Founders Day Issue: Military Entrepreneur Magazine

TheFounder

Stephanie Brown, CEO and founder, The Rosie Network Stephanie is a nationally recognized leader and sought-after subject matter expert on military entrepreneurship As CEO and Founder of The Rosie Network, Stephanie has been featured on numerous national news channels including FOX Business, CBS and NPR She has also been featured in Woman’s Day Magazine, Business Insider, The New York Times, Military Families Magazine, and U.S. Veterans Magazine, to name a few. She is the widow of retired Admiral Thomas Brown (SEAL) and the daughter of an Air Force Vietnam veteran.

Stephanie has dedicated over 20 years to supporting and advocating on behalf of military families, and veterans. Stephanie is a member of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Military Community and Family Policy, Spouse Ambassador Network and Military Spouse Employment Partnership (MSEP) She leads the Military Spouse Entrepreneur Task Force working with DoD leaders to empower military spouse business owners and budding entrepreneurs to launch and grow small businesses with confidence and clarity Stephanie is a founding affiliate partner of the Coalition of Veteran Owned Business (CVOB) alongside Billion Dollar Roundtable companies, and is the Chairperson of the Military Affairs Committee for the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce. She has also served on the Board of Advisors for California Department of Veterans Affairs, CalVet and Veteran Launch, CDFI.

In January of 2021, Stephanie co-founded the first US Military Spouse Chamber of Commerce (MSCC) and serves as CEO She was instrumental in developing the first industry-standard Military Spouse-Owned Enterprise Certification (MSEC) and on-boarding corporations such as USAA, Johnson & Johnson, CVS Heath and Disney committed to doing business with certified military spouse-owned businesses

Stephanie'sAwards

Department of the Army, Civilian Service Commendation Medal

2019 Veteran Small Business Champion of the Year, Small Business Administration

Innovator of the Year, Our City San Diego Small Business Owner of the Year, San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce

Top 10 Most Influential Military Spouse Business Owners, Business Insider HillVets 100 Award, US Chamber of Commerce

Foundation and Military Times Diego Business Journal

50 Business Leaders Making a Difference, San

500 Most Influential Leaders, San Diego Business Journal

The Rosie Network is a non-profit organization founded by military spouse, Stephanie Brown, after spending hours searching on-line for a contractor to do repair work on her home. Preferring to hire a veteran, a vision was born to promote military family-owned businesses to the American public Shortly after, Rosie’s List was launched, the first of its kind search tool featuring verified veteran and military spouse-owned businesses. Entrepreneurs create solutions to problems.

to find a greater problem, the lack of training and networking opportunities for veteran and military spouses small business owners, and budding entrepreneurs. The Solution? Service2CEO. What started in Rosie’s Military Entrepreneur Development Center in San Diego - the first of its kind in the region - has grown to provide nocost training, networking, and mentorship to thousands of military entrepreneurs around the country and overseas.“We believe our military members and their families have earned the right to the American Dream of small business ownership. Our mission every day is to help them succeed,” says Stephanie, “and after 10 years, we are just getting started. Whobettertorepresentthe

Military spouses, veterans, and active duty service members are choosing small business ownership and in doing so building financial stability for their family, becoming powerful engines of economic development in their local communities, and creating portable career options across the globe.

For 10 years, The Rosie Network has led and trailblazed a path for the Military Connected Entrepreneur movement by providing training with our Service2CEO Program, a Military Entrepreneur Development Center an accelerator space in San Diego, ongoing mentorship with our national network, conferences, roundtables, think tanks and continuous education in our growing Alumni Program… just to highlight a few. The Rosie Network believes that those who serve and their families have earned the right to the American Dream. Their success is our mission.

and the nation’s next generation of American

2012 The Rosie Network vision becomes reality

.

2013 - The Rosie Network hosts its first fundraising gala and showcase at the home of, Craig Irving, San Diego Entrepreneur, with 25 local Rosie businesses featured, including one that went on to secure a deal on Shark Tank!

2014 - Rosie’s List (www.RosiesList.org) goes LIVE! Today, it features veteran, active duty, military spouse-owned businesses in every state and overseas as the largest database of its kind and the first to verify military affiliation.

