NO IDEA THAT I WOULD HAVE TO TAKE ON EVERYTHING AND WORK 24 HOURS.
I WAS JUST THINKING, HEY, I'LL BE MY OWN BOSS AND LOOKING AT VACATION, I CAN GO ON VACATION WHENEVER I WANNA GO ON VACATION.
I COULD TAKE SICK DAYS, WHENEVER I WANNA TAKE SICK DAYS, RIGHT? BUT THEN AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT ENDED UP BEING, HEY, I WAS THE ONLY ONE IN MY BUSINESS, SO IF I TOOK A VACATION, THEN NO ONE WAS RUNNING MY BUSINESS.
UM, SO IT WAS DEFINITELY A CHALLENGE.
UM, ALSO, I DID NOT HAVE THE MONEY TO PAY, UM, $15, $20 AN HOUR FOR AN EMPLOYEE.
SO KIND OF FIGURING THAT OUT AND FIGURING OUT HOW TO STAY WITHIN MY MEANS WAS BASICALLY, UH, WHAT I HAD TO LEARN.
SO THAT LEADS US INTO THE MILITARY, UH, PRIDES ITSELF ON STRUCTURE.
THERE'S A CHAIN OF COMMAND AND THERE'S SYSTEMS FOR EVERYTHING, AND ALL OF A SUDDEN WHEN YOU START YOUR OWN BUSINESS, THERE'S NOTHING.
SO HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT MANAGING AND CREATING THAT STRUCTURE FOR YOUR BUSINESS? YEAH, I WANNA SAY FOR ME, FOR ME PERSONALLY, UM, A LOT OF TIME IN MY CAREER, I WAS HELPING FOLKS TO SCALE AND TO BUILD ALL OF THESE THINGS.
AND THE MILITARY DEFINITELY GIVES ME THE STRUCTURE AND DISCIPLINE, BUT ONCE I STARTED MY OWN BUSINESS, I REALIZED, WAIT, I'M THE SYSTEM.
I AM THE PERSON THAT NEEDS TO COME UP WITH ALL OF THESE THINGS.
AND THAT WAS A BIT OVERWHELMING, TO BE HONEST, RIGHT? SO I'VE HELPED FOLKS TO, TO SCALE, TO LAUNCH, TO DO ALL OF THESE GREAT THINGS, BUT IT'S LIKE, ALL RIGHT, NOW DANYE, THIS IS YOUR TURN.
YOU HAVE TO DO IT, AND THERE ISN'T SOMETHING THAT ALREADY EXISTS.
SO LITERALLY HAVING TO NAVIGATE AND FIGURE OUT THE BLUEPRINT AND THE THING THAT WORKS THE BEST FOR ME, I FELT LIKE THAT WAS A BIT OVERWHELMING.
UM, BUT LUCKILY I FOUND SCORE, SO THAT WORKED OUT FOR ME, BUT IT WAS JUST A BIT OVERWHELMING WITH THIS.
WHAT ABOUT YOU, RACHEL? SO, ABSOLUTELY, I, I HAD THE SAME THING, LIKE ALL THIS STRUCTURE, YOU KNOW, WITH THE MILITARY, UH, SIX 30 IN THE MORNING, PT, GETTING UP, GOING THROUGH THAT, AND THEN RIGHT AFTER THAT YOU KNEW WHAT YOU WERE GONNA DO, AND IT WAS ALL PLANNED OUT FOR YOU THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE DAY.
NOW IS LIKE, OKAY, I'M ON MY OWN.
UH, WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? RIGHT? NO ONE'S GONNA WAKE YOU UP, NO ONE'S GOING TO HELP YOU THROUGH THIS.
SO I JUST STARTED LOOKING AND I DID A GOOGLE SEARCH AND I FOUND SCORE.
SO I JUST WENT IN MY
I DON'T KNOW WHO CAN HELP ME, BUT I NEED A LOT OF HELP
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I LAID OUT ALL MY PROBLEMS ON THE TABLE FOR THEM, AND FOR THE MOST PART, UM, I WANTED TO GO INTO GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING, UM, AND THEN ALSO ACCOUNTING.SO THEY WERE ABLE TO ASSIST ME TREMENDOUSLY BY GIVING ME ADVISORS.
AND, UH, NEXT THING I KNEW IT, I HAD A $3.9 MILLION CONTRACT THAT ONE OF MY ADVISORS, DENNIS, HELPED ME WIN.
COULD YOU TELL ME MORE ABOUT HOW YOUR MILITARY EXPERIENCE KIND OF SHAPED YOUR BUSINESS OWNERSHIP AND HOW THOSE SKILLS ACTUALLY HELPED YOU WITH YOUR BUSINESS? ONE, MY MILITARY EXPERIENCE REALLY HELPED ME BECAUSE IT GAVE ME DISCIPLINE, UM, STRUCTURE.
