SALUTE E MAGAZINE

SALUTE E MAGAZINE

Vol. 1 Number 1 • Premier Issue www.HireGI.com.com

Get out there and

Network Military Strategy Can Help Your Career Strategy

What’s Next?

Transitioning from service to civilian life

Navy Vet

Rock’n’ Civilian Life Keep Your 2019 Resolutions All Year with SMART Planning and HighTech Tools

Transition To Your Perfect Job

SALUTE Magazine / January 2019 1

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SALUTE Magazine / January 2019

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SALUTE Magazine / January 2019 3

Veterans Career Services SALUTE is the premier e-magazine of Hire G.I., inspiring

a purpose- driven network of thousands of employers who embrace a common vision to hire transitioning military Veterans and their spouses—who in turn bring key skills in leadership, teamwork, loyalty, integrity, and a determination for success.

Who We are Hire G.I. serves those who have served our country. By assisting with the transition from military service to civilian employment, we help service members and veterans become successful in the workforce. Our services are geared towards two types of candidates, those who are looking to join a top-tier company, and those who are looking to start their own business.

What We Do We understand the challenges of military transition into the civilian workforce. Through strategic partnerships, Hire G.I. has developed a proprietary blend of veteran candidate development, entrepreneurial coaching and placement services, resulting in synergistic human capital investments for all of our clients.

Our Mission At Hire G.I., we strive to close the gap between employable Veterans and employers of the highest caliber. By providing superior services to our Veterans and clients, we exemplify our motto of, “Serving Those Who Have Served.”

Our Vision We strive to become the preferred source for employment and human resource services. Dedicated to serving our customers and the community with the highest levels of service, knowledge, professionalism, honesty and integrity.

Transition To Your Perfect Job 4

SALUTE Magazine / January 2019

Publisher Jermaine A. Higgins Hire G.I. Collaborative Partner HomelandMagazine.com SALUTE is published monthly.

Submissions of photographs, Illustrations, drawings, and manuscripts are considered unsolicited materials and the publisher assumes no responsibility for the said items.

All rights reserved.

HIRE G.I. 510 Plaza Dr. Suite 2230 Atlanta, GA 30349

(855)383-3332 Contact us at: jermaine@hiregi.com

www.HireGI.com

WHAT’S NEXT? INSIDE THIS ISSUE 6 2019 Smart Planning 7 HIRE G.I. List of Events 8 What’s Next? Transitioning 10 Returning to Civilian Life 12 Successful Military Transition Tips 13 Veterans Bring Distinctive Capabilities 14 Business Coaching 16 Instant Business: Drop Shipping 18 U.S. Navy Vet Rocking Civilian Life 24 Career Creators - Career Coaching 26 Military Strategy 28 From Veteran To Business Owner 29 Get Out There and NETWORK

DIGITAL VERSION AVAILABLE WWW.HireGI.com

SALUTE Magazine / January 2019 5

2019 Keep Your 2019 Resolutions All Year with SMART Planning and High-Tech Tools

Keeping your New Year’s resolutions and intentions for the whole year is difficult for everyone. It’s an uphill climb, and especially so for recovering veterans. But with some simple planning, and the aid of modern technology, you’ve got a fighting chance to succeed.

It has been reported that nearly 80 percent of resolutions fail by the second week of February, so if one of your resolutions is to “keep my resolutions going all year,” we’ve got some techie tools and tips to help you maintain your self-discipline.

Most resolutions fade away before the first flowers of spring because most people don’t break their large, well-intentioned goals into smaller, more achievable accomplishments.

Be clear about what you want to accomplish.

For long-term success of your recovery goals, use the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) goal process.

Specific Think of your recovery goal(s) in performance terms.

For example, if you want to exercise more, your target might be “to reduce the time it takes me to walk around the block every morning for the next two months.” If you want to lose weight and improve your dietary habits, your goal might be “to lose five pounds by January 31 by eating a balanced diet and cutting out red meats.”

Measurable Make your goals measurable so you’ll know when it has been accomplished. For example, the daily walk time goal mentioned above is easily measured. Later we’ll tell you about some tech tools that make timing and measuring your activities much easier.

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Achievable Make sure your goals are realistic and achievable. Set your goals high and push yourself, but be real about it, and don’t set yourself up for disappointment. Think of “achievable” in terms of baby steps. Meeting your smaller milestones will encourage you to see it through until your goal is accomplished.