2015 - Military Entrepreneur Magazine (M.E.MAG) is born!. The only non-profit publication dedicated to showcasing military-connected businesses and their owners

2013 - Hosted the first of many Military FamilyOwned Showcase events in San Diego featuring over 30 local veteran and military spouse-owned small businesses From North Carolina to Colorado and in-between, these showcase events provided over 200 local military family-owned businesses the opportunity to network and sell directly to the communities they live and serve in.

2016 - Ribbon-cutting on San Diego’s only shared office incubator; the Military Entrepreneur Development Center (MEDC) served over 1,250 local service members, veterans and military spouse entrepreneurs. July 15th was established as The Rosie Network Day with a Proclamation from the City of San Diego and Councilmember Chris Cate

2017 - Inaugural Veteran and Military Entrepreneur Conference and Awards presented in partnership with the San Diego Business Journal. Hosted 160 military entrepreneurs for a daytime conference and 350 attendees at the evening awards dinner where winners were announced and recognized for their outstanding contributions within the military entrepreneur ecosystem.

2018 - Partnered with Westfield Corporation to launch showcase events connecting military family owned businesses with consumers at Westfield Malls in San Diego and Los Angeles.

2019 - Conducted the Military Spouse Entrepreneur Survey with Cal State University San Marcos, this was the first comprehensive study on our nation’s self-employed military spouses.

2020 - AAFES Veteran Business Expos. The Rosie Network partnered with Veterans Growing America, to launch the first showcase events hosted by AAFES locations around the country, featuring local veteran and military spouse-owned small businesses.

2021 - Collaborated with The United States Military Spouse Chamber to build the first National Veteran & Diversity Small Business eMarketplace featuring veteran and military spouse-owned product providers to AAFES and government PCard holders.

Service2CEO ChapterLeadership

strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.”

-Phil Jackson

A much deserved THANK YOU to our amazing team of Chapter Leads that are the backbone of our Service2CEO Program. Their mission to serve is evident in their passion and commitment to their fellow military connected entrepreneurs that they support throughout our programs.

“The

Laura Torres

Kenneth Gay

Sonia Garza

Grace Elebute

Jessie Lawrence Chris McPhee

Pam Davis

EBeth Goad

LaToya Westbrook

Colleen Salchow

April Jennings

Cathy Murphy

Lucy Dugger

EMPOWER

Providing services and resources to military entrepreneurs in every phase of business development.

Service2CEO is an entrepreneurship program for military-connected entrepreneurs; to include military spouses, veterans and active duty service members. Combining online learning with mentors, subject matters experts and accountability partners, our comprehensive Service2CEO curriculum has a proven track record of empowering those who serve to successfully launch, grow and scale their business. Our program provides resources, networks of people committed to your success and an actionable curriculum that accelerates your business to the next stage of development. Service2CEO first launched in 2016 as a single cohort in a single location and has grown to now serve Founders in 5 countries, 36 states and graduating 20 cohorts annually.

We now partner with the Wounded Warrior Foundation and Elizabeth Dole Foundation to exclusively provide their members with a Service2CEO Program and curriculum designed specifically to support Wounded Warriors and Caregivers. We are proud to know that our alumni are critical to the re-building of our nation’s economic recovery.

WHATGRADUATESSAY ABOUTSERVICE2CEO

“Wow! What can I say? I walked into Service2CEO wideeye and wet behind the ears not really knowing anything about starting my business. I felt so lost at first because my business was still in the idea phase. With the help of the Subject Matter Experts, the facilitator, and brainstorming/idea sharing with the other business partners in the cohort, walked out of the class with a full up LLC and a clear idea of where to go forward. This was the first BIG steps in getting my consulting business going and I’m gratefulfor the opportunity Service2CEO gave!”

Service2CEO helped me to drill down on one idea that I could really pull together considering my passion, experience, connections, and expertise. The area experts were extremely knowledgeable and were willing to give personal insight/coaching outside of the cohort group meetings. My cohort leader was extremely supportive and reached out to me when I hit a roadblock in developing my idea."