ACTUALLY BEING ABLE TO PUT ALL OF THIS TOGETHER, UH, PUT AN ENTIRE BUSINESS TOGETHER, FIGURING OUT ALL THE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS THAT'S NEEDED, BECAUSE WITHIN THE MILITARY, IT'S THE SAME THING.
WE HAVE LEGAL, WE HAVE ACCOUNTING, WE HAVE ALL THIS, THIS STRUCTURE AND BEING ABLE TO PUT THAT ALL IN PLACE AND, UM, CREATE PROCESSES FOR EACH AND EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE, THAT'S WHAT THE MILITARY TEACHES YOU.
SO IF I DIDN'T GO INTO THE MILITARY, I HONESTLY WOULDN'T KNOW HOW I WOULD DO THIS
SO, UM, IT BROUGHT A LOT TO THE TABLE AT THE END OF THE DAY.
YEAH, I THINK I WOULD ADD TO THAT, DEFINITELY, UM, THE STRUCTURE, BUT THE OTHER THING THAT I WILL ADD IS LIKE RESILIENCE AND GRIT.
UM, SO IN THIS PROCESS, I, I HAD AN IDEA OF WHAT I THOUGHT THIS JOURNEY WAS GOING TO LOOK LIKE.
I THOUGHT THERE WERE GONNA BE QUICK WINS.
UM, BUT THEN WHENEVER I WAS MET WITH MOMENTS OF FRUSTRATION, I FEEL LIKE THE MILITARY EXPERIENCE OF LIKE, ALL RIGHT, WE STILL HAVE THE MISSION, WE STILL HAVE SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO COMPLETE, EVEN IF RESOURCES LOOK DIFFERENTLY, EVEN IF SOLDIERS ARE UNABLE TO MAKE IT AND DO WHAT THEY NEED TO DO, LIKE, WE STILL HAVE THE MISSION THAT WE NEED TO COMPLETE.
SO I THINK THAT THE MILITARY REALLY HELPED US SHAPE MY MIND TO BE LIKE MISSION MINDED, LIKE, THIS IS WHAT I COMMITTED TO, THIS IS WHAT I SAID I WOULD DO, AND WE'RE GOING TO SEE THIS THROUGH.
SO I FEEL LIKE THAT THOUGHT PROCESS HAS REALLY HELPED ME TO MOVE FORWARD AND TO BE ABLE TO CONNECT WITH PEOPLE AND TO BUILD THUS FAR.
SO SOME OF THE THINGS NOBODY REALLY TALKS ABOUT IN BUSINESS OWNERSHIP IS THE BARRIERS OF ENTRY AND OBSTACLES.
CAN YOU TELL ME SOMETHING THAT YOU GUYS ENCOUNTER WITHIN YOUR FIRST YEAR OF BUSINESS? UM, UM, I KNOW FOR ME IN MY FIRST YEAR OF BUSINESS, UM, THE PRIMARY OBSTACLE THAT I ENCOUNTERED, WELL, THERE ARE A FEW, BUT THE PRIMARY ONE WAS JUST NOT A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF, UM, ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA.
SO FOR ME, I OWN A COMMERCIAL CLEANING COMPANY.
I'M ENTERING INTO THIS SPACE WHERE I WANT TO HAVE GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS.
SO THERE ARE THESE, UM, THE, THESE LIKE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA AS FAR AS HOW LONG YOU NEED TO BE IN BUSINESS THAT YOU DON'T EXPLICITLY KNOW.
PEOPLE JUST TELL YOU, OH, YOU SHOULD GO AND APPLY TO, TO GET A CONTRACT AT THIS ENTITY AND THIS ONE.
AND SO I'M REALIZING THAT THERE ARE SOME UNSTATED, UM, THINGS RELATED TO THE CRITERIA.
THERE'S ALSO THIS GAP, TOO THAT I FEEL LIKE WAS A BARRIER, WHICH IS LIKE, HOW DO WE KNOW WHAT TEMPLATES AND WHAT INFORMATION THAT WE SEND OVER WHAT'S CONSIDERED A VERY STRONG PROPOSAL TO AN ENTITY? SO I FELT LIKE, UM, AS I WAS NAVIGATING IT AND TRYING TO GO TO DIFFERENT WORKSHOPS AND GET INFORMATION, THAT SOMETIMES THE INFORMATION WAS LIKE A BIT GENERIC AND JUST DIDN'T GIMME THE SPECIFIC THING THAT I NEEDED.
SO I, I FOUND THAT THAT WAS LIKE A, A PROBLEM FOR ME.