Relevant Set your goals based on what’s important to you and motivates you to succeed. Goals are personal. They should not be your neighbor’s goals or those of your brother-in-law who is training for the 2020 Summer Olympics (unless, of course, that’s also what you want to do).

Time-Bound Set a specific timeframe for completing your goal.

Applying a set time period to your goal is a motivator to accomplish it before time runs out. For example, the goal “to lose five pounds by January 31 by eating a balanced diet and cutting out red meats” is time-bound specific.

You can reach your New Year’s resolution goals by using SMART planning, tech tools, and getting support from your friends and family. If you find you’ve bitten off more than you can chew with your resolutions, there is an easy fix. Remember, you are in control of the whole plan, so don’t be afraid to back it down when life throws you a curve, or pump it up when free-time opportunities arise.

Good luck, stay on track, and have a Happy New Year!

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SALUTE Magazine / January 2019 7

WHAT’S

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NEXT? Transitioning from service to civilian life Tips and ideas for a successful military transition

Veterans bring distinctive capabilities to civilian employers...

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Transitioning from service to civilian life Returning to civilian life presents new opportunities — and challenges — for Veterans. Many Veterans look forward to life after the military because they can spend more time with family and friends and no longer have to worry about military structure or deployment.

At the same time, transitioning out of the military may raise a lot of questions.

You may wonder what you are going to do with this new phase of your life, or whether you will be able to find a job.

You may think about going back to school, but not know where to start.

Or you may miss the order and discipline of military life (compared with civilian life) and wonder if you will be able to adjust.

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Transitiong can be disorientating and confusing.

However, there are a series of actionable steps that can be taken to make this transition smoother and more manageable.

Whether you served during a war or in peacetime, your experiences in the service — both positive and negative — have made you a different person than you were before you entered, and may have changed the way you look at things and deal with people.

Stressful or traumatic situations may have resulted in habits or ways of coping that can be misunderstood or problematic in civilian life.

The new year provides an opportunity to step back, reflect on your military career and your preparation for transition, and consider whether you will be aiming for a job change in 2018.

One thing of manythings to remember is that your attitude equals latitude.

With refreshed budgets, new strategic plans and everyone looking to 2018, employers are looking for veterans.

Why? Distinctive Capabilities • Veterans are performanceoriented, have a strong work ethic, and thrive under pressure • Teamwork, leadership and problem solving skills learned in the military are suitable for many civilian roles Valuable skills • Veterans receive advanced training in a variety of technical skills • Military spend in these skills make veterans costeffective employees Hiring vets builds goodwill and honors their service •Recruiting veterans reflects the social responsibility of an employer and builds goodwill with customers, employees, and the community •Hiring veterans, who have sacrificed for their communities and the nation, is the right thing to do Continued on next page

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Here are several tips and ideas for a successful military transition: Network, Network, Network Applying for jobs online may seem like an efficiency way to get jobs, but the reality is it doesn’t work well. For any given job opening, recruiters are bombarded with hundreds, possibly thousands of openings. To rise above the noise, you’ll have to network.

Start with veterans who are now in the corporate world.

Don’t rush to ask for a job. If there’s no job available, the remaining time becomes one big letdown. Instead, take time to know the person. Ask how they approached the transition from a military to civilian career. Only at the end of the conversation is it ok for you to ask whether or not they are aware of any job openings.

Find Proven Models of Success To move forward in life, everyone has to learn from mistakes. The only question is whose: yours or those of the great achievers who lived before you?” Take this to heart.

Start by asking people that have made the transition before you. Understand their points of friction and what enabled success. If you start with a collective base of knowledge and experience, your own ceiling for a higher level of achievement is much greater.

Look For Military-Friendly Employers Several employers appreciate the qualities ex-military personnel bring to a civilian job. Furthermore, you’re likely to find co-workers who formerly served in the military. They can mentor you as you ease into a new working environment. - CONNECT WITH RECRUITERS AND HEADHUNTERS WHO FOCUS ON MILITARY TO CIVILIAN TRANSITIONS.

Play up Your Strengths As An Ex-Militray Candidate Military veterans are known for precise communication, individual accountability, impeccable execution and natural leadership. Don’t forget to showcase this during the interview. All four skills are in high demand, regardless of position. Give yourself credit for strengths that many non-military job candidates lack. Other key skills to play up: poise, ingenuity, and ability to handle stressful situations well.

Translate Your Skills The military’s highly specific job codes and titles (often filled with acronyms) don’t help hiring managers in the civilian sector understand what you can do for them. So, at a minimum, it’s important to translate your resume out of military jargon and into language that shows your transferrable skills.