""I give The Rosie Network credit all the time! This program has helped me to develop a network, wisdom and learning a pitch deck. Which led me to get selected for the finals for three pitch deck competitions for veterans in the past two month. Also, getting selected for Bunker Labs Veterans in Residence in January 2022. I’ve been blessed from this program, peers and expert speakers."

TAMMY DOTSON, CEO & FOUNDER OF TIME 2 S H I N E CONSULTING SERVICES, LLC, WOUNDED WARRIOR COHORT GRADUATE

SHANNON TUIMALEOLIIFANO, SFT INTERNATIONAL ENDEAVOURS, ELIZABETH DOLE FOUNDATION COHORT GRADUATE

DR KENNETH GAY, FOUNDER KENNETH GAY EDUCATION, WARRIOR COHORT GRADUATE

10 Years

MENTORSHIP

Eighty-Nine percent of small business owners that don’t have a mentor wish they did! Ninety-Two percent of small business owners agree mentors have direct impact on the growth and survival of their business. To that end, we proudly require all Service2CEO members to participate in mentoring The Rosie Network believes that mentoring is so vitally important that we continue to offer it as part of our Alumni Program.

HOURS OF MENTORING

ROSIECONNECTS 20,000+

Rosie Connects Program creates an environment of innovation and development, reduces uncertainty, instills confidence and builds a trusted and profitable community of military connected entrepreneurs. These programs feature industry experts that help entrepreneurs stay connected to the latest business trends and insights as they continue to grow their business and build socially beneficial products and services.

"Service2CEO was a game-changer for my business. I was completely overwhelmed with all the working parts of starting a business and almost gave up on my dream. This program broke it down into small manageable chunks and provided me the hands-on assistance that I needed. I was able to convert what had once been a hobby into a full-time portable career with the mentorship and programming provided by The Rosie Network."

E M P O W E R

NATIONAL ALUMNI NETWORK

Small businesses and ambitious entrepreneurs are at the heart of every industry. No course, class or even degree can provide the on-going support and mentorship that business owners need to be successful and scale their organization Service2CEO graduates continue to receive mentoring, mastermind classes, subject matter expert presentations, collaborative Think Tank sessions, networking and much more. Our global partnerships allow us to connect our alumni with mentorship and support as they continue to face the challenges and opportunities inherent within business development. We stand committed to our graduates through each cycle of entrepreneurship at no cost to our military connected alumni community

Colleen Marchi, Magical Order of The Brave Knight

Cory Vanhorn, Blue Indigo Logistics

Monifa Caines, Queen of Spades Style

Scott Tucker, US Vet Wealth

Heather Hathaway Miranda, Hathaway Miranda, LLC

"I thought it was a very helpful camp and the instructors made it so I understood what my mom already does a bit better. I learned quite a bit from the instuctors and the other kids too! How to market my bracelets and keychains effectively (and easier) is what I rember being most helpful."

JOSH, KIDPRENEUR GRADUATE & OWNER OF BEE BRACELETS

BUILD YOUR BEST B.A.I.L. TEAM FROM THE START

By:

All Entrepreneurs strive to build a solid business with a strong business proposition, innovative solutions, products and services, and a great plan for delivery Equally important is building a strong team of external experts and resources that help you stay focused on your core business plan, achieve your goals and avoid the pitfalls that can easily throw you off track This is where the idea of developing a BAIL Team early in your business development comes in to play.

What exactly is a B.A.I.L.

Team?

This concept is simple. Create an external team of professionals that consists of your much-needed and trusted experts – Bankers, Accountants, Insurance Agents, and Legal experts Building this team is so important, especially in the early days of navigating new business ventures, innovative product development, and service delivery

BANKER

The 1st Journal

By Estelle Darcy

24 September, 2014

Start by investigating the right banking relationship for your business and finding a banker that can give you good guidance and direction as you grow. Not only can your banker help with your daily needs, and provide guidance on separating business and personal accounts, but also when and if it comes time to look at a business loan, establish or increase a credit line, or open a credit card.