WHAT ABOUT YOU, RACHEL? SO, FOR ME, UM, WHEN I LOOK AT IT AND I SEE LIKE SO MANY PEOPLE, THEY OPEN A BUSINESS AND THEY JUST LET THAT BUSINESS SIT, RIGHT? SO, UM, THEY PROCRASTINATE.
THEY SAY, OH YEAH, I'M GONNA GET THINGS DONE, BUT IT'S JUST NOT ENOUGH TIME TO GET THESE THINGS DONE.
SO FOR ME, SEEING MY MENTOR, SEEING MY MENTOR AT, UH, SCORE HELPED ME TREMENDOUSLY STAY ON TASK.
AND THEN ON TOP OF THAT, THE VETERANS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE REALLY ALSO HELPED ME WITH ALL OTHER BUSINESS VETERANS THAT WERE THERE TOO.
AND WE'LL TALK MORE ABOUT HOW SCORE AND H-R-V-C-C IMPACT OUR BUSINESS IN OUR NEXT SEGMENT.
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MEET THEOLA SONGWRITER WORLD CLASS VIOLINIST AND AWARD-WINNING MULTI-GEN ARTIST.WE JUST TOOK HIS KEYS FOR THE DAY AND GAVE HIM A RIDE METRO FAIR CARD.
ANYWHERE CAN DAM GO THE STUDIO TO RECORD A TRACK, PLAY A CONCERT, OR PERFORM THE ANTHEM AT BALL GAME? LET'S GO VISIT RIDE MITCHELL.ORG/MOLA TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HIS RIDE.
LET'S CONTINUE WITH OUR GUESTS.
SO WE MENTIONED IN OUR LAST SEGMENT THAT RESOURCES DO EXIST, SCORE BEING ONE OF THEM, AND HOUSTON REGIONAL VETERANS CHAMBER BEING ONE OF THEM.
RACHEL, COULD YOU TALK A LITTLE MORE ABOUT HOW GOING THROUGH SCORE AND BEING PART OF A VETERANS CHAMBER AND WORKING WITH OTHER VETERAN OWNED BUSINESSES HELPED YOUR BUSINESS GROW? SURE.
UM, SO ONE, WORKING WITH SCORE, THEY REALLY HELPED ME, UM, IRON OUT MY BUSINESS PLAN, IRON OUT THE DIRECTION THAT MY BUSINESS NEEDED TO GO IN.
UM, ALSO WITH LEGAL, I DIDN'T HAVE MONEY TO PAY FOR A LAWYER, SO THANK GOD, LIKE WE HAD SCORE MENTORS THERE THAT WERE ACTUALLY LAWYERS.
SO AFTER I WON MY FIRST CONTRACT, IT'S LIKE, YEAH, 3.9 MILLION GREAT, BUT NOW I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HELL THIS IS TALKING ABOUT, RIGHT?
SO THANK GOD THEY, UM, WENT THROUGH AND HELPED ME TO UNDERSTAND THE, THE FULL CONTRACT, MAKE SURE THAT I UNDERSTAND WHAT I WAS DOING, UM, HOW TO DO IT, UH, MAKING SURE THAT, UM, AT THE END OF THE DAY, IF THERE WAS ANY ISSUES WITHIN THE CONTRACT, WE REDLINE THOSE AND SEND THOSE BACK IN TO THE CONTRACTING OFFICERS.
SO SCORE REALLY HELPED THROUGHOUT EVERYTHING.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT ACCOUNTING, IT'S, YOU'RE NOT DOING ACCOUNTING FOR ANOTHER BUSINESS, YOU'RE DOING ACCOUNTING FOR YOUR OWN BUSINESS.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT, UM, TAXES WISE AND A LOT THINGS, MAKING SURE YOUR CHART OF ACCOUNTS IS SET UP PROPERLY.
SO THEY HELPED ME THROUGH EVERYTHING.
UH, WITH THE VETERANS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, I WENT ON AND JOINED THE VETERANS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE A FEW YEARS AGO.
AND EVER SINCE I JOINED, UM, LIKE ONE BEING AROUND OTHER VETERANS WHO WERE LIKE-MINDED, THAT REALLY HELPED.
AND KNOWING THAT THESE VETERANS ARE AFTER THE SAME GOALS THAT I AM, THAT ALSO HELPED.
IT HELPED STAY, KEPT ME ON TASK, HELPED ME, YOU KNOW, THROUGH EVERYTHING THAT I HAD TO GET THROUGH AS FAR AS BUSINESS WISE.
AND THEN I ALWAYS HAD SOMEONE ELSE TO TALK TO, UM, SOMEONE ELSE TO TALK TO ABOUT BUSINESS AND AS WELL, UM, COMING ONTO MY CONTRACTS, DIFFERENT CONTRACTS THAT I HAD WITH, UM, THE GOVERNMENT.
SO THEY'VE HELPED ME TREMENDOUSLY.