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Working in the R-14 shop of a deployed battalion doesn’t help your interviewer understand what you can do. Turn this into something that can be easily understood and applied to the civilian world, for example: “Created a unified plan of action, ensured coordination between cross-functional teams, and provided feedback to improve the process.”

Termonolgy - Adjust From Military To Corporate Lingo A key to getting the job is fitting in -- not only do you have to demonstrate the right skills, but you also need to adopt the right body language and speech. Here are a few examples: 1. Be wary of military jargon. Rather than say you were the “red raven” expert, explain that you developed contingency plans for rare events.

2. Rather than use military time, use civilian time. That is, instead of confirming an interview for 15-hundred hours, use 3 pm.

3. No need to address your professional contacts as Sir or Ma’am. You can typically address them by their first name.

Transitioning Veterans & Law Enforcement – A Natural Fit Police officers and military veterans are kindred spirits.

Both wear their uniforms with pride. Both don their uniforms to be part of a larger team of professionals protecting those who can’t protect themselves at great personal risk. And both operate within a rigid command structure.

So it’s natural that many military veterans seek employment in police ranks when they rejoin the civilian workforce. That’s what is happening right now in numbers unseen since the closing days of the Vietnam War. The result is a job market flooded with well-qualified police officer candidates who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Going Back to School After Transitioning Many military veterans, after service, opt to go to college or university to complete or advance their education. This can prove an excellent decision in cases where advanced education makes you more competitive in the civilian job market.

Some schools are better for military veterans than others. With that said, seek out a few schools that have a reputation for being extra helpful to active duty soldiers and veterans. Military friendly schools will make it no secret that they offer additional benefits, flexibility, and special programs for current military personnel or recent veterans.

You were once in the military; your performance and capabilities were tested. Now you should bank on those to get the job you want. You can market yourself on those effectively and focus on how your military skills and abilities can contribute with any company.

High-performing companies in many industries recognize the value of veteran employees

Veterans bring distinctive capabilities to civilian employers…

Teamwork & Leadership Accountability: superior personal and team accountability. Veterans understand how policies and procedures help an organization function

Values-driven: proven experience dedicating themselves to a cause. Veterans take pride in the mission, values and success of the organization

Solving Problems

Adaptability: experience operating in ambiguous situations, exhibiting flexibility in fluid environments.

Objective-focused: ability to organize and structure resources to accomplish the mission, regardless of roadblocks

Team players: ability to understand the capabilities and motivations of each individual, regardless of background, to maximize team effectiveness

Quick learners: proven ability to learn new skills quickly and efficiently

Experienced leadership: battle-tested leadership, from the front and by example. Ability to inspire devoted followership and lead groups to accomplish unusually high aspirations

Discipline

High impact decision-makers: strong situational awareness, ability to understand complex interdependencies and make decisions using practical judgment and creativity Diverse perspectives: experience having impact and influencing people across the boundaries of culture, language, ethnicity and personal motivation

Self-reliance: demonstrated initiative, ownership, and personal responsibility while leveraging all available assets and team members to ensure success Perseverance: proven resilience getting things done despite difficult conditions, tight deadlines, and limited resources Strong work ethic: belief in the value of hard work and taking initiative

Today’s veterans are civic assets. They’re starting businesses, protecting our communities, running for office, and taking on leadership roles in their communities. And like the great generations who’ve gone before them, they’re poised to lift our country to new heights.

SALUTE Magazine / January 2019 13

Business Coaching Get FREE Business Coaching Are you interested in owning your own business?

You’ve already perfected the tools needed to succeed while in the military – leadership, personnel management, determination, and good decision-making. Many franchises specifically seek out veterans to partner with, and many have special programs that offer financial incentives to military veterans, and military spouse, to support the success of those who have served our country in their civilian lives.

Hire G.I has already provided thousands of veterans with a smooth transition out of the military and into business ownership. Our discovery and matching-base methods and business consulting allow our clients to discover opportunities that are a perfect match for what they are looking for after service.

We operate on a “Must Win” principle. We won’t stop until we find the perfect business for you to invest in, that will provide a “Win” for you and your family. We look at your transition from your prospective, and provide you the most comprehensive, objective, unbiased and meaningful advice to reach your dream of owning a business.

Start the path to owning your own business by speaking to one of our coaches today!