ACCOUNTANT

The 1st Journal

By Estelle Darcy

24 September, 2014

The idea of looking at QuickBooks on a daily basis, making journal entries, and setting up an accounting system can be overwhelming. The solution? Leave the setup to the professionals Investing early in an accountant to set up your accounting systems, track revenue and expenses, tax filing support and critical revenue reporting that impacts your bottom line is imperative

Leona Sublett, Rosie Team Member and Entrepreneur

INSURANCE AGENT

The 1st Journal

By Estelle Darcy

In today's work environment, where so many work from home or have remote work locations, this critical function and protection are often overlooked. Your agent will make sure you have the proper commercial risk coverage that is separate and sometimes much more complex than your homeowner, renter, or auto needs Many times, it can be too late when you need it, so it is never too early to build a strong relationship early on, as many government contracts and lenders require proper commercial coverage

24 September, 2014

LAWYER

Hopefully, you won't need your lawyer as much as the other team members but when you do, it's crucial to find an individual or firm that best fits your business in terms of focus and size. They are fantastic for contract review, patent and service mark protection, and any potential legal need Yes, they generally charge by the hour, but Google is not a good way to find legal answers to your business needs.

Many of us have learned, sometimes painfully during our entrepreneurial journey, that lack of attention to any one of these core areas can be problematic The lack of expertise in one of these areas can come at a high cost The cost, not always financial, can also come in terms of time, resources, and correction Unfortunately, these costs can often throw you off the path, cause delays and sometimes even cost your business.

The Rosie Network's Service2CEO Program provides training on this concept and introduces you to our many trusted partners and supporters with expertise as B.A.I.L. Team resource members and Subject Matter Experts. They understand the unique needs of military-connected entrepreneurs and can guide you in the right direction of growing this valued and critical team

If you are in one of our BAIL Team industries and would like to support our programs or serve as a Subject Matter Expert, please contact Leona Sublett at lsublett@therosienetwork.org

Years

IMPACT

5000

MILITARY ENTREPRENEURS SERVED ANNUALLY

Military Entrepreneur success is critical to our nation's post COVID economic recovery. We began by serving 40 graduates in 2016 to serving 2500 annually today through our programs like Rosie Connects, Mentoring, Veteran and Military Entrepreneur Awards, Alumni Activities and more.

In 2022, TRN is on target to graduate 20 cohorts across 8 regions, 36 states and 6 countries.

Provide opportunities for Military-Connected Entrepreneurs to connect their brands to the American public and open doors to sell in AAFES, POP UP Shops, and ECommerce opportunities that increased sales by 1000%.

Created a road map for Military-Connected Entrepreneurs to unlock the growth and job creation potential of small business owners.

Served MilitaryConnected Entrepreneurs in all branches of the military, 40% of those being veterans, 60% of those being military spouses and 73% are considered low to moderate income.

Service2CEO Alumni report changing the way they do business to include greater access to capital, increased use of financial statements, expansion into new markets and improved management skills.

60% of the small business owners we have supported nationwide are members of the BIPOC community, 65% of those served are women.

RiveterCorps

Volunteers are the backbone of nonprofit organizations and at The Rosie Network, we are lucky to have a corps of volunteers dedicated to our organization working to help deliver vital programs and services around the world. Our volunteers help recruit participants for the Service2CEO program and serve as ambassadors at our Business Pop-up and other events. The Corps is ready to help behind the scenes whenever the call to action is sent.

We owe a debt of gratitude to those who answer the call and have selflessly helped build the dream

ROSIE’SLIST:HOWDOESITWORK?

We have changed the way American Consumers shop. Rosie’s List is an online, searchable database that enables verified Military Family owned businesses to market and sell their products and services to consumers worldwide For 10 years, we have empowered military-connected entrepreneurs to build their online marketplace and promote direct sales at no cost to the business owner. Through this effort, we have connected the American consumer and our military business owners while at the same time enabling our military community to generate sales revenue from anywhere in the world.

www.rosieslist.org

10 Years

MilitaryBusinessPopUps

In 2015, we had our first “Pop-up” event in San Diego and hosted 30 military family owned businesses at a local festival. Given its success, The Rosie Network then partnered with Westfield Corp and hosted several other military family owned “Pop-ups” in Malls across Southern California.