I WOULDN'T DO, I WOULD ALWAYS RECOMMEND THEM AND I WOULDN'T DO ANYTHING DIFFERENT.
AND THEN DONYA, OBVIOUSLY YOU ARE FAIRLY NEW TO SCORE, FAIRLY NEW TO THE VETERAN ECOSYSTEM HERE IN HOUSTON.
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT HOW SCORE AND SCORE MENTORS HELPED YOU MOVE THE NEEDLE WITH YOUR BUSINESS? YEAH.
YOU KNOW, I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF HAVING YOU AS MY SCORE MENTOR.
UM, IT'S, SO I AM SOMEONE WITH BIG VISION, BIG VISION, BIG INSIGHT.
AND I REMEMBER THE VERY FIRST TIME THAT I CAME TO A SCORE OFFICE OUT WHERE I MET YOU, I HAD LIKE THIS BIG IDEA.
AND WHAT I REALLY APPRECIATED ABOUT SCORE IS THAT WHEN I WAS SPEAKING TO LIKE THE OTHER MENTORS AS WELL, THEY DIDN'T TRY TO SAY THAT MY DREAM WASN'T POSSIBLE.
WHAT THEY DID THOUGH WAS THEY MADE IT TO, INTO SOMETHING THAT WAS A BIT MORE TRANSLATABLE, SOMETHING THAT WAS SCALABLE, AND SOMETHING THAT, UM, GAVE ME CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF WHO MY TARGET CLIENT IS.
SO I FELT LIKE THAT WAS HELPFUL FOR PROVIDING ME WITH SOME
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CLARITY ON MY VISION AND HOW I COULD GO ABOUT DOING IT.NOW, AS YOU AND I STARTED TO GET INTO THE SESSIONS, I THOUGHT THAT IT WAS REFRESHING.
ORIGINALLY, I WAS EXPECTING A MENTOR TO JUST HAVE HIGH LEVEL TOUCH TIME WITH ME JUST CHECKING IN OCCASIONALLY.
UM, BUT WHAT I APPRECIATE ABOUT YOU IS I FEEL LIKE YOU'RE IN THE WEEDS WITH ME.
UM, WE'VE WENT TO CERTAIN FORUMS WHERE YOU'RE THERE WITH ME HELPING TO CONNECT ME WITH PEOPLE, MAKING SURE THAT I UNDERSTAND, ESPECIALLY SINCE I'M ENTERING A VERY NEW SECTOR FOR MYSELF.
UM, ONE WHICH YOU HAVE SOME EXPERIENCE IN.
SO BEING ABLE TO SEND YOU A PROPOSAL TO SAY, HEY, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS? AM I DOING THIS RIGHT? I KNOW I SPOKE EARLIER ABOUT JUST NOT EVEN KNOWING THE TEMPLATES TO USE FOR PROPOSALS.
SO I FEEL LIKE GETTING THAT ACTUAL HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE AND GETTING SOME GUIDANCE ON SPECIFIC WAYS IN WHICH I CAN GROW SPECIFIC WAYS IN WHICH I CAN LEVERAGE MY TIME TO, UH, BUILD RELATIONSHIPS HAS BEEN REALLY HELPFUL.
AND THEN, I GUESS SINCE I AM YOUR MENTOR, WHAT SURPRISED YOU ABOUT OUR MENTORING SESSIONS? IS THERE ANYTHING THAT KIND OF THREW YOU FOR A LOOP AND YOU WEREN'T EXPECTING YOU, I OBVIOUSLY YOU MENTIONED THAT YOU WANTED IT TO BE, OR YOU EXPECTED IT TO BE A LITTLE MORE FORMAL THAN IT IS, IS THERE ANYTHING THAT KIND OF THREW YOU FOR A LOOP? HONESTLY, WHAT THREW ME FOR A LOOP IS I WAS EXPECTING A MENTOR TO BE LIKE, ALL RIGHT, I HAVE THIS WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE HERE.
LET ME JUST SPRINKLE SOME KNOWLEDGE ON YOU.
BUT WHAT I FOUND WAS THAT YOU HAVE AN INTEREST IN KNOWING WHO I AM AS A PERSON, WHICH REALLY RESONATES WITH ME.
I FEEL LIKE A LOT OF BUSINESSES AND JUST THINGS THAT PEOPLE DO COME, THERE'S A DEEPER WHY CONNECTED TO IT.
SO BEING ABLE TO HAVE THAT RELATIONSHIP BEING BUILT UP, UM, WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS NEW FOR ME AND DIFFERENT.
AND THEN ALSO, LIKE SOMETIMES YOU JUST CALL, LIKE YESTERDAY YOU JUST CALLED ME, IT WAS LIKE, HEY, I'M LEAVING FROM THIS THING.