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Instant Business:

DROP SHIPPING

(Part 1)

By Vicki Garcia

If you’re looking for a business you can run from your office chair or the beach with minimal financial outlay, you might want to consider Dropshipping. When you search for a product, let’s say a Santa Claus costume for your Weimaraner, several sites come up with products. These sites (including Amazon) don’t have a warehouse filled red fur-trimmed get-ups for your lanky, perpetual canine energy machine.

Instead, you’re looking at a “retail fulfillment” method that doesn’t stock the products it sells.

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When that online store sells a product, it purchases the item from a third party and has it shipped directly to the customer. The merchant never sees or handles the product.

This means you can get into selling almost any product with no big investment or physical office. Pretty cool, huh?

The Good Side

VS The Down Side

The Dropshipping model has several benefits and drawbacks:

The Good Side 1. No Capital Required – One of the biggest

Do you hear a celestial chorus singing? Does it sound like all rainbows and blue skies? Hold it! There is a price to be paid and here it is.

The Down Side

advantages to dropshipping is that it’s possible to launch an ecommerce store without investing thousands of dollars in inventory up front. Actually, little money at all.

1. Low Margins – People are out there shopping their heads off, but since there many websites, they are looking for the lowest price. You may need to keep prices competitive and sell a large volume of goods.

2. Cash Flow Joy - You don’t have to purchase a product unless you already have made the sale and have been paid for it. You buy the Santa Costume with the money from the customer, keeping your markup.

2. Competition- Since it’s easy to get started and the overhead costs are low “etooties” (ttps://tinyurl.com/ y8r8fzb4) will set up shop and sell items at rock-bottom prices. They’ve invested so little they can afford to operate on minuscule margins.

3. Get Started Quick – Running an ecommerce dropshipping business is much easier when you don’t have to deal with physical products. You don’t worry about -

3. Cutthroat Jerks - Sellers with log-quality websites and poor customer service can quickly destroy the profit margin in a niche.

• Managing or paying for a warehouse • Packing/shipping your orders • Tracking inventory • Handling returns • Continually managing stock levels 4. Low Overhead – With dropshipping, your overhead expenses are low. Many successful dropshipping businesses are run from home for less than $100 per month. And, these expenses will still be low as you grow.

5. Freedom – You can run a dropshipping business while you’re laying on the beach in Jamaica sipping on a Pina Colada if you have an internet connection. If you can communicate with suppliers and customers easily, you can run and manage your business.

6. A Wide Product Range – Since don’t have to prepurchase the things you sell, you can offer a wide range of products to your potential customers. If suppliers stock an item, you can list if for sale on your website at no additional cost.

7. Growth Potential – By leveraging dropshipping suppliers, most of the work to process additional orders is done by the suppliers, allowing you to expand easily.

4. Inventory Issues –Inventory can change daily and syncing your inventory with suppliers can be vexing.

(But it can be done) 5. Shipping Complexities – The products on your website may be sourced through several different drop shippers. This complicates your shipping costs.

6. Customer Service – If you don’t like helping people, you may not like the customer service element inherent in dropshipping. People will complain. Suppliers will make errors. You need to be willing to take responsibility for things that are not your fault.

This is starting to sound like work. I didn’t say dropshipping is a passive side hustle. It’s a business.

You must work it and make good decisions.

In Part 2 we’ll look at how to pick the right products to sell (probably your most important decision), how much to mark up your products, how to market your business, and more stuff.

Vicki Garcia is the Co-Founder of Operation Vetrepreneur & President of Marketing Impressions, a 30+ -year- old marketing consulting firm. Apply to join Operation Vetrepreneur’s FREE Think Tank Groups at www.veteransinbiz.com or visit www.operationvetrepreneur.vet for more info.

SALUTE Magazine / January 2019 17

It’s a “Damn Good Day” for 16-Year U.S. Navy Vet and Former EOD Technician Who’s Now Rocking Civilian Life

By Barry Smith Boot Campaign

When you are an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technician with the U.S. Navy you are trained to perform some of the most dangerous work on the planet, in any environment, to keep your comrades and civilians out of harm’s way.

The website Navy.com says EOD techs are “much more than the world’s ultimate bomb squad.” They are a group of brave warriors trained to investigate and neutralize improvised explosive devices or any type of ordnance, including chemical, biological and even nuclear weapons.

So, when disarming explosives is your everyday job, it helps to have a good, healthy distraction you can turn to in your down time that will help you kick back and relax.

For U.S. Navy Petty Officer First Class (Ret.) Brian Grilli of Lansing, Ill., who served multiple Iraq and Afghanistan deployments as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, that distraction he turned to was the guitar.