We expanded our success in 2020 by partnering with Veterans Growing America to once again promote our nation's military family-owned small businesses at Veteran Business Expos at AAFES Exchanges. These Expo’s provide our military connected entrepreneurs the ability to have pop-up shops on military bases throughout the United States.

Over the years, these pop-ups have developed funding and marketing opportunities for our members to expand their reach and generate much needed revenue. Helping our members bring in customers and close the deal is important for sustainability and growth.

NATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR MILITARY-CONNECTED ENTREPRENURS

In 2017, The Rosie Network, in partnership with The San Diego Business Journal, started The Veteran and Military Entrepreneur Conference and Awards to recognize Military Spouse, Veterans, and Active-Duty service members willing to take risks that traditionally accompanied any new endeavor and create a successful business enterprise. We are proud to have now hosted six annual award events.

In 2020, The Rosie Network expanded the program nationwide, renaming the event National Veteran and Military Spouse Entrepreneur Awards to recognize military-affiliated businesses around the globe.

“It’s an honor to receive this award knowing how many amazing military-spouse-owned businesses prevailed this year, despite a global pandemic. To my fellow caregivers who have dreamt of starting their own business but just haven’t taken the next step or donʻt know where to start, I can assure you that The Rosie Network provides a safe space and opportunity to work through your vision, so you can make it a reality!”

Emily Emmons of Hoʻōla Farms 2021 Military Spouse Owned Business of the Year Award

ADVOCACY

Advance consumer and corporate awareness to impact meaningful behavior change in buying habits and supplier diversity opportunities.

Military Spouse Entrepreneur Task Force

The MSE Task Force set out to identify and provide recommendations to the DoD on issues impacting military spouse business owners and budding entrepreneurs, including SOFA agreements for spouses stationed overseas and Home Based Business (HBB) regulations for those operating a business while living in military housing. The MSE Task Force is working with DoD to develop a comprehensive Tool Kit outlining what spouses need to know when it comes to launching and growing a business.

Soldier for Life, Military Spouse Co-Working Space

Recognizing the need for spouses to network, learn and grow, The Rosie Network, as the Entrepreneur Partner, is working hand in hand with the ARMY’s Soldier for Life division leadership to identify and open co-working spaces for military spouses. The first official location opened in April 2021 at the USO on Fort Belvior with five additional locations in the works for this year. The Rosie Network will be providing entrepreneurial training and mentorship at each of these locations.

Military Spouse Chamber of Commerce

As our sister organization, the MilSpouse Chamber launched in January of 2021 with the launch of the Year of the Military Spouse Entrepreneur social media campaign. #2021MilSpouseBiz

Creating a seat at the table for military spouses, the MilSpouse Chamber developed the first Military Spouse-Owned Enterprise Certification based on best practices and industry standards. This first of its kind certification allows companies to do business with and track their supplier diversity spend with military spouse business owners. To date, companies such as Johnson & Johnson, CVS, USAA to name a few, have committed to accepting the certification and increasing their spend with this underserved community.

In 2019, The Rosie Network partnered with Colin Garrett's 11.11 Veteran Project in a cause marketing effort to raise awareness and support for veterans and their families. The 11.11 Veteran Project's mission is to help improve veterans' access to resources that support healthy, happy lives.

Since that time, with Colin Garrett and his team, not only has The Rosie Network been highlighted, but Colin has also used the car to highlight our Rosie businesses like The Jewelry Republic and partners like Veteran's Growing America, to name a few. Exposure to a nationwide racing audience helps us continue in our mission, advocating for our Rosie businesses across the nation.

Through the years, The Rosie Network has been featured riding with Colin in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, and TC America. Today, Colin Garrett has become a great financial supporter of TRN.