WHAT'S GOING ON? WHAT ARE THE UPDATES? LIKE, REALLY MAKING SURE THAT EVEN IN THOSE MOMENTS OF SILENCE WHERE I MIGHT BE WORKING ON SOMETHING IN THE BACKGROUND, YOU'RE STILL LIKE ACTIVELY CHECKING IN SO THAT IT'S MORE ACCOUNTABILITY AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT I NEED AND THAT I LIKE, ESPECIALLY AS A NEW BUSINESS OWNER AND SOMEONE WHO CAME FROM CORPORATE.
A LOT OF MY FRIENDS HAVE CORPORATE EXPERIENCE, BUT THEN GOING INTO A STEP OF LIKE, ACTUALLY BUILDING YOUR OWN IS DIFFERENT.
SO I FEEL LIKE, ALRIGHT, IF I NEED SOMETHING, I'M TEXTING AMINA, I'M CALLING AMINA, SHE'S GOING TO ANSWER AND SHE'S GONNA BE THERE.
SO IT'S VERY DIFFERENT FROM WHAT I THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO BE.
RACHEL, COULD YOU TOUCH A LITTLE BIT ON YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR SCORE MENTOR? SURE.
UM, WELL, MY SCORE MENTOR, I HAD, I HAD ACTUALLY TWO, UH, A COUPLE OF THEM I SHOULD SAY, THROUGHOUT THE YEARS.
I'VE BEEN WITH THEM FOR ABOUT EIGHT YEARS.
AND, UM, THEY WOULD ALWAYS BE THERE, UM, EVERY TIME I NEEDED HELP, UH, EVERY TIME I WON A NEW CONTRACT, THEY WERE ALWAYS THERE.
SO I, I WENT FROM ONE CONTRACT TO ANOTHER CONTRACT AND JUST KNOWING THAT WE WERE ALWAYS ON, ON SCHEDULE WITH EVERYTHING, MAKING SURE MY BUSINESS WAS CONTINUOUSLY GROWING, GOING FROM, YOU KNOW, $0 TO MILLIONS AND JUST KNOWING THAT, HEY, I NEEDED STRUCTURE.
I NEEDED TO MAKE SURE THAT I HAD ENOUGH EMPLOYEES, I NEEDED TO MAKE SURE THAT I HAD THE RESOURCES THAT I NEEDED.
AS MY BUSINESS GREW, THEY REALLY WERE WITH ME THE ENTIRE JOURNEY.
SO,
WE'LL TALK ABOUT HOW SCORE AND HOUSTON REGIONAL VETERANS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ACTUALLY WORK TOGETHER.
AND WITH SCORE WE PROVIDE MENTORSHIP, AND THEN WITH H-R-V-C-C, WE PROVIDE THAT PEER SUPPORT.
AND I JUST WANNA THANK YOU BOTH FOR PARTICIPATING TODAY AND FOR BOTH BEING PART OF THESE BOTH GREAT ORGANIZATIONS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING US.
AND WE WILL BE BACK FOR THE NEXT SEGMENT WHERE WE TALK ABOUT H-R-V-C-C AND SCORE AND HOW THEY SUPPORT VETERAN-OWNED BUSINESSES.
MEET DIO CHOCO, MASTER OF DANCE AND LEGENDARY ENTERTAINER.
WE JUST TOOK HIS KEYS FOR THE DAY AND GAVE HIM A RIDE METRO FAIR CARD.
AND WHERE CAN CHOCO GO? A QUINTA IN THE HEIGHTS, A DANCE OFF DOWNTOWN OR HIS SOUTHSIDE WEDDING.
AT THE END OF HIS TRAVELS, HE WAIT.
WHERE'S CHOCO NOW? VISIT RIDE METRO.ORG/CHOCO TO FIND OUT WHERE IS CHOCO
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HOUSTON VI.HOUSTON FIRST CORPORATION INTRODUCES LYNN WYATT SQUARE IN THE HOUSTON THEATER DISTRICT WITH OAK TREES, WATER FEATURES AND PROGRAMMING.
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC LYNN WYATT SQUARE.COM.
SHAKE UP YOUR EVERYDAY AND COME EXPLORE DOWNTOWN.
FROM NEW ART INSTALLATIONS TO FAMILY FUN SWEAT SESSIONS AND MOVIE NIGHTS.
WE'RE KEEPING HOUSTON INSPIRED AND ENTERTAINED.
I HAVE JOHN, WHO'S THE EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AT A HOUSTON REGIONAL VETERANS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
JOHN, WE'VE HEARD FROM ENTREPRENEURS.
CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT H-R-V-C-C AND ITS MISSION? SURE.
WE HERE AT THE HOUSTON REGIONAL VETERANS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, WHAT WE ENDEAVOR TO DO IS CREATE AN, AN ECOSYSTEM, AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE VETERANS CAN PLUG INTO AND CREATE START SCALE BUSINESSES.