“I took my guitar with me on deployments and played every now and then,” recalls Grilli, who spent 16 and a half years in the Navy, including four years before Sept.

11, 2001, and 12-plus years after. “Music’s always been an outlet for me for everything. Music in general, for a lot of people, can be an escape. Even listening to music is therapeutic.

“I have always had the music bug because it was a big part of our family,” he reflects. “My dad was a classically trained piano player and opera singer, my mother was a singer, and two of my brothers play musical instruments.

I’ve played the guitar since I was 8 years old, and seriously since I was 12, but I’m more or less self-taught.”

Grilli spent his entire military career stationed at the Joint Expeditionary Base–Little Creek in Norfolk, Va., where he began his service at 19 years of age as a deep-sea diver and one of 100 sailors attached to the salvage ship USS Grasp. He completed his four-year contract and left the military to start a career in music. “When I got out of the Navy the first time, I formed a band and we did pretty well,” he says. “But things didn’t pan out and then 9/11 happened.”

Like many Americans, Grilli distinctly remembers what he was doing when he first learned about the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center’s landmark twin towers. “I was changing my son,” he recalls, “and I came down stairs because my mom, who was staying with us at the time, told me to watch the television. I started watching, and about a year later went back into the Navy.”

After rejoining his fellow sailors for a short while, he felt he was ready for new challenges and ways to serve, so he decided to change his career path and went into EOD training.

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“I think what attracted me to it was to try and make a difference, to keep our guys safe, and try to thwart any of our adversary’s plans,” he confides. “I guess I had a sense of duty, to our fellow boots on the ground, keeping them out of harm’s way, and making sure the other people we were embedded with were also trained, so they could be safe.”

Grilli went on to serve eight years as an EOD, before suffering multiple injuries on his last deployment overseas.

At that point, he knew his military career was at an end and it was time to put his weapons down and pick up the guitar for good, exchanging combat trips to the Middle East for trips around the music world.

“After I got hurt and I was not healing up, I was basically to the point where I couldn’t do my job anymore,” says Grilli, who medically retired in 2014. “At that time, I decided I was going to go back to music, and started writing my first album. I was actually recording it while I was waiting to retire.”

In 2013 Grilli released his first album, “Damn Good Day,” which made the independent music world and national music scene take notice. The title track was his first single, and it rose up the charts fast to the No. 1 spot on Indieworld, helping him gain the notoriety that led to an appearance in the September 2014 issue of Guitar Player magazine. Now an accomplished musician and songwriter, the Chesapeake, Va., resident, husband and father of four

has captured the attention of many prominent musicians.

He has written songs for Sons of Anarchy and the awardwinning independent documentary “Until It Hurts.” He also has shared the stage with the likes of country music stars Blackberry Smoke, Brantley Gilbert, Florida Georgia Line, Eli Young Band, Thomas Rhett, Fyler Farr and Stoney LaRue, as well as rockers Cheap Trick, Styx, .38 Special and Lucero.

His efforts have enabled him to become a proud voting member of the Country Music Association and Americana Music Association, and earned him a music contract with Spectra Records. His first album with the South Carolinabased company – “Introducing… Brian Grilli” – is scheduled to debut in 2018 featuring what Grilli describes as his “most mature and personal songs to date.”

Grilli further explains that the recording will not include any songs about his experiences in the Navy.. “It’s completely away from the military,” he discloses. “The first album I didn’t have a voice, I was kind of just looking for a sound.

This new album is more me, and more the direction that I’m going for and comfortable with, a little more southern rock and country.”

Even though his music career is taking off, Grilli has found time to finish his bachelor’s degree in criminology from St. Leo University, and is working on another degree in exercise science from Old Dominion University.

Continued on next page

SALUTEHOMELAND Magazine/ /October January2017 201917 19

It’s a “Damn Good Day” In addition, Brian gives back to the military community as a Veteran Ambassador for Boot Campaign, and is an avid supporter of Combat Wounded Coalition, Wounded EOD Warrior and Navy SEAL Foundation.

He also has made time to undergo important rehabilitation by participating in Boot Campaign’s ground-breaking veteran assistance program, ReBOOT, getting his body and mind back in shape with the help of program partners Virginia High Performance of Virginia Beach, Va. “ReBOOT is probably one of the most comprehensive and beneficial programs I have ever witnessed or been a part of,” Grilli assesses.

“It really tries to take into consideration many facets of wellness, and getting someone who has a TBI or PTSD or limiting injuries and making that person way better than when they came in.

