How many folks out there want to become entrepreneurs?

2014-06-21T11:10:35-04:00

Are you acting on it now or waiting until after active duty? What sort of business are you planning on creating?

Response by Col Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 21 at 2014 11:45 AM

2014-06-21T11:45:26-04:00

I am going to wait until I retire from AD and start my own nurse contracting agency.

Response by SSG Waldo Yamada made Aug 18 at 2014 9:23 PM

2014-08-18T21:23:21-04:00

I am currently looking for ventures and have different ideas but one that I'm working on right now is to open a Veteran's Association in Palau to help those that are living there. I also want to extend this to the servicemembers there as well hoping they can get involved.

Response by Elizabeth Malkin made Sep 25 at 2014 4:51 PM

2014-09-25T16:51:44-04:00

RallyPoint has noticed a spike in transitioning service members and veterans who are interested in entrepreneurship so we have started a new initiative to try and open up good entrepreneurial opportunities for our members.

RallyPoint now has a new pilot program aimed at helping veterans become franchise business owners. RP has partnered with some of the franchises that are best known for supporting vets and you should check a few of them out here:

Homewatch Caregivers: http://www.rallypoint.com/organizations/homewatch-caregivers--2/overview

ACFN: http://www.rallypoint.com/organizations/acfn-san-jose-ca/overview

We are also working with The Transition Center which is a FREE service for all RP members that helps them to understand what steps to take to be a successful veteran business owner and the ways to get there. You can find out more about it here: http://www.rallypoint.com/units/the-transition-center-the-transition-center-llc/civilian_company/jobs

Homewatch CareGivers | RallyPoint

Homewatch CareGivers

Response by PO2 Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 8 at 2015 10:24 AM

2015-01-08T10:24:40-05:00

I started a brokerage franchise in telecommunications and energy. Quite lucrative.

Response by PO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 17 at 2015 1:16 AM

2015-02-17T01:16:56-05:00

PO1 Private RallyPoint Member I have started gathering things to get ready, but I still have a long way to go. I've already go my EIN, tax resale certificate and all that jazz except my business license. I just need that and other forms of paper work i.e. Certificate of good standing and an Articles of Organization. I'm trying to get everything ready before I retire in 4 years that way I have less to do before I retire. Of course that's unless I make Chief then my business will be put aside until I retire after that.

Response by PO2 Christopher Morehouse made Feb 17 at 2015 11:33 AM

2015-02-17T11:33:01-05:00

PO1 Private RallyPoint Member, I knew that my future lay in some professional field, such as law, so I did everything I could to get as much education on the military's dime. In certain fields, the start-up capital is negligible because you are the resource. That is what I aimed for. As someone else has said, you would be foolish to wait until you were out to start. You have the safety net of a job and many resources to help diminish the costs.

I used TA over the course of almost 2 years while on AD to get 33 credits in online courses through my state's community college system. I researched the 4 year schools I would likely go to in order to pick classes that would transfer to all of them in satisfaction for general education credits. Once out, I was among the first wave of the 9/11 GI Bill users. I went to school in the Fall, Spring, and Summer in order finish my degree as quickly as possible. 2 years later, I had my BA in Economics. During my last semester, I knew I wanted to go to law school, so I jumped through the hoops to make it happen. Then, I proceeded immediately into law school. Seriously, I graduated from undergrad on Aug 14, and my law school started Aug 17. I managed to squeeze two more years out of my GI bill to pay for law school, leaving me with just one year to finance.

Now that I am done, I am my own business. With a bar license, I can practice law anywhere in the state with little capital; just the cost of an internet connection, paper, and ink. The state appoints clients who are indigent to those attorneys who desire them. You can make a 6 figure income doing nothing but appointed work and not have to worry about advertising for private clients. Naturally, the end game is to have a full load of private clients and to hire attorneys to work for me as that is when financial success really starts to take off. But, without all of my preparation while in the military, I would be behind by at least a whole year and down the tuition and living expenses of an additional year of law school.

Seize the day, do what you can. Some is better than none.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 17 at 2015 11:34 AM

2015-02-17T11:34:29-05:00

Law firm.