UM, WHETHER THAT'S FROM THE STARTUPS OR WELL ESTABLISHED BUSINESSES DOESN'T, IT'S AGNOSTIC TO US.
SO FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE, WHAT ARE KIND OF THE TWO PATHS YOU SEE NEW VETERAN-OWNED BUSINESSES THAT THEY COULD TAKE? I'M GLAD YOU ASKED.
UH, WHAT I SEE IS WE HAVE A LOT OF ESTABLISHED BUSINESSES IN, IN HOUSTON, ESPECIALLY VETERAN ENTREPRENEURS.
UH, ABOUT 60,000 OF THEM TO BE EXACT.
NOW, THE TWO PATHS THAT YOU ASKED ABOUT, ONE IS THEY'RE ALREADY ESTABLISHED, THEY'RE ALREADY IN BUSINESS, THEY'RE ALREADY DOING GREAT THINGS, AND YOU KNOW, WHAT THEY, WHAT DO THEY REQUIRE? THEY REQUIRE A LITTLE BIT OF TRACTION, A LITTLE BIT OF GROWTH, A LITTLE BIT OF SUPPORT, MAYBE A SCORE, MENTOR SOMEONE TO COME IN AND MAKE SURE THEY'RE DOING IT RIGHT BEFORE THEY MAKE VERY EXPENSIVE MISTAKES.
UH, THE SECOND PATH THAT WE OFTEN SEE THEM TAKE IS THE STARTUPS.
THESE ARE THE GUYS WHO ARE THE GREAT BIG IDEAS THAT THEY WANT TO GO DO MASSIVE THINGS, BUT THEY SUFFER FROM A LACK OF EDUCATION.
THEY SUFFER FROM A LACK OF TIME, LACK OF RESOURCES.
UM, AND THOSE ESPECIALLY NEED A SCORE MENTOR BEFORE THEY MAKE VERY EXPENSIVE MISTAKES.
COULD YOU PLEASE TOUCH ON A LITTLE BIT OF COLLABORATIONS THAT CHAMBER HAS WITH DIFFERENT EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS HERE IN HOUSTON REGION? ABSOLUTELY.
SO WE HAVE PARTNERED UP, ESPECIALLY, WE JUST SIGNED AN MOU WITH THE HCC, UH, THAT'S VERY EXCITING FOR US.
THEY ACTUALLY HAVE A VETERAN ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM.
WE'VE PARTNERED UP WITH BLUE WAVE RICE UNIVERSITY, PICK AN ORGANIZATION THAT DOES EDUCATION FOR VETERANS.
AND CAN YOU TOUCH A LITTLE BIT ON THE VETERAN ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM WITH HCC? YES, ABSOLUTELY.
UH, HCC ACTUALLY, UH, THEY CAME TO US WITH, UH, RAVI BRO PART AND HIS BOSS MAYA.
UM, THEY HAVE PUT TOGETHER A PROGRAM WHERE A VETERAN ENTREPRENEUR, SEASONED OR NOT, CAN PLUG IN AND GET THE EDUCATION.
AND IT'S NOT JUST BOOK LEARNING, RIGHT? THAT'S, THAT OFTEN DOESN'T WORK FOR THE VETERAN.
AND SO THEY DO HANDS-ON TRAINING AND THEY, FROM CONCEPT TO LAUNCH, FROM LAUNCH TO SCALE, THEY DO ALL OF THOSE THINGS.
AND THEY HAVE, UH, THEY'VE ACTUALLY PARTNERED UP WITH CORE TOO, TO BRING IN THOSE MENTORS AND SECOND SET OF EYES, THE TRAINING, THE EDUCATION, THE PLATFORMS, AND BUILD SYSTEMS. OFTEN THAT'S WHY ENTREPRENEURS FAIL.
AND ONE THING VETERANS ARE REALLY GOOD AT IS SYSTEMS. IT'S HOW WE WERE TROT, RIGHT? IT'S HOW WE WERE TRAINED.
AND SO THE HCC PROGRAM COMES ALONG SIDE AND HELPS THEM BUILD THOSE SYSTEMS SO THAT THEY CAN BE A VERY SUCCESSFUL ENTREPRENEUR.
AND YOU MENTIONED THE SECOND PATH, WHICH IS THE BUSINESSES ARE ALREADY ESTABLISHED, THEY PROBABLY HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF REVENUE.
COULD YOU TOUCH ON HOW CHAMBER THEN SUPPORTS THOSE BUSINESSES AND ITS PARTNERSHIP WITH SCHOOL AND OTHER, OTHER ORGANIZATIONS TO HELP THEM SCALE AND GROW? OH, FOR SURE.