I have seen some amazing results, not just from myself, but other people in the program I was working with side by side.”

While he says ReBOOT has been a tremendous help and confidence booster, Grilli acknowledges his transition from military to civilian life has been an extremely tough challenge, even though his music career has taken a steep climb.

“I was one of those alpha-male types, and once you get out and are slowed down it can be a blow to your ego,” Grilli admits.

“You question if you’re the man you used to be.

A lot of times you have a hard time with it and you just have to take life as it comes.

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“At this point life is good,” I’m really happy.

Seriously, it’s great. I’m enjoying life.

It took me a while to appreciate exactly what I have, and dealing with that adjustment and settling down and being comfortable with my new role in life.”

“At this point though, life is good,” he continues.

“I’m really happy. Seriously, it’s great. I’m enjoying life.

It took me a while to appreciate exactly what I have, and dealing with that adjustment and settling down and being comfortable with my new role in life.

“I attribute that to my wife, Kristen, for her keeping me real,” he concludes.

“She’s made me see things differently, in a good way, and helped me get stuff on track.

And that’s what I think veterans need is that support system, from family, friends and organizations like Boot Campaign.”

Learn more about Boot Campaign and its ReBOOT program at www.BootCampaign.org

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Career Creators - Career Coaching Are You Looking For Career Coaching?

Studies have shown a clear correlation between a person’s level of career satisfaction and their level of overall life satisfaction. Yet, a myriad of studies consistently find that up to 80% of people are disappointed with their job and in the midst of a mediocre career.

Over the last decade, we have helped thousands of veterans and military spouses realize their career possibilities. If you are looking for support in shaping your career or transitioning to a new job, or if you simply need an amazing resume and LinkedIn profile, our consultants and technology will help you move forward with clarity, focus and success.

Career Creators Coaching Programs provide: Resume and LinkedIn development that gets you at the top-of-the-list with companies, recruiters and applicant tracking systems. Support every aspect of your job transition with one-on-one coaching, market research, self-insight assessments, on-demand training, targeted interview practice, resume-LinkedIn support, and much more.

Career Creators will change your career, and even your life. We walk you through a proven process for exploring and finding your unique career fit, and developing a career strategy that works.

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SALUTE Magazine / January 2019

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How Military Strategy Can Help Your Career Strategy

Military strategy is often a convenient proxy to help explain business strategy. For example, sales and marketing campaigns use “Attack” or “Destroy the Competition!” Military Strategy is often times a good guide for both business strategy and personal career strategy because it can remove the complex emotion that comes from creating a new product and determining your next career move. Furthermore, military strategy can be an excellent “vehicle” to help translate a complex business approach with a familiar military vignette or concept.

Here are 4 ways a military strategy mindset can help your career strategy: Planning the Bold Move.

Military strategy can reinforce personal career ambitions and personal career planning by offering positive examples of when boldness pays off.

During the early stages of the Korean War, General Douglas MacArthur planned a bold amphibious landing at Inchon, South Korea. Inchon was a landing that was hundreds of miles behind the lines of the invading North Koreans and very hazardous due to its wide swings in tidal height.

Despite the hazards, MacArthur was successful in the Inchon landings. Military strategy helps reinforce that sometimes, despite the hazards, 26

SALUTE Magazine / January 2019

it pays to be bold and aggressive to win.

Make Sure the New Works Well.

Military strategy is fraught with seemingly great ideas and inventions that failed at their moments of greatest need. During the World War II D-Day invasion of Northern France, Normandy, the Americans had plans to use “swimming” Sherman tanks to get armor on theinvasion beaches to clear obstacles and rapidly advance inland.

Despite the technology, most of the American “swimming” Sherman tanks sank into the stormy Atlantic ocean far from the landing beaches.

The American amphibious invasion of Omaha beach was almost unsuccessful due to the loss of tank support but eventually succeeded due to the resolute American Infantry and assistance from the Army Air Force and US Navy. Technology is great, but it is never a solution by itself. It is only tested, workable technology that creates career wins and happy customers.

Great Leaders Communicate and Work SideBy-Side With Their Team to Overcome the Challenge.

During the battle of the Ira Drang Valley during the early stages of American involvement in the Vietnam War, then Lieutenant Colonel Hal Moore and Sergeant Major Plumley were everywhere

during an intense battle when they were surrounded by a determined enemy three times their size and attacked on three sides during a day’s long battle.