Years

THEYEAROFROSIE 2022

PROUD TO LAUNCH OUR NEW INITATIVES IN 2022

Service2CEO 2.0

Our Advanced Entrepreneurship Service2CEO 2.0 course is for established entrepreneurs who want to grow their small businesses to reach $100K in annual revenue. Throughout the program, entrepreneurs work to analyze their current business, develop a strategic plan and execute action plans to achieve their goals and accelerate their business This program includes weekly coaching sessions with business leaders and peers as well as highly interactive and customized sessions that provide practical, in-depth coverage on key topics that include access to capital, primary market research, product development, market adoption, team and culture, and scaling processes with constrained resources.

2022 HOLIDAY BUYING GUIDE

Last year, The Rosie Network and Military Families Magazine partnered together to create the largest Holiday Buying Guide filled with militaryconnected entrepreneurs. This year, we are partnering again to create the most comprehensive shopping guide for the holiday season. By patronizing businesses included in the Holiday Gift Guide, you are putting money directly into the pockets of our military families

Click HERE to submit your productbased business for this year's Holiday Buying Guide.

ADMIRAL BROWN DISTINGUISHED GRADUATE PROGRAM

In 2021, the military community and The Rosie Network lost a great leader and advocate for military families. Rear Admiral Thomas L. Brown II served 30 years in Naval Special Ops and Intelligence creating and leading purposebuilt teams, re-engineering organizations, and working on policy and implementation of cybersecurity. In honor of his 30 years of service and leadership to our country, as well as being a driving force behind the mission of The Rosie Network, we will launch The Tom Brown Distinguished Graduate award to deserving Service2CEO graduates in 2022 and beyond as a supplement to our Service2CEO program. Each awarded graduate will receive a business resource package designed to support their business development and growth.

For many veterans and military spouses, starting a business makes more sense than pursuing a traditional day job. Veterans and military spouses can rely on their experience, adaptability, and resiliency to drive business success increasing their financial stability and selfsufficiency.

The Rosie Network has partnered with Mission Hire Me (MHM), a production and branding company, to serve veterans and military spouse entrepreneurs by helping them create visually engaging and professionally edited videos. The videos are tailor-made in partnership with the business owner, a Service2CEO program graduate, with the goal of accelerating growth and financial success by attracting customers and potential investors.

Together we can support those that served us, their families, communities, and our nation's economy by accelerating veteran and military spouse-owned businesses.

TOGETHER OUR MISSION IS THEIR SUCCESS

Years

IT’S BEEN 10 YEARS AND “WE CAN’T DO IT WITHOUT YOU!”

We are so proud of our mission and what we’ve accomplished over the last 10 years, and most importantly, the impact our programs and services have made on our military-connected entrepreneurs and their families since 2012. Thanks to the ongoing financial investment and generous gifts provided by our corporate, individual and foundation donors, The Rosie Network today serves 5000 military entrepreneurs across 36 states and in 3 countries.

A special THANK YOU to our MAJOR donors who have invested more than $50,000 to our mission, programs, and services so that we can continue to offer at NO cost to the military entrepreneurs we serve:

THANK YOU to ALL of our donors who make our mission possible!

We can’t wait to share what we have in store in 2023 and beyond as our goal to build a thriving military-connected entrepreneurial community that stokes our nation’s economic engine.

JOIN OUR SUPPORTERS WITH AN INVESTMENT IN OUR MISSION AND MILITARY ENTREPRENEURIAL PROGRAMS

CONTACT LEONA SUBLETT AT LSUBLETT@THEROSIENETWORK.ORG VISIT WWW.THEROSIENETWORK.ORG TO DONATE

It has been an absolute honor and a privilege to serve the Military Connected Entrepreneur community over the last 10 years. We believe that the Military Spouse deserves the support to close the unemployment gap in comparison to their civilian counterparts. We believe that veterans deserve a training program eliminating the barriers to starting a business that contributes to the financial solvency of their family. Ultimately, to our core, we believe that those who have served our country, both Military Spouses and Veterans, deserve the very best we have to offer. As we move into 2023 and the next 10 years, we know our military entrepreneur's business success is critical to our nation's economic engine. We need your help now more than ever. This country relies on its small business owners and entrepreneurs for job growth and strong economic recovery. The Rosie Network has led the way for more than a decade by building and strengthening military families through entrepreneurship - the American Dream - but there's much more work to be done.

Together, we can do it with your support.