WE HAVE A LOT OF VETERAN BUSINESSES OUT THERE WHO ARE DOING GREAT THINGS FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
THEY ARE POWERHOUSES IN THEIR OWN LITTLE ECONOMY, BUT THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO SCALE AT NO TIME IN THE MILITARY WHERE THEY TAUGHT HOW TO HIRE, HOW TO FIRE, HOW TO BALANCE A P AND LA BUDGET, THOSE ARE ARE HARD SKILLS THAT THEY'VE LEARNED OVER TIME AND, AND THEY'VE TAKEN THE BEATINGS.
SO WHAT WE DO IS WE PARTNER UP WITH, WITH THEM, WE COME ALONGSIDE THEM AND WE SHOW THEM A BETTER WAY.
WE INTRODUCE THEM TO A SCORE MENTOR, WE INTRODUCE THEM TO THE HCCS, WE INTRODUCE THEM TO THE APIS, THE BLUE WAVES.
UM, WE INTRODUCE THEM TO OPPORTUNITY, AND WE HELP KIND OF SMOOTH THE TRANSITION FROM SMALL MOM AND POP BUSINESS INTO A LARGER PLAYER IN THEIR THEATER.
AND WE TAKE A, A LITTLE FISH IN A BIG POND AND WE MAKE IT A BIG FISH IN A BIG POND.
AND WE ARE EXCITED TO COME ALONGSIDE THOSE VETERAN ENTREPRENEURS AND SHOW THEM THEY'RE
THEY'RE NOT IN THIS BY THEMSELVES AT ALL.
SO CHAMBER'S BEEN AROUND FOR ABOUT FIVE YEARS OR SO, ALMOST EXACTLY FIVE YEARS.
COULD YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW CHAMBER AND ITS PARTNERSHIPS HAVE CHANGED FROM WHEN YOU GUYS REALLY STARTED TO NOW? YES.
SO AS WITH ANY STARTUP, UH, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW, RIGHT? AND SO WE JUMPED
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IN, UH, HEAD FIRST INTO THE SHORT, DEEP END OF THE POOL.AND, UH, WE LEARNED HOW TO SWIM REAL FAST.
AND WE'VE REALLY, IT TOOK US ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF TO TWO YEARS TO FIGURE OUT WHO THE POWER PLAYERS ARE, YOU KNOW, TO FIND OUT WHERE MARK WINCHESTER IS.
AND, UH, THE SBA, THE SCORE MENTORS WHO THE BIG PLAYERS ARE AT HCC RICE UNIVERSITY, UM, A LOT OF ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS THE CITY.
AND WE HAVE REFINED THAT INTO AN ART FORM.
AND WE NOW KNOW PLAYERS AT EVERY LEVEL.
AND SO WHATEVER BUSINESS COMES TO US, WE CAN SAY, LISTEN, I SEE WHERE YOUR BUSINESS IS AT, AND AMINA, I'M GONNA, I'M GONNA INTRODUCE YOU TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE FOR YOUR BUSINESS AT THIS TIME.
I COULD THROW YOU INTO THE DEEP END AND HAVE SHELL OIL THROW YOU AN RFI OR A, YOU KNOW, A CONTRACT THAT'S WORTH BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, BUT YOU'RE NOT READY FOR THAT.
IT WOULD TARNISH OUR NAME AND IT WOULD JUST, IT WOULD SPOIL THE WATERS FOR EVERYBODY.
LET'S, LET'S GIVE YOU SOME MENTORSHIP THAT'S GOING TO HELP YOU APPROACH THOSE CONTRACTS WITH THE RIGHT SKILLSET, WITH THE RIGHT PROGRAMS, WITH THE RIGHT PROCESSES THAT WILL HELP YOU BE SUCCESSFUL.
I THINK FOR ME, UH, I'M ACTUALLY DUAL HADED.
I'M IN THE LEADERSHIP WITH THE CHAMBER, AND I'M ALSO A CERTIFIED SCORE MENTOR.
SO FOR ME, IT'S, IT'S AWESOME TO SEE THAT GAP MM-HMM
AND TO BRIDGE GAP, THAT GAP BECAUSE SOMETIMES PEOPLE ARE NOT READY FOR THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
THEY AREN'T COMMERCE, BUT THAT IS OKAY.
WE WE'RE, WE'RE READY TO TAKE THEM AT THE STAGE THEY'RE IN, BUT WE ALWAYS REFER 'EM TO OUR PARTNERS.
SO IT'S, IT'S SO NICE TO SEE BUSINESSES THAT ARE IN IDEATIONS PHASE AND THEY'RE VETERAN OWNED BUSINESSES, AND I CAN KIND OF MENTOR 'EM THROUGH SCORE, AND THEN ONCE THEY HIT A CERTAIN MILESTONE, I HIT A CERTAIN POINT, I'M ABLE TO REFER 'EM TO CHAMBER, AND THEN CHAMBER IS ABLE TO KIND OF HELP THEM GROW.