Despite the attacks and being low on critical supplies, Moore and Plumley constantly moved among their soldiers encouraging them, exposing themselves to danger, and updating everyone on their situation.

This is an amazing example of true leadership under harrowing conditions where the leaders sought to communicate, lead, and create an atmosphere of performance under the worst possible conditions. Business leaders go to where the challenge is greatest – to customers to make a sale or help make great products on the factory floor.

This is an amazing example of true leadership under harrowing conditions where the leaders sought to communicate, lead, and create an atmosphere of performance under the worst possible conditions.

Business leaders go to where the challenge is greatest – to customers to make a sale or help make great products on the factory floor.

It Recognizes That Success Comes From Teams and Not Individuals.

During the 1st Gulf War, then Captain (now General) H.R. McMaster led a combined arms team of Tanks and Infantry Fighting Vehicles in the now famous battle of 73 Easting in SW Iraq. During the battle, McMaster’s combined arms force of Tanks and Infantry Fighting Vehicles destroyed over 70 enemy vehicles and tanks in the first 30 minutes of the battle. While McMaster was a good Troop Commander, it was McMaster’s entire Troop fighting as a team that created such an amazing victory with no friendly losses.

The Battle of 73 Easting was a success due to teamwork, training, and technology all coming together in addition to a Troop Commander, McMaster, focused on leading a strong combat unit. Great businesses are built upon teams all working towards a common goal with shared effort and skills.

Military Strategy is a great guide for personal career strategy because it recognizes that a combination of results, teamwork, and concern for subordinates, teaching, and personal leadership by example are what it takes a leader to consistently succeed in both business and in battle.

Hire G.I. serves those who have served our country. We can assist you with transition from military service to civilian employment.

For more information visit www.HireGI.com

SALUTE Magazine / January 2019 27

From Veteran To Business Owner Did you know out of the 27.9 million businesses in the Untied States, 2.45 million of them are owned by Veterans?

70% of American consumers are more likely to buy from a veteran owned business than from a business not owned by a veteran. Starting or running a business takes courage, discipline and dedication. It also takes knowing the legal aspects that could safe guard your hard work.

Before starting, running or buying a business consider the following: HAVE A BUSINESS PLAN. A complete, thoughtful business plan is one of the most valuable tools in helping you reach your long-term goals. It gives your business direction, defines your objectives, maps out strategies to achieve your goals and helps you to manage possible bumps in the road.

OBTAIN FINANCING. Whether you are starting a new business or buying an existing one, small businesses need money. If you or your spouse served in the military and would like to fund your small business, you can take advantage of a few different favorable loan options geared towards veterans.

INCORPORATE YOUR BUSINESS. Many small business owners launch their companies as sole proprietorships in which they and their businesses are essentially one and the same. However, changing the format of a small business to a corporation or a limited liability company can offer a range of advantages for entrepreneurs. The advantages of incorporating a small business include:

• Compete for more contracts. Some businesses require vendors and contracting companies to be incorporated before they can compete for contracts.

• Entice and hold employees with stock options. A corporation has an advantage in attracting talented employees by offering employees partial ownership in the business through stock options.

Becoming a business owner, you control your own destiny, choose the people you work with, reap big rewards, challenge yourself, give back to the community, and you get to follow your passion. Knowing what you’re getting into is smart business because the responsibility of protecting your family and yourself falls on you.

For more information on how to legally protect your business please pick up a copy of my book: ‘Go Legal Yourself’ on Amazon or visit my website at www.baglalaw.com - (760) 784-9109 NOTHING COMPARES at this price to Go Legal Yourself ® Startup Essentials Package. This specialized, customizable package of legal contracts and documents includes everything a startup company needs to protect its assets from the beginning. You won't find these contracts online anywhere but here.

Compare Go Legal Yourself ® Startup Essentials Package against the rest:

$

• Personal asset protection. Both corporations and limited liability companies allow owners to separate and protect their personal assets.

• Additional credibility and name protection. Adding “Inc.” or “LLC” after your business name can add instant legitimacy and authority. Consumers, vendors and partners frequently prefer to do business with an incorporated company.

• Perpetual existence. Corporations and limited liability companies can continue to exist even if ownership or management changes. Sole proprietorships and partnerships just end if an owner dies or leave the business.

• Deductible expenses. Both corporations and limited liability companies may deduct normal business expenses, including salaries.

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-4 E m ployer Identification N um ber

x x

x

Get out there and

Network

By Vicki Garcia

With the advent of the internet you’d think the “old-fashioned” effectiveness of business networking has been left in the dust.

