WHEN THE JOB SEARCH PROVES UNSUCCESSFUL:
Insights from an accidental Veteran entrepreneur by Joe Snowberger
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any Servicemembers transitioning from the military to a civilian career pursue employment through a job search. Navy Veteran Chris Straw initially followed this traditional approach, matter-of-factly stating, “When I left the Navy, I needed a job.” As a naval helicopter pilot and flight instructor, Straw sought a civilian career in the aviation industry. Straw was unable to find “suitable opportunities [he] could enjoy or be happy with,” despite months of job fairs, application submissions and interviews. “I didn’t follow my dreams,” Straw said of his eventual entrepreneurial ventures. “I followed an opportunity.” While stationed at Naval Station Mayport, Straw’s wife opened a restaurant on Mayport Road: Simply Tasty Thai, now a local staple. In support of his wife’s venture, Straw said he was “vaguely dabbling with running a restaurant and handling the back-office tasks.” The opportunity that became his business endeavour—Hangar Bay Café and Gallery—was the availability of another store in the same shopping center. With the possibility of opening a second restaurant, Straw began to apply lessons he learned in the Navy. “Accountability. Stamina. Leadership. Mission accomplishment. Attention to detail. All of these things come into play when running a business that wants to be successful,” said Straw. In contemplating what would make for a successful—albeit unique—restaurant on Mayport Road he wondered, “What would Sailors look around and say, I’ll try there?“ With a Navy and ports-of-call theme, Straw said fried chicken and Ramen emerged as menu candidates “because like the chicken, there wasn’t anyone doing Ramen other than an appetizer soup.” Straw posits that, as an entrepreneur, you should passionately “believe in your project as you will need that belief to get you through the process and when no one else believes in it.” Today, Hangar Bay Café and Gallery is a comfort food restaurant with a diverse menu. Straw adds, “I have a place where you can eat four days a week and enjoy a different type of food each day.”
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During the development of Hangar Bay Café and Gallery in 2009, Straw was unaware of any business start-up or support programs for entrepreneurs like the many that now exist. Emerging from the structure of the military he quickly realized there are “no guard rails” in the civilian world. Straw admonishes that “You can do anything you want and you have to live with the consequences.” Straw counsels aspiring Veteran business owners to “Get some money and plan on needing more. Plan and have a goal and be ready to adjust the plan.” Liberty Life shares the stories, successes and lessons learned by military and Veteran-Owned Businesses. Author’s note: Try the shrimp & grit cakes! Hangar Bay Café and Gallery, 2294 Mayport Road, Atlantic Beach, FL 32233, HangarBayCafe.com