AND WE KIND OF, IN A SENSE HAVE OUR OWN LITTLE INCUBATOR AND ACCELERATOR INDEED, WHERE WE GROW THOSE BUSINESSES.
AND WE HAVE CHAMBER MEMBERS OBVIOUSLY THAT HAVE BEEN LIKE RACHEL, SHE'S BEEN WITH THE SCORE FOR A WHILE.
SHE'S BEEN WITH THE CHAMBER FOR A WHILE, AND HER BUSINESS HAS GROWN TREMENDOUSLY.
WE HAVE BUSINESSES IN THE CHAMBER THAT HAVE BEEN, THAT ARE SET TO BE TOP 25 IN THEIR INDUSTRY IN THE NATION.
SO IT IS, IT'S JUST BEAUTIFUL TO SEE HOW, HOW WE TAKE IT FROM IDEATION, BOTH WITH SCORE AND COLLABORATION WITH SCORE TO BUSINESSES THAT ARE THRIVING AND SUCCESSFUL AND PUTTING BACK INTO NOT JUST LOCAL ECONOMY, BUT VETERAN OWNED ECONOMY.
AND I THINK YOU HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD.
WE MEET THE BUSINESS OWNER WHERE THEY'RE AT.
WE DON'T, WE ARE NOT ONE SIZE FITS MOST.
UH, LISTEN, WHAT IS YOUR BUSINESS? HOW BIG ARE YOU? HOW BIG DO YOU WANT TO BE? WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS? LET'S REFINE THAT.
LET'S, LET'S GET YOUR MISSION DOWN TIGHT AND THEN LET'S FOCUS.
AND REALLY, THAT'S WHERE WE, WE SHINE.
WELL JOHN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE WITH US TODAY.
THANK YOU FOR SHINING A LIGHT ON HCCS VETERAN LEADERSHIP PROGRAM, VETERAN ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM, AND AS WELL, LETTING US KNOW A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND HOW VETERANS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IMPACTS NOT ONLY THE VETERANS THEMSELVES, BUT ALSO THE POLICY.
WHICH IS A HUGE, HUGE PART TO HAVE A POLICY THAT'S FAVORABLE FOR VETERAN-OWNED BUSINESSES AND CERTIFICATION.
CITY OF HOUSTON OBVIOUSLY CAME WITH ITS OWN VETERAN OWNED CERTIFICATION, WHICH WAS THE DIRECT, UH, CORRELATION OF CHAMBER WORKING BEHIND THE SCENES.
HELPING BUSINESSES BEING RECOGNIZED.
WELL, SO MINA, YOU'RE, YOU'RE NOT WRONG.
WE HAVE AN ADVOCACY PRO PLATFORM ACROSS THE STATE, UH, ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE CITY.
BUT LET'S NOT OVERLOOK THE FACT THAT WE ARE YOUR TRIBE.
WE ARE YOUR MILITARY PEERS, AND YOU'RE NOT IN THIS FOXHOLE TOGETHER BY YOURSELF.
AND YOU KNOW WHAT, IT'S SOMETHING TO BE SAID WHEN YOU GO TO A MIXER AND THERE'S YOUR PEOPLE AND THEY ALL SPEAK YOUR LANGUAGE.
FIRST MEETING I EVER WENT TO CHAMBER, UH, I THINK LOU ROSADO TOLD ME WELCOME HOME.
AND, UH, I'VE DEFINITELY FELT AT HOME.
AND SAME WITH, SAME WITH SCORE.
UH, SCORE HAS BEEN AN AWESOME ORGANIZATION, UH, FOR ME TO KIND OF GIVE BACK SOME OF MY KNOWLEDGE THAT I'VE LEARNED IN THE FIELD.
AND OBVIOUSLY WORKING FOR THE EXECUTIVE OFFICE FOR THE INDO PAYCOM, FOR THE ADMIRAL AND PACIFIC REGION, AND BEING ABLE TO GIVE THAT EXPERIENCE BACK TO NOT ONLY VETERAN BUSINESSES, BUT JUST BUSINESSES IN OUR HOUSTON ECOSYSTEM HAS BEEN AMAZING AND REWARDING.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE, JOHN.
I'M HONORED TO BE HERE WITH YOU.
AND THANK YOU ALL FOR WATCHING.
UH, THIS IS VETERAN BUSINESS PLAYBOOK.
YOU DID NOT HAVE TO FIGURE THIS OUT ALONE.
THERE'S A WAYS TO GET TRAINING, GET COMMUNITY BUILD BUSINESS THAT YOU DESERVE, AND WE'LL SEE YOU NEXT TIME.