Not true! Face-to-face contact is, and always will be, the number one way to grow your business.

8 Networking Tip

I’m currently coaching a veteran entrepreneur who is highly skilled in what he does. But, he’s uncomfortable meeting new people.

2. Don’t sit with your friends. Sit with a table of strangers and converse with all of them.

He has to get over this if he is to succeed. Shyness is a luxury an entrepreneur cannot afford.

Visibility Builds Trust Often the most competent competitor doesn’t win. Because there is one on every corner, they are perceived as the best.

They have visibility. Visibility builds trust. Hide behind your computer, and you will be the competitor who loses.

Business groups will urge you to show up consistently. This is because they know that half the battle is being seen, becoming a familiar face and reintroducing your business over and over again. Networking gets easier the more you do it.

You never know what you’ll find or who you will meet.

Attracting new business, forging alliances, opening up opportunities...all are waiting for you if you will just get out there.

1. Networking is not for making a sale on the spot. If you’re all about selling, people will avoid you.

3. Once you find a promising organization, volunteer to help at the check in table where you will meet everyone who arrives.

4. Look for first timers. Walk up to them, stick out your hand and say “Hi, I’m (your name). What do you do?

5. Get to know the organization’s decision makers and power brokers. Be helpful to them.

6. Find out who determines the speakers. Your trustworthiness will grow rapidly if you speak.

7. Don’t waste your money on display tables. Instead, network with the people around the display tables.

8. Besides looking for customers, also look for people you might team with, or who could be good referral sources.

Vicki Garcia is the Co-Founder of Veteran Entrepreneurs Today & President of Marketing Impressions. Look for trusted advisors, or apply to be a B2B vendor for veteran entrepreneurs at

www.veteranentrepreneurstoday.org.

SALUTE Magazine / January 2019 29

veterans

MAGAZINE.COM

Resources Support Inspiration

Homeland Veterans Magazine Voted 2017 & 2018 BEST resource, support media for veterans, military families & military personnel.

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veteran, r e d i v o r p & r fathe . d e r e w o p m i am e

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SALUTE Magazine / January 2019 31

THE POSSE VETERANS PROGRAM

Go to a TOP college with the support of other veterans and FULL TUITION GUARANTEED. Posse is selecting veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces to attend:

UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO

VASSAR COLLEGE

POSSE IS LOOKING FOR VETERANS WHO: • Have not previously received a bachelor’s degree • Have served at least 90 consecutive days of active duty since September 11, 2001, and have received or will receive an honorable discharge by July 1, 2019 • Can commit to a one-month pre-collegiate training program in New York City in the summer of 2019 • Are leaders in their places of work, communities and/or families

WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY

UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA

WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE POSSE VETERANS PROGRAM? Visit our website at www.possefoundation.org/veterans or email the Posse Veterans Team at veterans@possefoundation.org.

GET TO KNOW A POSSE VETERAN SCHOLAR...

WHAT IS THE POSSE VETERANS PROGRAM?

GRANT KILLIAN

COLLEGE DEGREE: Each cohort—a Posse—of 10 veterans attends college together to pursue bachelor’s degrees.

University of Virginia Navy Gallatin, TN

FUNDING: Vassar College, The University of Virginia, The University of Chicago, and Wesleyan University guarantee four years of full tuition funding after GI Bill and Yellow Ribbon benefits have been applied.

SUPPORT: Comprehensive training from Posse prepares veterans for the college experience and support continues on campus through graduation.

CAREER: Posse offers internship opportunities, career coaching and connections to a large professional network to prepare Posse Scholars for leadership positions in the workforce.

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Grant joined the Navy after graduating from high school in 2015. He developed into a strong and effective leader while training at the Naval Special Warfare Preparatory School. At UVA, Grant hopes to study physics and international relations while actively engaging with the university and surrounding communities. Grant says, “the Posse Foundation is investing in groups of driven individuals with incredible leadership potential to have an impact on conversations, campuses, communities, and the world."

SALUTE Magazine / January 2019 33

NO ONE VALUES YOUR EXPERIENCE

MORE THAN U.S. XPRESS.

VETERANS EARN MORE−FASTER−WITH OUR POST-9/11 GI BILL APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM For Drivers, Driver Managers & Diesel Techs!

CALL 888-246-1148 OR VISIT USXJOBS.COM/MILITARY *Certain restrictions apply

USX: MILITARY PROGRAMS

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GIVING VETERANS MORE, BECAUSE YOU DESERVE MORE.